Monday, July 25, 2016080By Father John Bayer
Special to The Texas Catholic
Debate is a part of every healthy society. When we refuse to create space for charitable and spirited discussion, violence or indifference is sure to follow. Debate is good, both in our country and in the church. But it is disturbing to see the character of our political debates...
Thursday, May 12, 2016080With the Solemnity of Pentecost, the long journey through Lent, Holy Week and Easter is over – a liturgical marathon stretching from February 10th to May 15th this year. You might think we can now relax our festive spirits and settle into the “ordinary” time of the liturgical year. Not so fast! For the first Sunday after Pentecost...
Wednesday, March 30, 2016083What is the meaning of Easter? How would you explain it to someone? How do you explain it to yourself? One way to get at the meaning of Easter is to see its connection to Christmas. Both these feasts celebrate one beautiful reality: the child Jesus.
Saturday, March 5, 20160178One of the most commonly broken commandments is the second: “You shall not invoke the name of the Lord, your God, in vain” (Ex 20:7). Why is that? Why is it so easy to trivialize the name of God, especially when the Bible suggests this commandment, the second in its list of 10, is so important? Perhaps it is because we do not really...
Friday, February 5, 20160360I once had the privilege of accompanying a woman as she peacefully passed away in the arms and words of her husband, children and grandchildren. It is impossible to measure these things, but I am tempted to say this was so far the deepest and most precious experience of my priestly ministry, if not my life. The total release of life into...
Thursday, October 1, 20150117The Bible contains some dense and difficult sentences. For that reason, sometimes they wash over us like the final seconds of a radio commercial. But unlike the final seconds of a commercial, which often serve only to disclose the disadvantages of the advertised product, challenging verses in the Bible promise wisdom and peace to those...
The Book of Job is a treasure of the Old Testament. A salutary reminder of the limits of human wisdom, it dramatizes some of the most stirring questions of existence: Why do the innocent suffer and the unjust prosper? Why does God often appear absent from our world? Do we have any way to stand before him?Columnists
The Joy of the Gospel (Evangelii Gaudium), that rousing and programmatic Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Francis published on Nov. 24, 2013, is a rather enkindling piece of writing.Columnists
I often ask myself about prayer. Where does a genuine desire to converse with God come from? What does it mean when the formal elements of prayer – the words or gestures of the Mass, Scripture or the traditional prayers we memorize – do not fit our interior dispositions? How does one stop thinking of God like Santa Claus, setting...Columnists
By Father John Bayer
Special to The Texas Catholic
In the first installment of “A Word to Enkindle,” my confrere Father Thomas offered a reflection on the first part of the title: A Word. He noted that Christian faith is distinguished by the confidence that in the beginning was the Word (John 1:1); that is to say, our attitude...
