Tag: God

On
Bishop Donald J. Hying, Bishop of Madison

If you had five minutes to speak about your love of Christ, what would you say about your belief?

Bishop Donald J. Hying's column

The kerygma also reminds us of other key Scriptural figures — Peter standing up in the streets of Jerusalem on the feast of Pentecost to proclaim the resurrection of Jesus for the first time; Paul preaching the meaning of faith in Jesus as Lord and Messiah, and his letters as thoughtfully theological follow-ups to the kerygma.

Proclaiming the Gospel

The task of every vocation in the Church, from those in Holy Orders to the Religious to the lay faithful, is to proclaim the Gospel. This mission is the fundamental purpose of the Body of Christ.

Advent is a significant moment for us to go back to the basics of our faith. Who is Jesus for us? How have we experienced him? How do I grow in my relationship with the Lord? How do I better proclaim the love, mercy, and forgiveness that I have experienced flowing from his merciful heart?

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Bishop Donald J. Hying, Bishop of Madison

Time is ticking away: thoughts on life and death

Bishop Donald J. Hying's column

If you knew the date of your death, how would you live differently?

Such a question may seem strange, but it is one I think about once in a while. Perhaps, I would live fearlessly; knowing how much time I have left would enable me to take risks and face danger more boldly.

If I was facing a premature death, would that knowledge painfully shadow my thoughts and feelings every day? If I was blessed with a long life, maybe I would be tempted to put off conversion, foolishly thinking I have so much time to pull things together.

Obviously, all of these questions and thoughts are moot, since we know neither the day nor the hour of our passing from this life.

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Bishop Donald J. Hying, Bishop of Madison

Teaching children to know, love, and serve God

Bishop Donald J. Hying's column

As another school year begins and we lament the rapid passage of summer, I ponder the gift and blessing of our children and young people — the greatest treasure of the Church and the world.

Our Diocese pours significant resources into the formation of our children and youth, through our schools, religious education programs, and youth ministry.

And rightfully so. We want each child to know, love, and serve God. We want each young person to be a zealous disciple of the Lord Jesus. We want each person to grow up, flourishing in the abundant life of the Gospel, becoming the saint that God has called them to be.

Advocate of Catholic Schools

I have always been a big advocate of Catholic schools. Every study shows that graduates of parochial schools practice the Faith, support the Church, contribute to the poor, have a keener sense of social justice, and are more successful in their vocations than the average population.

A learning environment imbued in faith and love, permeated by prayer, and strong in Christian values becomes a blessed, formative experience that impacts the whole person — soul, body, mind, and heart.

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Fr. Donald Lange

Earth Day invites us to care for our home on Earth

I gratefully recall the evening when Dad and I sat on our front lawn and studied the farmer’s green field across the road.

The sun like a beautiful orange-red host sank slowly into the chalice of God’s good earth. It was a heavenly moment of harmony between God, nature, Dad, and me.

The Earth is God’s

Dad broke the sacred silence by saying, “You know, we don’t really own anything!”

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John Joy

Creed of the People of God, Part Four

Knowing Your Faith column

John Joy

Continuing on with our series on the Creed of the People of God, in honor of its 50th anniversary this year, the next two sections are about the Holy Spirit and the Blessed Virgin Mary.

This creed of Pope Paul VI is based on the Nicene Creed we say at Mass, but it goes into greater detail about what Catholics are required to believe in order to be “practicing Catholics” and (more importantly) in order have that faith without which we cannot be saved.

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Name withheld

Killings grow out of a society which turns its back on God

To the editor:

In regard to school shootings, the use of the nouns “gunman” and “shooter” give too much dignity to killers and may encourage the next killings. Strong taboos against the mention of “values” and mention of killers’ drug abuse have prevented discussion of easy and effective solutions.

Most such killings grow out of drug abuse and a culture of death which is openly hostile to God. How will God judge a society which turns its back on Him and relies on more laws and bigger prisons?

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Julianne Nornberg

Keeping the presence of God in busy times

Everyday Faith column by Julianne Nornberg

Rest has never been something at which I’ve particularly excelled.

Somehow there is always laundry to be folded, children to be fed, dishes to be washed, and stories to be read.

A parent’s job is never done.

And yet, today, I saw just how important rest is.

Amid a busy schedule, somehow my seven-year-old daughter got a full, good night’s rest, uninterrupted by nightmares or early-rising siblings.

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On
Bishop Robert Barron

Theo-dramas of SS. Patrick and Joseph

I am always pleased when the feasts of St. Patrick and St. Joseph roll around every year, the first on March 17 and the second on March 19. Joseph is especially dear to the Italian people, who celebrate him with festive meals, and Patrick, of course, is specially reverenced by my own people, the Irish, who celebrate him with parades, parties, and (often) too much drinking.

Though separated by four centuries and though hailing from extremely different cultures, Patrick and Joseph have a great deal in common, spiritually speaking. For both stubbornly situated their lives in the context, not of the ego-drama, but the theo-drama, and therein lies their importance for the universal church.

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