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 …

The rosary depicted as an extremist symbol

A magazine article says the Catholic devotion ‘has acquired a militaristic meaning’ for ‘rad trads’ By Deacon Bob Hunt I prayed my extremist symbol of Christian nationalism today. Have you? In an article that Bishop Robert Barron called “colossally stupid,” published in the August edition of The Atlantic magazine, Daniel …

We don’t need a long life or prosperity

A long life can become a lonely life, St. Ignatius says—what we need are God’s love and grace By Deacon Bob Hunt We only think we plan our lives. This fact struck me once when I was working as a nurse in a pediatric emergency room. A family came in …

Poll: Americans’ belief in God is dropping

The utter lack of God in their lives leads people to commit mass killings or other depraved acts By Deacon Bob Hunt A couple of Gallup polls caught my eye recently. The first has gotten a bit of attention in the press and the second barely any at all. The …

The Gospel of Mark and Church persecution

As churches and facilities are attacked for their pro-life beliefs, remember that Jesus walks ahead of us Deacon Bob Hunt The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The Lord is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid? When evildoers come at me to …

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Deacons of the Church of the past and present

 The columnist is ordained to the diaconate, experiencing ‘a great joy to be in formation with these men’ By Deacon Bob Hunt The sixth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles relates the choosing and the ordination of the first deacons of the Church. Complaints arose among the Christians that …

Sobering statistics on mental health

Even great saints experienced mental illness; the Church has resources to help those who suffer By Bob Hunt The statistics on mental health in the United States are sobering. According to the National Institute for Mental Health, 52.9 million adults, or 21 percent of the adult population, experience a mental …

We have reason to sing our ‘Alleluias’

What an outrageous idea: that we, as Christians, should dare to have joy in this world By Bob Hunt “Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope.”—1 Peter 3:15 “We are an Easter people, and ‘Alleluia’ is our song!”—St. Augustine …