He dwells among us: What are you afraid of?

Open wide the doors of your heart to Christ as you pray and discern His plans for you By Bishop Richard F. Stika In St. Peter’s inspired words of faith in response to the question of Jesus — “Who do you say that I am?” — we discover the source …

Marriage Enrichment: Attending the World Meeting of Families in Dublin

Pilgrims ‘had the wonderful privilege to be part of a weeklong celebration . . . with people from all over the world’ By Marian Christiana Wow! What an experience! The World Meeting of Families 2018 in Dublin, Ireland, is now part of the history of the Church and its people. …

He dwells among us: Defend us in battle

Pray to St. Michael and our guardian angels to protect us from Satan’s evil desires By Bishop Richard F. Stika “Protect them from the evil one” (John 17:15) It is said the devil‘s greatest accomplishment is convincing people, and especially clergy, that he does not exist. Satan is never more …

Praying for perspective: What did Jesus write in the sand?

Was he asking for safety for the woman caught in adultery, whom he was about to forgive, or was he praying for us? By George Valadie Like many of you, I’m running out of words. Though I seem to have no shortage of anger. All in all, I’m having real …

Praying for perspective: Frogs make the heart grow fonder

A spouse’s absence can be a nearly unpardonable offense By George Valadie Well, I’ve discovered one really good thing. I know she can’t live without me … I think. I’ve known for a few years that she’s needed me — or someone — to operate the remotes. But now it’s …

He dwells among us: Justice in 10 words

The relationship that binds all others in love is the key to justice and peace in our world By Bishop Richard F. Stika “Do justice for the weak and the orphan; give justice to the poor and afflicted.” (Psalm 82:3) There are so many cries today for justice and so …

Marriage Enrichment: Making eye contact makes all the difference

‘It’s hard for people to see the face of Jesus in our or see Jesus in others if we never look directly at them’ By Marian Christiana Summer is not even over yet, but, so far, this one has been a doozy! My husband, Ralph, and I have had a …

Praying for Perspective: Pope Francis offers hope after death of a pet

A family believes ‘that if we ourselves ever get to heaven, we’ll get to see him, pet him—and feed him—again’ By George Valadie Thank goodness for Pope Francis! The woman would have crawled up in a hole and died herself if the man hadn’t offered her the hope she so …

He dwells among us: A fruitful love

God wants to be your love and your life—not just a part of it By Bishop Richard F. Stika “By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples” (John 15:8). In every Mass we hear those familiar and most sacred words of Our Heavenly …

Praying for Perspective: Have Ya Heard?

Today’s education system would do well to learn from the greatest Teacher By George Valadie You can imagine the scene. You may have seen it or possibly experienced it for yourself. It’s an annual event, coming around with the same regularity as Christmas or Easter or Groundhog Day. I was …

He dwells among us: The struggle for purity

The memory of God’s love and mercy always triumphs over sin and its memory By Bishop Richard F. Stika One hundred years ago, as the horrors of the First World War were in their final weeks, an even more terrible scourge than modern warfare was beginning to ravage the globe …

Marriage Enrichment: A few tips for reducing conflict on family vacations

Meeting together before the trip and going over expectations can help ‘avoid ruffled feathers’ on the journey By Marian Christiana Summer is upon us, and many of us will be using our vacation time to visit family. My husband, Ralph, and I just returned from such a vacation. I say …