Superheroes attract us. From Greek gods to Superman and Spiderman, our fascination with the awesome deeds of superheroes beckons us to become Masters of our own destiny.
Yet even as we enjoy the fantasy of acquiring Promethean powers to combat our enemies and conquer evil, we have legitimate misgivings about mere mortals taking on god-like powers in real life. We are concerned about those who play with fire just like Prometheus did, at the risk of harm and great destruction.
During November, we celebrate the feasts of All Saints, All Souls, and Christ the King.
Church years often end near the end of November, when we also begin Advent. During Advent, we prayerfully, patiently await Christ’s birth.
 |
|
| Fr. Steve Grunow |
In the spirit of the upcoming All Hallows Eve, a.k.a. Halloween, Word of Fire staffers fired some questions at the walking encyclopedia that is Fr. Steve Grunow. He responded with everything you ever wanted to know about Halloween and its deeply Catholic roots.
This article is the third in a three-part series.
Question: What does the Catechism have to say about Halloween?
Father Steve: The Catechism has a lot to say about the characteristics of heroic virtue and holiness of life that create the Church’s saints.
|
|
| Fr. Steve Grunow |
In the spirit of the upcoming All Hallows Eve, a.k.a. Halloween, Word of Fire staffers fired some questions at the walking encyclopedia that is Fr. Steve Grunow. He responded with everything you ever wanted to know about Halloween and its deeply Catholic roots.
This article is the second in a three-part series.
Question: What is the relation of Halloween to All Saints/All Souls? Which came first?
Father Steve: All Saints Day appears to have a more ancient genealogy than All Souls Day.
The practice of a festival day to honor the whole Communion of Saints, rather than that just a single saint, seems to happen for the first time in the Catholic Church with the consecration of the Pantheon as a public place for the Church’s worship. This happened in the year A.D. 609 (or A.D. 610) on May 13.
 |
|
|
Dr. John P. Joy |
Continuing our series on St. Pope Paul VI’s Creed of the People of God, we come next to the profession of faith concerning the Church.
This Creed is based on the Nicene Creed we say at Mass, but it goes into greater detail about what Catholics are required to believe in order to be “practicing Catholics” and (more importantly) in order to have that faith without which we cannot be saved.
|
|
|
Spirituality for Today
|
The thing I remember most about St. Mother Teresa was her joy.
I met her three times in my life. Once when we were giving talks on the same program, once at a Vatican seminar on family life, and once when she asked me to give a week-long retreat to her contemplative novices on joy.
Almost two million Americans are now addicted to opioids. The National Institute on Drug Abuse notes that more than 100 people die each day in the U.S. from opioid overdoses.
This unprecedented level of abuse — which involves not only heroin, but also prescription pain relievers such as OxyContin, Percocet, morphine, codeine, and fentanyl — has become a national crisis.
 |
|
Two very different men, facing different sets of dire challenges with prophetic courage, faithfully journeyed along two different paths to the same destination: sainthood!
Who would have predicted it?
Fr. Steve Grunow […]
 |
|
In 1972, Respect Life Month was initiated by the American Catholic bishops. It is observed yearly during October in American Catholic dioceses.
It stresses the value and dignity of human life in all its stages. It is dedicated to increasing a greater culture of life through public information, education, pastoral care, public policy, and prayer.
