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This article first appeared at: stpaulcenter.com In contemporary society, most people have no awareness that the offering of sacrifice to God is a central act of the virtue of religion and thus a good and morally obligatory thing. Even Catholics who attend Mass are generally unaware that they are participating in an infinite offering to God or that that is the principal reason why there is a Sunday Mass obligation. The more society becomes secularized, the more the notion of sacrifice and its ob …

This article first appeared at: stpaulcenter.com Piero della Francesca was born in approximately 1415 and died on the very day Columbus landed in America, October 12, 1492. Better known in his time as a mathematician and geometer, he is now recognized as one of the greatest artists of the early Renaissance. We see on the left of this fresco’s background a barren landscape and leafless trees, whereas on the right nature is blooming, symbolic of the world before and after the Resurrection. The act …

This article first appeared at: stpaulcenter.com Every year in Lent the Church directs our thoughts to Jesus on the Cross. This is the sacred center of everything we believe and celebrate as Catholic Christians. Take away the Cross and you take away our salvation. Take away our salvation and everything “good” about the good news of the gospel evaporates.Most of us sense the importance of Jesus on the Cross, but how many of us really understand what was taking place? I would guess that very few c …

This article first appeared at: fireupministries.com With all the confusion and harmful agendas being pushed on children in society today, it can be a scary time to raise a family. It is understandable to be concerned about the world our children are being brought into.But, will you be paralysed by fear and withdraw from the world, or will you step up, fire up and answer the call for our time? The best way to fight evil is with good!Every time I notice myself getting worried about the attacks on …

This article first appeared at: spiritualdirection.com I was in a meeting with my spiritual director.“My root sin is sensuality,” I said matter-of-factly.My spiritual director raised an eyebrow. “I’d say it is pride.”In retrospect, my response was classic, and I am surprised he didn’t laugh out loud. I said, “No, it’s not. It is sensuality.”He gave me a knowing smile and dropped the subject.A few years later, I was working late at the National Catholic Register with Fr. John Bartunek. The topic …

This article first appeared at: fireupministries.com Several years ago, I was part of a community service group at my parish that visited the elderly in a nursing home once a month. I looked forward to these visits so much. I always felt proud of myself for doing something good for the elderly, but I never realized how much they could and would do for me. God introduced me one day to an elderly man that would radically impact my life and my outlook on love.As I entered the nursing home one Sunda …

This article first appeared at: stpaulcenter.com Amidst the somber beauty of the many readings at Easter Vigil Mass, there’s a line from the prophet Isaiah which feels rather jarring: “For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with great tenderness I will take you back” (Is 54:7, NABRE). For souls whose hearts have been pierced by deep suffering, this verse might feel disconcerting. Why would our loving Father ever abandon us, even for a brief moment? And does that mean He might be abandoning me r …

This article first appeared at: fireupministries.comThe one thing we all want, without question, is to be loved by others.Sadly, we assume that we get the love we want by working super hard to hide our flaws and weaknesses from others so that they won’t be repulsed by us. In fact, it is almost directly the opposite.The love you desire is on the other side of being vulnerable and honest about your weaknesses. Contrary to what most of us think, when we let our guard down in front of a trusted love …

This article first appeared at: stpaulcenter.com The description of a Godly woman in Proverbs provides a table of contents for a topical Bible study for women using a wide range of Scripture.My first study, Chosen and Cherished: Biblical Wisdom for Your Marriage, focuses on the core relationship of a family—marriage. My newest study, Graced and Gifted: Biblical Wisdom for the Homemaker’s Heart, centers on the tasks of making a house a home, a place of beauty and order, where the needs of our lov …

This article first appeared at: spiritualdirection.com My co-workers at the large Christian Apostolate where I worked as Director of Strategy Development used to call me “Nuke.”That’s because I was always one irritation away from going off, raining emotional shrapnel on everyone in the vicinity. In some ways, my rage was working for me. Professionally, I was challenging and piercingly to the point to those in authority. I was solving problems and saving the company millions of donor dollars. Bel …