Michael O’Brien, a noted Catholic author, has written a series of novels over the last 30 years, exploring the struggle of good and evil, the power and truth of the Catholic faith, and — in remarkably prescient ways — predicting the current cultural struggle regarding religious freedom and the definition of the human person. I highly recommend reading his works.
Category: Bishop Hying’s Columns
The dignity of work
We are several weeks past Labor Day, but work as a topic of reflection is always timely since it constitutes a significant component of our time, energy, and lives.
The good works of the Church
Two weeks ago, I attended the national conference of the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Baltimore as their national spiritual advisor.
The importance of friends
In the Book of Sirach, we read, “A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter. He who finds one finds a treasure. Faithful friends are beyond price; no amount can balance their worth.” (6:14-15)
Be a saint and challenge evil
All of us bear wounds inflicted by others: Painful conflicts, harsh judgments, hurtful comments, rejections of proffered love and friendship, lack of gratitude and support, embarrassing humiliations, experiences of being ignored or overlooked.
Re-learning the Good News
At the very heart of the Christian faith is the conviction that Jesus Christ died to redeem us from sin and death, to restore us to right relationship with the Father, and to open the gates of eternal life to His faithful people.
The Blessed Mother and God’s gift of humanity
This past Monday, we celebrated the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Church’s conviction from the beginning, that Mary was assumed body and soul into Heaven at the end of her remarkable mission here on Earth.
We can rebuild culture and society
“St. Benedict . . . found the world, physical and social, in ruins, and his mission was to restore it in the way, not of science, but of nature . . . not professing to do it by any set time or by any rare specific or by any series of strokes, but so quietly, patiently, gradually . . . Silent men were observed about the country, or discovered in the forest, digging, clearing, and building; and other silent men, not seen, were sitting in the cold cloister, tiring their eyes, and keeping their attention on the stretch, while they painfully deciphered and copied and re-copied the manuscripts which they had saved. There was no one that “contended, or cried out,” or drew attention to what was going on; but by degrees the woody swamp became a hermitage, a religious house, a farm, an abbey, a village, a seminary, a school of learning, and a city . . .
Experiences at the World Meeting of Families
Several weeks ago, I had the inspiring experience of being a delegate to the World Meeting of Families in Rome.
Who is the human person?
When I ponder the many conflicts currently raging in our culture, whether it be abortion, gender identity, sexual orientation, racism, or politics in general, the unifying thread of these fiery arguments is the fundamental question: Who is the human person?