I normally do not review books. However, the following review was completed for The Fellowship of Catholic Scholars. It is an autobiography of faith rather than an academic book, and as such gives a dizzying account of the errors and rabbit holes found in Messianic Judaism, Christian cults, and Protestantism. As such, it might be of interest to some of you đ
The months of May and June we celebrate graduation at all levels of schooling, reflecting upon the path behind our child and their journey ahead. Whether it is your little childâs first day at school or your now young adult child stepping onto that college campus, this classic poem by Cecil Day Lewis continues to capture the heart of the parent.
As the largest religious body in the world, Catholics are a major cultural force not only in their actions but, and perhaps more so, in their failure to actâŚ
Originally written in May of 2015, now posting this article a decade later and with a new Pope in this glorious month of Mary during the Jubilee year of Hope, we have infinite opportunity for renewal of our hearts to be love to othersâŚ
Jesusâ closest friends were The Twelve. Yet one betrayed Him, ten ran away when trouble came knocking on their proverbial door, and the only one who stayed with Him in His passion was His younger cousin JohnâŚ
Lent is drawing to an end. We will join the crowds crying âHosanna in the highest!â, honoring our Lord on Palm Sunday only to betray Him a few days later. Yes, it is difficult to stand by and watch the cruelty inflicted upon Him. Even his best friends deserted Him. But perhaps what causes us to run comes from a deeper place in our heart. This scene, this situation, is completely out of anyoneâs control. Except Godâs.
We go through life seeing the hardships before us, the rockiness of our path, its instability. Life presents to us what seems like an abyss out of which we cannot climb or a mountain we cannot traverse. But God will make a level âplaying fieldâ for us if we permit Him.
The Presentation, the Crucifixion, the Sorrows of Mary, and how the rosary saved a homeless womanâŚ
Grudges, vengeanceâŚthese words carry a cloud of gloom. Desolate, angry, and frustrated, as we review every fault in the other person, our enemy will ratchet up our emotions and skew our right reason. Godâs Word held in our memory is shouting truth to us to no avail. âDo you question me about my children, tell me how to treat the work of my hands?â (Isaiah 45:11) We think we know exactly what the other person needs to change about themselves, unable to hear our Lord say, âShall the clay say to the potter, âWhat are you doing?â or, âWhat you are making has no handlesâ?â (Isaiah 45:9). Our judgementalism can be a spiritual sword of revenge.
The Christmas season ends Sunday with the feast of our Lordâs baptism, and I am thankful our nativity scene remains on display until then. I thought about how the shepherd boy brings one of his babes, the lamb, to offer. In return, Mary offers to him her Son, the Lamb of God. Exchanging a lamb for the Lamb of God is in no way an equal exchange. It is the most lopsided exchange that could ever be made and yet this is how He and she wish it to be for us.