Recently I've thought a lot about burial. I celebrated a funeral Mass with my family in Illinois for my beloved uncle, and it made me think how ancient and important the Christian burial rites really are. Each burial ceremony is a memorial of Jesus' own burial. Because Jesus really died and was buried His bodily … Continue reading Lenten thoughts on burial →

Papal election day of Benedict XVI I celebrated Mass today in a Cleveland church. As warm as it was for all the beautiful Christmas decorations and prayerful cheer of the people, it was also a bit chilly. So I decided to keep my black sweatshirt on under my white vestments, but the black sleeves came … Continue reading When humility outpaces ability →

I often get asked how to make a good confession. Well, below is a rather good guide, containing a basic examination of conscience for young adults and up to prepare for confession, followed by steps to help you actually make your confession to a Catholic priest. The sacraments of the Catholic Faith are in general … Continue reading Confession tips →

My good friend, C. James Herrick IV, is a poet as well as a professional civil engineer. He shared one of his poems with me recently, and so it gets passed on to you. It is about the Good Thief, who died next to Jesus, and was promised Paradise the very day of his death … Continue reading Repentance poetry →

I've been thinking a lot about cover bands. Cover bands are, of course, music groups that play other people's music, maybe making some money (not much usually), but above all making people happy, at least momentarily (sometimes helped by alcohol). Having played in a cover rock band when I was much younger, I've often wondered … Continue reading Seeking cover →

Oh, How time flies, said St. Paul, and it's true. Most of us have a large bank of memories that serve us well, recalling events that make us joyful, or sad and sorry for our mistakes. But it has always been a kind of danger to dwell too much on the past because emotions are … Continue reading Nostalgia and technology →

Good communication is perhaps the hardest art for almost all of us. God has given us the great powers of reason and will, but to correctly and respectfully express our thoughts and desires to each other is really difficult! Many times it is so difficult, that we humans opt to not communicate at all. For … Continue reading The arts of communication & conversion →

Fr. Andrew Moss, a professor of Canon Law at the Mount Saint Mary Seminary and School of Theology in Cincinnati, OH, has compiled an interesting brief study of what he believes to be some of the central issues around the recent Motu Proprio legal declaration, To protect the charism, regarding personal prelatures. Personally, I am … Continue reading Ad charisma tuendum & Opus Dei →

Summers are often filled with camps for young people determined to have fun and make new friends. The YSI Leadership Camp near Scranton, PA is no exception to this rule. An interesting distinctive element to this camp is its Jesus-focused component. Of course, many summer camps are Christian in their orientation, with classes in living … Continue reading Summer camp sacraments →

I've been intrigued for a long time about the origins of the word "repent" which I basically thought came from the Greek term "metanoia", and which I, in turn, thought meant a change of direction. Well, I was wrong, and now I find... (not Red, Red Wine as the answer... Thanks Neil Diamond for a … Continue reading Bishop Barron on Metanoia →