Lionel Messi’s arrival in the United States has been drawing a lot of new attention to soccer in America. Soccer is regularly referred to as the “the beautiful game”. Like other forms of beauty, the appeal of the sport is hard to explain. It is better observed. If I had to try to explain the beauty in soccer, it’d be simplicity, precision, and intentionality. Intentionality is the Goal Beauty in the Sport An embarrassing own goal or open net counts... Read more
The idea of home is a theme that God has very clearly been encouraging me to reflect on – for our Church, our family, and in our hearts. Recent events inspired this reflection on John 19:27. What does it mean when Jesus gives Mary to John as his Mother? If we are to imitate John, what does it mean to take Mary into our home? New Homes in Life For background, here are the events: a church fire, a new... Read more
Genealogy has been on my mind a lot the past few months. Isn’t it fascinating that so many people had to be involved for each of us to exist? I mean, with exponential growth, you only have to go back seven generations to have 128 people. Each of those individuals had to make the decisions that they made in order to lead to you! Every one of the thousands of ancestors before you has played an important role in your life... Read more
This August we have two full moons – a reminder that we celebrate Mary, who like the moon points us to the Sun. There may not be any secular holidays in August, but for Catholics this month is full of celebrating. In addition to a full lineup of Saints (starting with Alphonsus Liguori), it is also a month that we celebrate Mary – twice! How convenient, that August has two full moons, and the second will be what they call... Read more
A couple weeks ago, I reflected on how the Lord’s Prayer hinges on forgiveness. This week, in honor of the Feast of Saint Alphonsus de Liguori (August 1st), I’d like to pause to think about the line, “Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven” (Matt. 6:10). St. Alphonsus de Liguori St. Alphonsus de Liguori was an incredible man. He was a gifted mind that gave up his life as a lawyer to serve the Church. He... Read more
Reflecting on the day of his wedding, a good friend of mine stood up at the reception and gave this speech: “This must be what Heaven feels like, because this is the only time this side of Heaven that so many of our friends and family who love us will be all in one place together.” I have shared this with friends who have gotten married since, and they have agreed. Then I gave the same speech at my wedding.... Read more
“As we forgive those who trespass against us.” The One Condition in the Lord’s Prayer Of all the lines in the Lord’s Prayer, this is the only conditional statement. That should say something to us. Of course, every line of the prayer given to us by God Himself is important. We have an address (Our Father), statement of fact (hallowed be Thy name), or requests (daily bread, deliver us from evil); but lately I’ve been thinking about this condition. It... Read more
Faith is like a language. It helps us to understand and express our love, gratitude, apologies, or requests to God. Like any other language, it is important to learn and to teach to our children. Why is it Important to Teach Language to Children? I have heard it said: “When I have kids, I will let them choose what religion they want to be.” There is something that concerns me about this concept though. It will deprive the child of... Read more
World population right now is over 8 Billion! For some reason I remember more talk leading up to 7 billion. It seemed like a bigger deal. Was less going on in 2011 than 2022? Is there less concern and fear around population today as we learn about what we can overcome? Or is it something else? Despite being surrounded by major cities, my hometown in CT felt surprisingly remote. Now that I’ve moved to central KS, it seems even more... Read more
It’s been a big week. Loving Others The kids got a little sick – while visiting family across the country. While I was praying for all of the family, and especially the little ones, I decided to look ahead at the readings for this Sunday’s Mass. It can be hard to focus on Sunday with the kids, so I thought it’d be nice to pre-read and think of them. Starting with the Gospel to get a theme, the first words... Read more
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