The Joy of the Gospel

Here is a short article concerning Pope Francis’s Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium.  The article by Bryan Cross is titled "Pope Francis’s Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium: An Opportunity for Authentic Protestant-Catholic Dialogue" and provides a link to the Exhortation itself.  The Exhortation (Joy of the Gospel) to all the faithful was published on the close of the Year of Faith ending this past Sunday, the Feast of Christ the King.  My prayer is that this document will provide not only needed "leverage" to inspire us Catholics to live out the authentic joy of our encounter with Christ, but also lead Protestants, non-Catholics, and Catholics to greater unity for which Christ Himself prayed.  May it be so...

Early Church Christians, Cannibalism, and Catholicism

Why did pagans accuse the early Church of cannibalism?

Some thoughts

A Six Year Old Catholic

The other day, my six year old and I were loading firewood on his grandpa's porch.  It was a beautiful day with all the autumn treats present for a sensory feast: sunny day, clear blue sky, variations of yellow, orange, and red leaves falling from the trees and loosely blanketing the outdoor floor. Smoke was rising from the chimney top like incense rising up to our Maker.  I uttered a prayer to ascend, like incense, to the great Physician on behalf of my father.

Streams of thought collided: my son, our faith, HIS faith.  I asked him, "What does it mean to be Catholic?", "If someone asked you, why are you Catholic?  What is important for us as Catholics?  What would you say?" He said, in his elementary and grammatically incomplete way of expressing things, "...to be deeper in knowledge of Christ...?"

I smiled.  Yes, to be authentically Catholic is to have Christ, deeper knowledge of and love for Him, central. And what's more important than that?

The Catholic Church and Medicine: An Analogy

The excerpt below is from the book, The Church and I, by Frank Sheed.  It is worthy of consideration, especially since many people do seem to judge the truth of the Catholic Faith by those Catholics who themselves are not true to it.  Such a tragic misfortune!