A blind boy sat holding a hat. He held up a sign which said: “I am blind, please help.” There were only a few coins in the hat.
A man took some coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. Then he turned the sign around and wrote some words. After he did this, many more people were giving money to the blind boy.
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Word on Fire |
This is the first article of a three-part series.
In his excellent book, Modern Physics and Ancient Faith (University of Notre Dame Press, 2003), physics professor Stephen M. Barr recounts the typical story of the the universe as told by scientific materialists. It’s one of the best summaries of the naturalist worldview I’ve read, from any perspective:
“The world revealed by science bears little resemblance to the world as it was portrayed by religion. Judaism and Christianity taught that the world was created by God, and that things therefore, have a purpose and meaning, aside from the purposes and meanings we choose to give them.”
“Those who want to work for moral reform in the world must seek the glory of God before all else.” — St. John Leonardi, Feast Day October 9
As I prayed this passage from the Liturgy of the Hours, I recognized the importance of vocation work and what a privilege it is to help people seek the Glory of God but then respond to it in the way that He is inviting them to it.
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The United States and the world are in trouble! We need to take it seriously. And we need to elect candidates who will take it seriously.
Continuing to largely ignore the grave problems facing humanity and the planet we all live on is both perilous and immoral.
Bishop Barron offered the following intervention at the Vatican during the 2018 Synod on Young People, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment.
Jesus’ encounter with two erstwhile disciples on the road to Emmaus provides a beautiful template for the Church’s work of accompaniment across the ages.
In a classroom recently, I told the following true story to a few young children.
“A long time ago, my husband and I were roasting marshmallows over a campfire with some friends,” I said, my eyes wide as I told the story.
“Our friend’s marshmallow caught on fire, and instead of blowing it out, he waved his stick back and forth quickly, trying to put the fire out,” I said, waving my hands dramatically to illustrate our friend’s actions. “But the burning marshmallow flew off the stick and landed as a mound of flaming goo onto my husband’s leg!”
There are many books and resources for people to use to learn not only how to say the Rosary, but how to go deeper into the history and development of the Rosary over many centuries.
Superheroes attract us. From Greek gods to Superman and Spiderman, our fascination with the awesome deeds of superheroes beckons us to become Masters of our own destiny.
Yet even as we enjoy the fantasy of acquiring Promethean powers to combat our enemies and conquer evil, we have legitimate misgivings about mere mortals taking on god-like powers in real life. We are concerned about those who play with fire just like Prometheus did, at the risk of harm and great destruction.
During November, we celebrate the feasts of All Saints, All Souls, and Christ the King.
Church years often end near the end of November, when we also begin Advent. During Advent, we prayerfully, patiently await Christ’s birth.
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| Fr. Steve Grunow |
In the spirit of the upcoming All Hallows Eve, a.k.a. Halloween, Word of Fire staffers fired some questions at the walking encyclopedia that is Fr. Steve Grunow. He responded with everything you ever wanted to know about Halloween and its deeply Catholic roots.
This article is the third in a three-part series.
Question: What does the Catechism have to say about Halloween?
Father Steve: The Catechism has a lot to say about the characteristics of heroic virtue and holiness of life that create the Church’s saints.
