The small study group I am a member of has been focusing on G. K. Chesterton lately.   We just completed the chapter “The Paradoxes of Christianity” from his book “Orthodoxy.”  As one might expect, the chapter refers to the sometimes paradoxical nature of Christianity. Indeed, one such paradox is so important that it is repeated – in paradoxical form! – six times in the Gospels. In Luke 9:24–25 we hear Jesus say, “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or ..read more

God gave each one of us the capability of having beautiful, strong, and unique friendships. Whether our friends are with family members or coworkers or even saints, God entrusts us with certain people to know and to support us. He ultimately wants us to see the value in each other by seeing the face of Christ in one another. He wants us to appreciate each other.  One of the most powerful ways we can do this is by listening. Listening to a friend talk about their hardships, their dreams, and their desires or even just their day-to-day life strengthens the bond the two friends share. Just h ..read more

On April 8th, my little family drove north a few hours to greet the eclipse at its totality. We arrived early in the morning and spent the day under the bright sun, on the lakeshore, tucked among mountains and only a little way from the Canadian border. As the day drew on, more and more people pulled into our little lakeside lot. Some got stuck in the slippery, late season snow and had to be guided out by friendly strangers. Dogs barked, children played, hipsters smoked pot on the bed of their truck, and a trio of elderly sisters set their chairs out under the sun and knitted away between the ..read more

Many people are familiar with the opening words of Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities.”  The words have been repeated time and again: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . .” Many may not realize, however, that the sentence these words are from is actually 119 words long.  The sentence is a veritable pot-pourri of paradoxes.  Many also think Dickens’ paradoxes are applicable to the times we are living in now. They are also applicable to the tale of two kinds of feminism depicted in the movies “Barbie” and “Cabrini.” The point of this piece is not to ..read more

This is the tenth in a series of articles aimed at helping you to get your lapsed Catholic loved one going to Church again and once again becoming a practicing Catholic.  Excuse #4 You can almost anticipate someone who offers Excuse #3 jumping to excuse #4 if the discussion is not going his or her way.  (Sometimes it’s just the opposite.)  But Excuse #4 – “Going to church is just a man-made rule to fill the collection plate” – is the weakest of all seven excuses. While some parishes do expect parishioners to tithe – to give a fixed amount (a percentage of yearly income) to the p ..read more

Last month, I wrote an article concerning discussions I am having with a Protestant friend. He claims that we are saved by “faith alone,” a Lutheran doctrine which is not in the Bible. This belief is actually refuted by James 2:24, which says that we are NOT justified by faith alone. So this month, I intend to show my friend my research – all from the Bible – on how Catholics are saved.   I found the following truths: By believing in Jesus John 3:16: For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  Acts 16:31 ..read more

Several years ago, I was challenged by an acquaintance of mine.  He asked me, “Where is your line?” At first, I did not understand his question, so he asked me again, “Where is your line?”  He then clarified, “At what point will you respond to an attack, direct or indirect, be it moral, or physical, or ideological?” I was a bit irritated.  How could he be asking me this question?  He continued.  “If you cannot tell me where your line is, you will never know when the line is crossed.” Although I was irritated, I listened as he went on to explain.  He spelled out th ..read more

Today, Thursday, April 18 at 5:30 pm Eastern Time, Melanie Jean Juneau, Editor-in-Chief for Catholic Stand, will talk with Drew Mariani about Gene Van Son’s weekly series, Bring’Em Back, on how to get people back to the Church. This will be live, over the phone and go for 30 minutes. The Drew Mariani Show is the most listened-to program on Relevant Radio. Heard in afternoon drive, this current event-driven show reaches a potential audience over terrestrial radio of 250 million nationwide and covers the largest markets in the country including the New York metro, Los Angeles, San Fran ..read more

When someone tells me that their prayer seems dry, we need to consider an array of possible contributing factors. Dryness in prayer can result from one or more reasons among a variety of potential causes. What Can You Do When Prayer Seems Dry? We have more control over some factors leading to aridity than others When your prayer seems dry, it can be due to factors over which you have a great deal of control. These might include, for example, your prayer practices, disposition toward prayer and God, your lifestyle and manageable, but unmanaged, distractions. Your Disposition Toward God Your dis ..read more

Today, Thursday, April 18 at 5:30 pm Eastern Time, Melanie Jean Juneau, Editor-in-Chief for Catholic Stand, will talk with Drew Mariani about Gene Van Son’s weekly series, Bring’Em Back, on how to get people back to the Church. This will be live, over the phone and go for 30 minutes. The Drew Mariani Show is the most listened-to program on Relevant Radio. Heard in afternoon drive, this current event-driven show reaches a potential audience over terrestrial radio of 250 million nationwide and covers the largest markets in the country including the New York metro, Los Angeles, San Fran ..read more