It is a good guess that a lot of moms and dads succumbed to pressure this Christmas – either from their children’s pleading or peer-pressure in the form of wanting to be the “cool parents” – and ended up buying their sons and daughters smart phones for Christmas gifts. If you are one of these... Continue Reading →

January means a new calendar year, with new resolutions, new memberships in gyms, and new weight loss programs. Not that it’s wrong to start a new calendar year with ambitious goals, but we must acknowledge that God isn’t constrained by calendars.  God’s gifts and generosity don’t newly begin every January.  Our Heavenly Father loves us and... Continue Reading →

Nothing gets one more in the mood for Christmas than Christmas carols. One of my favorite songs has always been, “O Holy Night.” (You can listen to it and read the lyrics here.) This carol fits in today’s world so perfectly, as evidenced by the first stanza: O holy night! The stars are brightly shining, It... Continue Reading →

Since there is still time for you to edit your Christmas wish list for what your spouse can buy you and/or to purchase a family gift, might I suggest asking for/purchasing at least one new piece of Christian art for your home? Then for every Christmas hereafter, make it an annual tradition to buy a... Continue Reading →

Two sayings you have no doubt heard over the years during Advent are, “Jesus is the reason for the season” and “You can’t spell ‘C-h-r-i-s-t-m-a-s’ without Christ.” Unfortunately, this true message of Christmas - that a miracle took place 2,000 years ago when our Savior was born - are getting more and more difficult for kids to hear this... Continue Reading →

What better time for parents to teach their kids the joys of giving than at Advent, when secular society focuses solely on preparing “wish lists” to recite to Santa but Catholic families can instead take this opportunity to instill a lifelong appreciation for generosity and living simply. Throughout December, Moms and dads can start helping... Continue Reading →

In my 34-year career as a Catholic school principal, I could walk into any classroom – be it full of 1st graders or 8th graders – and always spot a couple of students who had so-called “bad attitudes.” These would be the boys and girls who had low self-esteems and negative frames of mind, such as having... Continue Reading →

There are decades-old irregularities in how Holy Communion has been treated that were not addressed by last summer’s “Eucharistic Revival” and don’t appear to be on any agendas for the current “Synod on Synodality.” These aberrations surrounding the Body of Christ have created the current situation where up to 69% of Catholics do not understand or believe... Continue Reading →

I grew up loving competition. Being the youngest of five, I would try my best to beat my older brothers in one-on-one basketball games or shooting “h-o-r-s-e” on our home’s basketball court. I didn’t get a trophy when I won, or even applause. (In fact, when I would defeat one of my bigger, stronger brothers... Continue Reading →