Category: Seeing with Jesus’ Eyes

On
Fr. Donald Lange

Responsible fathers are compassionate and good examples for their children

After Bubba Watson won the 2014 Masters, his two-year-old adopted son, Caleb, waddled onto the green to be embraced by his father.

He reminded me of John F. Kennedy Jr., saluting his father’s casket. Bubba Watson’s wife followed Caleb, and the entire family basked in the moment of glory.

Bubba Watson’s dad nicknamed him “Bubba” after former NFL player Bubba Smith, who was a good role model.

He said that his son Caleb is teaching him how precious life is. “He puts life in perspective,” he said. “Golf is a game. When I play bad, he doesn’t care. When I play great, he doesn’t care. All he cares about is, ‘Daddy give me a hug. Daddy pick me up.'”

Besides his family, another influence on Watson’s game is his faith. “Looking at my son, I want to be as Christ-like as possible,” Watson said. “I’ll never be perfect. I’m always going to mess up, but my whole goal is to be the role model for my son.”

Read More
On
Fr. Donald Lange

Mothers leave indelible mark of love on our hearts

A man felt that he was too busy to visit his mother on Mother’s Day, so he stopped at a florist to wire her some carnations.

A little girl came in and tried to buy a rose for her mom for 75 cents. The clerk told her that a rose costs two dollars. Tears revealed her pain.

The man generously paid for the girl’s rose and then ordered carnations for his mother.

As he drove thoughtfully away, he saw the little girl in the nearby cemetery. He stopped and saw her tearfully placing the rose on her mother’s grave.

The man canceled his wire order of carnations. He personally delivered them to his mother. He decided to enjoy her presence while she was still alive.

The ‘mother’ of Mother’s Day

Anna Jarvis (1864-1948) was so proud of her mother that she worked to establish a day when she and others could honor their mother and all mothers. She is known as the “mother” of Mother’s Day.

Read More
On
Kevin Wondrash

Seeing Easter through children’s eyes

Seeing Easter through children’s eyes can open windows of wonder and love that we busy adults sometimes keep closed.

A mother experienced this when she overheard Danny, her five-year-old son, talk with his friend Jeremy whose father recently died.

“Where did your dad go when he died?” asked Danny.

“My mom said that he went to Heaven,” replied Jeremy.

“What’s Heaven?” asked Danny.

Read More
On
Fr. Donald Lange

Venerable Father Samuel Mazzuchelli: God’s bridge of love to others

In 1982, the Dubuque Telegraph Herald newspaper conducted a survey to name the new bridge that connected Dubuque, Iowa, with Wisconsin and the Diocese of Madison.

The name “Mazzuchelli Bridge” received the most votes, perhaps because of ways Venerable Father Samuel Mazzuchelli influenced early Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin. It was then submitted to the Dubuque City Council, but the council named the new bridge the Dubuque-Wisconsin Bridge instead.

Read More
On
Fr. Donald Lange

Praying and working for Christian unity

Seeing with Jesus' Eyes, a column by Fr. Donald Lange

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity will be held from January 18 to 25 this year.

Its theme is “Has Christ Been Divided?” This theme is based upon 1 Corinthians 1:10-17, where St. Paul — angry over divisions in the Corinthian Church — wrote, “Each of you is saying ‘I belong to Paul,’ or ‘I belong to Apollos’ or ‘I belong to Kephas’ or ‘I belong to Christ.’ Is Christ divided?”

Read More
On
Fr. Donald Lange

God’s Mother inspires us to work for peace

Seeing with Jesus' Eyes, a column by Fr. Donald Lange

We Catholics begin the New Year by celebrating the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God.

On New Year’s we also celebrate the World Day of Peace. This is a feast established by Pope Paul VI and supported by other modern popes.

In many ways these two feasts complement each other, because peace begins in the family. Responsible parents teach us to be persons of peace. Mary is Queen of Peace and the mother of the Prince of Peace.

Read More
On
Fr. Donald Lange

Advent Reconciliation: Offering Jesus the gift of a purified heart

Seeing with Jesus' Eyes, a column by Fr. Donald Lange

In the November 2013 issue of The Word Among Us, Scott Hahn is quoted as saying that an American priest went to Rome for a conference and a group meeting with Pope John Paul II. Before the meeting, the priest noticed a beggar on the steps of a church.

He recognized him as his former seminary classmate in Rome. They were ordained to the priesthood together. Now he was a beggar.

Read More
On
Fr. Donald Lange

Feast of Immaculate Conception points to Advent

Seeing with Jesus' Eyes, a column by Fr. Donald Lange

Franz Werfel wrote a popular book called The Song of Bernadette. The reason he wrote this book goes back to World War II.

Shrine at Lourdes, France

As a controversial Jew in occupied France, he was on the Nazi hit list. He and Alma, his wife, fled from the Nazis who pursued them.

They sought shelter in Lourdes where the famous shrine of Mary is located. One night he went alone to the shrine.

In the darkness, he prayed, “God, I’m not a believer. I must be honest and say so. I am a Jew. But in my extreme need, on the chance that I could be wrong, I ask you to help me and my wife. If you see us safely to the United States, I promise to write a story of Lourdes for all the world to read.”

Read More
On
Fr. Donald Lange

Gratitude is our response to God’s blessings

Seeing with Jesus' Eyes, a column by Fr. Donald Lange

Thanksgiving is a national holiday when we Americans thank God for our blessings.

Origins of the holiday

Its roots go back to the pilgrims whom the Old Testament influenced. After a severe winter when over half of the pilgrims died from scurvy, exposure to the elements, and other causes, they set aside three days to thank God for their blessings. One way that they thanked God was by sharing their blessings with Indian friends.

The pilgrims can inspire us to thank God for our blessings on Thanksgiving Day by sharing with friends, family, and the needy.

Read More