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‘Influencers’ deride marriage as a life choice

The benefits of marriage are many and include greater financial stability, health, and happiness By Deacon Bob Hunt Last month, I wrote about a new survey showing that fully 80 percent of young adult regular churchgoers come from intact families, where they were raised by their biological parents who are …

Analyzing the decline in church attendance

Kids who grow up ‘in a continuously married home’ are more likely to go to church as young adults By Deacon Bob Hunt It’s impossible to keep up with the news, even the secular news, without occasionally coming across an article that addresses the decline in Christian faith and church …

Mary freely chose to do what God asked

The Handmaid of the Lord ‘eagerly, happily, willfully assumed her role in God’s plan of salvation’ By Deacon Bob Hunt “Mary is the Mother of all the members of the Savior, because by her charity she has cooperated in the birth of the faithful in the Church. Mary is the …

Offering a July reflection on U.S. history

Lincoln’s words that ‘we shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth’ ring true today By Deacon Bob Hunt July is the month we celebrate American independence, so it’s worth reflecting on our history. One thing I can say about studying history is that it offers …

Our memories can be a happy privilege

Especially when we recall to mind that God is present in every moment of our lives By Deacon Bob Hunt There are moments that inspire reflection on those matters of life that matter most. Sometimes these moments are of the unhappy variety, but there are happy moments, too. I had …

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The Church cannot accommodate the culture

The Catholic Church must challenge the culture with the truth of God’s revelation in Christ By Deacon Bob Hunt Whether it is justified or not, there is no question that Catholics who desire to reconsider or who even demand changes in some of the Church’s centuries-old teachings, particularly on moral …

Suffering cannot be wholly avoided in life

But it need not be wasted—as a profound mystery, it can be offered up with the sufferings of Christ Deacon Bob Hunt Redemptive suffering. Can purpose be given to the sufferings we endure over the course of our lives? Is suffering simply a part of life we must put up …

Benedict delineates the elements of charity

Those who carry out the Church’s charitable activity ‘must be people moved by Christ’s love’ By Deacon Bob Hunt Last month, in honor of Pope Benedict XVI, I offered a summary of the first part of his encyclical Deus Caritas Est, “God Is Love,” and promised a summary of Part …

A reflection on Benedict’s ‘Deus Caritas Est’

The Holy Father writes that St. John’s First Letter gets to ‘the heart of the Christian faith’ By Deacon Bob Hunt In memory of our beloved Pope Benedict XVI, I would like to offer a reflection on Part I of Benedict’s 2005 encyclical, Deus Caritas Est, “God Is Love.” Next …

Here’s a New Year’s resolution worth keeping

The potential for transformation is staggering if all U.S. Catholics could live the faith in each moment By Deacon Bob Hunt If you’ve ever read articles or listened to news reports on Catholic demographics, you’ll know that the news has been mostly bad for the last few decades. Reports are …

Responding to God’s chosen among us

Will we answer with fear, or will we break out in blessing, rejoicing that the future looks bright? By Deacon Bob Hunt The infancy narratives in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke are some of the most endearing and beloved biblical stories. Among those stories is included that of the …

Delving deeper into the Book of Revelation

The message of the text is one of hope, not fear, at least for those who put their hope in Christ Deacon Bob Hunt For the last few weeks, I’ve been immersed in a deeper study of the Book of Revelation. November is a good month to study Revelation, for …