Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. –Matthew 4:19– My friend Conrad uses a boat and sonar to map out the bottoms of lakes. In other words, he charts the topography of lake bottoms, indicating the kinds of plant life, as well as the various
Read moreBricks vs. Stones
At the very beginning of the Bible, in the eleventh chapter of Genesis, we have this description of the Tower of Babel: While men were migrating eastward, they discovered a valley in the land of Sennaar and settled there. They said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks
Read moreCathedrals, Catholicism, and Courage
Imagine. It is the year 1440. You are standing on a quiet hillside somewhere deep in the heart of France. Off in the distance, you see the double-spired magnificence of a Gothic cathedral, its newly quarried stone gleaming white against a backdrop of green trees and azure sky. Almost
Read moreThe Blessed Trinity: Fathomless Mystery
When I taught at Bethlehem Catholic High School in the 1990s, there was a custom that each of the four classes could decorate a hallway for Catholic Schools Week. One year, the seniors, who had been reading Dante’s Divine Comedy in English class, hit upon a very creative idea.
Read moreConcerning Christ’s Circumcision
When eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. –Luke 2:21– Years ago, January 1st used to be known as the Feast of the Circumcision of the Lord. That makes, not only
Read moreFarming versus Football
These last have worked a single hour, and thou hast put them on a level with us, who have borne the burden of the day’s heat –Matthew 20:12– When my little sister Carol was young, she used to read a magazine called Children’s Highlights. Every issue contained a clever
Read moreOf Beetles, Bombs, & Believers: United We Conquer
“I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent
Read moreNo Time to Waste
Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart. –Psalm 90:12– I grew up during the era of television game shows. To Tell the Truth, Password, Let’s Make a Deal, Queen for a Day, Concentration, Truth or Consequences, The Match Game, I’ve Got a
Read moreMake Way for Babies
He [viz. John the Baptist] went throughout [the] whole region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one crying out in the desert: ‘Prepare the way of
Read moreJoyce Makes a Choice: An Angelic Alternative
My friend Joyce had been working as a chaplain at the state hospital for the mentally ill, some thirteen years ago, when the staff got the word that the facility would be closing. It was a gradual process, and every effort was made to find other places for the employees
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