I had the privilege of hearing Dr. Billy Graham preach about 20 years ago in Cincinnati. At the time, Dr. Graham was around 80 years old and clearly in frail health.
Category: Columns
Hone your gifts for God this Lent
“Mom, what is my talent?” My son’s eyes were wide, searching, and sincere, accompanying a question that came out of the blue.
He listed his siblings’ talents that included creativity and musical ability, friends’ talents that included a knack for sports.
Perpetua, Felicity, and the theo-drama
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Word on Fire
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On March 7, the Church commemorates the martyrs Perpetua and Felicity, along with their companions. These Christians were killed in the Roman Provinces of North Africa in the early third century A.D.
They were not alone, but shared the company of many Christians who were persecuted and killed during the early years of the Church’s life. The Church has persistently recalled the memory of the earliest martyrs.
America’s survey of women in the Church
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Last month, America magazine published a fascinating survey regarding the attitudes of women in the Church. They were kind enough to publish a few of my reactions to the study, but I would like, in this article, to offer a fuller response to their findings.
One of the most disturbing conclusions from the survey is that women are increasingly disengaging from the life of the Church. The America editors themselves observed that this does not bode well for evangelization, for women have traditionally played a crucial role in the passing on of the faith.
Wisconsin is becoming battle ready!
If you’re looking to go deeper and grow stronger in your faith, to know more about your purpose and call to action as a Christian, or if you’re struggling to connect with your spouse, friend, or loved one about the faith, then you need to experience the BATTLE READY Rally!
A BATTLE READY Rally is a 90-minute talk on what spiritual battle actually looks like, how to identify it and prepare for it, and how to engage in it. These three components are key for those of us who are here on earth as the Church Militant.
Christ’s Easter gift to us: Sacrament of Reconciliation
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Pope Francis encourages us Catholics to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation during Lent, the season of conversion.
Beginning with St. Peter, popes and bishops have taught that in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Christ forgives our sins and helps us to grow spiritually as Peter did.
On Good Friday, Peter, who bragged that he would never deny Christ, denied him three times.
Station to Station: An interview with Gary Jansen
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Word on Fire
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Some people dismiss the Stations of the Cross as a devotional relic of a bygone generation. But not Gary Jansen. In his beautiful book, Station to Station: An Ignatian Journey through the Stations of the Cross, Gary recounts how the devotion has changed his life and opened him up to new spiritual depths.
Here, Word on Fire’s Brandon Vogt interviews Gary about the Stations and his book.
Scientists prove the existence of God
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Spirituality for Today
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Recently, I came across an amusing cartoon depicting two snowmen; one was rebuking the other. The caption read, “Don’t be absurd! Of course, no one made us! We evolved from random snowflakes.”
Lent: A journey from ashes to Easter
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On Ash Wednesday, Feb. 14 this year, we begin the season of Lent. The word Lent comes from an old English word meaning Spring time which is a season of new growth.
Lent is a season of the Church when we open ourselves to new spiritual growth so that at Easter, we can renew our baptismal promises with renewed committed faith and Christ-like joy and love.
For the love of God impels us
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| Fr. Gregory Ihm |
“For the love of Christ impels us, . . . He indeed died for all, so that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised . . . (entrusting to us the message of reconciliation) . . . So we are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us” (2Cor. 5:14-20).