“He sighed deeply and said, ‘Why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to it’.” (Mark 8:12) When I was in graduate school, I took a course in organization theory. In the early weeks of the semester, I realized that I did not have so much as a clue as to what that course was about. The readings made no sense and the lectures were even more confusing. Finally, I worked up the courage to go see […]

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24) The other night I awoke from a bad dream. It seems I had wronged someone and was now defending myself in court. The rub was that I was not in court because of what I did, but rather for what I had not done. I couldn’t believe what was happening. The harder I tried to convince […]

“Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait til the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts.” (I Corinthians 4:5) Several years ago, a former pastor of mine lamented from the pulpit that prayer was losing its appeal among Christians. It’s a sad commentary, but I agree with him. In fact, my own Christian experience has convinced me that a lot of us don’t take full advantage of the power and privilege of prayer. Stop […]

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) I had a friend telephone me a few years back. She had a close relative whom she thought had contracted a terminal illness. She was deeply concerned about his future and asked me, “Will a Catholic go to heaven?” As first blush I was caught a little off guard by her question because I am not that familiar with what Catholics believe. […]