Catholic Exchange article about suffering

Did you get a chance to see the beautiful article by Chris Findley over at Catholic Exchange?

Perhaps you can take a few moments to read it. I feel it is beautifully written and very relevant. My family just experienced the loss of a dear friend, a twenty two year old girl, who was tragically slain a couple of weeks ago. We can certainly relate to this article.

"On May 21st, many of us were deeply saddened to hear of the accidental death of seven-year-old Maria Chapman, daughter of well-known Christian singer Steven Curtis Chapman. My wife and I live just outside of Nashville and it seems that the entire city has been in mourning for this little girl and her family.

The Questions

Newspapers and blogs are overflowing with questions: How this could happen to such a “spiritual” family? How can God be considered “good” or “loving” when He allows this type of thing to happen? Moments like these cause many of the questions we normally keep suppressed to show themselves. Our society normally removes itself from any meaningful discussion of suffering. But this tragic event should cause us to reflect for a moment on the Catholic response to suffering. What are some of the ways Catholics approach the mystery of suffering and how do we find meaning and hope in its midst?..." (Continued here).

New Daily Homily blog!

My friend, Fr. James who is down in Corpus Christi, Texas has started another blog. This one is a daily homily blog, appropriately titled, The Daily Homily. Check it out daily to get your day started off on the right foot!

To make it easy for you, I have added a place for his blog in my right column. Just click on his photo to get to his daily blog. :)

Catholic Saints Prayer Book interview

Author, Mary De Turris Poust recently interviewed me about my newest book which has been JUST RELEASED! You can read the interview here.

The Lord has Risen! Alleluia! (Fr. James's homily)

He has Risen, ALLELUIA!

The resurrection of Jesus is a reality beyond doubt. The liturgical season of Easter fills us with immense joy and profound hope. However, each time we contemplate the gospel passages detailing the resurrection of Jesus we are faced with a sense of strangeness. The barriers of time and space no longer apply to him. The Lord appears and disappears with shocking suddenness. He continually demonstrates his physical reality. The Apostles and the disciples see him, hear him, and eat with him. Thomas is told to touch his wounds. The stone rolled away from the entrance, and the carefully folded burial cloths direct our gaze to the physical. He has truly risen.

The disbelief and uncertainty evidenced by those who saw him testify to an apparent strangeness in the appearance of the newly risen Christ. Slowly they came to recognize him, but they still struggled with doubt. Their response shows us that although the risen Jesus is the same Jesus that died on Calvary, his physical reality is now different than before. The body of the risen Lord is indeed his physical body, but he now moves about with a glorified body.



Repeatedly the gospels stress that something extraordinary has occurred. The Lord is tangible, but he has been transformed. His life is different from what it once was. His glorified body transcends the limitations of time and space. For this reason, he can pass through the closed door of the Upper Room, and appear and disappear as he desires. At times his disciples cannot recognize him precisely because their physical reality moves within time and space, and the Lord's physical reality is no longer subject to time and space, although he exists within time and space.


The clarity of the physical reality of the risen Jesus provides us with the certainty of the existence of the Lord and the veracity of everything that he has taught us. The empty tomb and the neatly folded burial cloths illustrate that redemption is not only for the soul, but for the body as well... (Continued here)

A reflection on Holy Thursday from Fr.Tom

Go on over and read Fr. Tom's reflection on last night's Holy Thursday. I heard it in real life because he is a beloved priest at my parish!

"Jesus said, “I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.” We gather on this Holy Night and celebrate the beginning of the Three Great Days – the Sacred Triduum, which really serves as one singular feast. Tonight’s feast recalls many things – the Eucharist, service, the priesthood – but ultimately I think it focuses on God’s bounty; God’s goodness to us. On this holy night, God spoils us.

Now, typically we think of Christmas as the gift-giving holiday, but actually today’s celebration is the one that is truly about gifts – in fact, it is about the greatest gifts ever given. We celebrate tonight God’s gift to us in Jesus Christ, His Son; and His three-fold gift of Christ’s presence among us in the priesthood, in the Eucharist, and in service."
Just click here.

Discussing Holy Week with Teresa Tomeo on "Catholic Connection"

Earlier this week I discussed Holy Week and a few other Catholic things with my friend and radio host, Teresa Tomeo on "Catholic Connection" on Ave Maria Radio (EWTN). Grab yourself a cup of coffee or tea and pull your chair up to the computer because if you didn't get a chance to tune in, here's another opportunity by clicking here!