Sunday, October 23, 2016

Where pride comes from, and how it DESTROYS us





What can we do?  How do we ensure that we are not being consumed by the deadly sin of pride?
1)       Can I be alone with myself – do I pray regularly and go off to be alone with God?
2)      Go to confession regularly – Why Jesus set it up this way – GOOD TO SAY IT OUT LOUD!
3)      Do I bend Church teachings to me or do I bend my will to Church and Scriptural teachings?
4)      Ask for others to evaluate you regularly with honest feedback
5)      Spiritual direction
6)      Our lady of humility
7)      Worship – the Mass – is a statement and reminder that we are not God – the desert fathers were early Christians who fled to the desert to live a life of prayer – regular battle – Devil had no knees

8)      Live integrally – Jesus on the Apostle Nathanael: “here is a true Israelite.  There is no duplicity in him

Friday, October 14, 2016

A class on the hierarchy of the Church, and CARDINAL Tobin!

So each week I teach a class on line for our high school religious ed students.  As Providence would have it, the class topic in the textbook this coming week is on the hierarchy of the Church, including the role of cardinals...the same week Archbishop Tobin was designated to become a cardinal in just over a month!

For those who are curious, here's the class explaining in some detail to my high school students how the hierarchy of the Church is structured and how it functions



Saturday, October 1, 2016

Bishop Barron's Pivotal Players

I doubt anyone who reads this blog is waiting on me to endorse/review Bishop Barron's new DVD series "Catholicism: the Pivotal Players"...but just in case...it is literally MUST SEE TV!

The saints of the Church are catechisms in the flesh - people who show us what it means to follow the call of the Gospel, and so our souls, looking for nourishment and inspiration, should never tire of hearing.


This sequel to the unbelievably amazing Catholicism series by Bishop Barron is a six-episode exploration of six major players in the Catholic Faith.

I love that the lineup includes 3 saints, one blessed, and two "nothings":

St. Francis of Assisi
St. Thomas Aquinas
St. Catherine of Sienna
Blessed John Henry Newman
G.K. Chesterton
Michelangelo


I learned so many interesting facts - such as the role Notre Dame University played in the life of G.K. Chesterton and SO MANY other interesting tidbits.


"The Pivotal Players", like its predecessor, is shot with amazing skill, the music is perfectly on point, and the series is such a synthesis of Truth, Beauty and Goodness!  It is a must-see and I can't recommend it highly enough.


Parish's should watch it
Teachers should watch it
Parents should watch it with their children
and on and on


Bravo to Bishop Barron and the Word on Fire team!  Here's the trailer.  Pick up your copy today!







Pick up your copy by clicking here: http://pivotalplayers.wordonfire.org/

A Walk-through of the Mass