Author: Kevin Wondrash

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Kevin Wondrash

Fatherhood and the sacredness of life

The upcoming celebration of Father’s Day on Sunday, June 17, is a fitting time to examine the irony that in our current culture, fatherhood is rarely mentioned.

When mentioned at all, fathers are mocked or portrayed negatively. Some movies and stories downplay the role of the father in a child’s life, yet simultaneously portray the child as suffering from the father’s inability to live up to that role.

Protect both mother and child

In reality, the nobility and significance of fatherhood remain a powerful witness in the lives of those who have had the opportunity to grow up with a present and caring father. And there are, of course, profound stories and testimonies to counter the culture’s defeatist attitude towards fatherhood.

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Kevin Wondrash

‘Heavenizing’ our freedom

Dear Friends,
This past Sunday we marked the Feast of the Ascension when, the Gospel tells us, Jesus took His place at the Father’s right hand; He took His place as the Eternal High Priest. This means something very powerful and very real for us today, for Jesus ascended and became the Eternal High Priest who leads all creation in the Eternal Divine Liturgy in Worship of God the Father, in the Communion of the Holy Spirit.

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Kevin Wondrash

Seeking peace of God through repentance

Dear Friends,
In the Gospel passages of the last few weeks, we have heard time and again how real the Resurrection is. Jesus rose, not with the same physical body He had before, but He rose with a real body that could be touched. His real glorified body could somehow be touched, with the nail marks in the hands and the feet, and the wound in the side from the soldier’s lance. All those wounds were visible and tangible in Jesus’ glorified body.

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Kevin Wondrash

Black and white, or gray?

Making Sense out of Bioethics column by Fr. Tad Pacholczyk

One widely-encountered idea today is that there is no black and white when it comes to morality, only a kind of “gray area.” This is often taken to mean that we really can’t know with certainty what is right and wrong, allowing us to “push into the gray” as we make certain moral decisions that at first glance appear to be immoral.

The behavior of the semi-legendary figure of Robin Hood is sometimes mentioned as an example of this “gray area” phenomenon, since he was a character who would steal money (morally bad) for the purposes of helping the poor (morally good).

‘Gray’ shrouds immoral actions

By focusing on the good intentions motivating our choices, and by arguing that morality is ambiguous and mostly “gray” anyway, a person can more easily justify and provide cover for morally problematic actions. When we begin to scrutinize the claim that morality is “gray,” however, we encounter significant problems and contradictions.

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Kevin Wondrash

Exercising isn’t just for the ‘young’ anymore

Grand Mom column by Audrey Mettel Fixmer

“If I knew then what I know now” is a common opener for us senior citizens.

It is especially appropriate for things involving health care . . . the benefits of regular exercise, for example.

Granted, our Mamas got lots of exercise hanging out laundry, the Papas didn’t have power lawn mowers, and the kids didn’t get rides to school. Everybody walked everywhere.

Playtex or Jack LaLanne?

I just wish I had heard about exercise during my childbearing years in the late 40s and early 50s.

I expected to get back into shape by pulling on a Playtex rubber girdle. (Oh, the memory of sweating through that one!)

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