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 …
A teleological question: Why do we exist?
Lent is a good time to reflect on the mystery of the meaning of our lives, our telos By Bob Hunt The Greek telos, from which is derived “teleology,” is a word packed with meaning. It is used to signify the end goal or purpose of something, an action or …
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God as the eternal watchmaker or violinist
St. Thomas Aquinas and philosopher William Paley offer different proofs for the existence of God By Bob Hunt Recently, I had the honor of leading a Communion service at my parish on the feast of St. Thomas Aquinas, where I offered a reflection on St. Thomas. It seemed to go …
Transforming society according to the Gospel
As Christians, it is our duty to do so—as Americans, it is our right to try By Bob Hunt I’ve never ventured into politics in this column. I save that for my blog. I mostly try to offer words of encouragement here on living the faith in what can sometimes …
Jesus looks a lot like you and me
Wherever we go, we bring Jesus with us . . . so that, when others see us, they see Him By Bob Hunt Years ago, I attended an evangelization conference in New Orleans where the great Paulist priest and evangelizer Father Alvin Illig, CSP, spoke. Father Illig told us that …
No compromise with the Holy One of God
Some abandoned Jesus because of His hard teaching on eating His body and drinking His blood By Bob Hunt The Book of Joshua tells the story of Israel’s conquest of the Promised Land. Toward the end of the book, Joshua gathers the elders of Israel. He has led them through …
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A lesson from the Book of Tobit
Giving up traditions, despite the circumstances, could lead to our forgetting who we are By Bob Hunt I recently read the Book of Tobit in the Old Testament. Tobit is a marvelous book. It’s a novella about a man who goes blind, then sends his son on a journey to …
