Recognizing and fighting the devil's attacks
Anxiety, I’ve learned, represents the devil’s attacks on us. “Wait,” you say, “what?!” You heard me – anxiety represents the devil’s attacks. Let’s dig a little deeper into that concept. First – what is anxiety? Webster says it is “a...Read full story »
Monday, November 04, 2013
God's presence in our lives? Pay attention now
Several weeks ago, God blessed me with the opportunity to hear Deacon John McMullen deliver his first-ever homily. In it, he said something that inspired me to write what follows. As way of setting up one of his final points, Deacon McMullen said, “We all know someone who says they jus...Read full story »
Monday, October 21, 2013
Trust in God's mercy - just don't take it for granted
Do you know how fortunate you are? Do you have any idea how fortunate all of us are – that God chooses to have mercy on us? I believe we often take mercy for granted – more often than we should. Like you, I suspect, this whole concept doesn’t stay at the front of my mind; o...Read full story »
Monday, October 07, 2013
Let's talk about the kingdom of God and the salvation of souls
Yes … let’s talk about the Diocesan Strategic Plan. Wait … what?! Elsewhere in this historic issue of the Message, you can read about the initial changes coming to our diocese as part of the plan; you can read the decrees that enable those changes in their ent...Read full story »
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Take a fresh look at your guardian angel
Why isn’t there much – if any – imagery of guardian angels with adults? I wondered that for years; and, I confess, it irritated me a bit. “C’mon,” I’d think to myself. “My guardian angel didn’t leave me when I got my driver’s license.̶...Read full story »
Monday, September 09, 2013
Revisiting a recent television interview
The morning of July 11, an Evansville TV reporter called asking for an interview “to discuss Catholic Church teaching on the death penalty.” A few minutes before the call, I quickly learned, convicted killer Jeffrey Weisheit got the death penalty for his crimes. Seemed sim...Read full story »
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
The promise of St. Gertrude's prayer for souls in purgatory: true or false?
What if you could free 1,000 souls from purgatory in less than 20 seconds? Would you do it? Could you do it? At the risk of sounding flip – the answer to that last question depends on whom you ask. The reference here is to the “Prayer of St. Gertrude f...Read full story »
Monday, August 12, 2013
Eucharistic adoration: a time to sit quietly and listen
Eucharistic adoration is one of God’s greatest gifts to us. Of course, we kneel and pray before the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Savior any time we are in a sanctuary where the Eucharist reposes in a tabernacle. We do it all the time in church; but something about praying befo...Read full story »
Monday, July 29, 2013
I'm not texting, I'm praying
Dozens of prayers – and multiple versions of the Catholic Bible – are with me everywhere. They’re loaded on my iPhone. Some folks at Masses I attend probably shake their heads sadly and think, “Oh, my…. That man just got back in the pew from receiving Holy Communion, a...Read full story »
Monday, July 08, 2013
New Message editor offers an introduction of himself
Hello everyone. As you read this, my first week in the Diocese of Evansville will be wrapping up. That week remains a short way off as I write; but I can’t wait for it to start. God blesses me daily – often with riches of mind, body and spirit. Other times, however, His blessings bring...Read full story »
Tuesday, July 02, 2013
