Tag: Father Steve Frunow

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Fr. Steve Grunow

‘God is with us’ is mystery and truth

Fr. Steve Grunow

In the weeks prior to the celebration of Christmas, many Christians will sing “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” a traditional hymn of the Advent season that implores:

O come, O come, Emmanuel

And ransom captive Israel

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel!

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel . . .

It seems to be a stringing together of liturgical antiphons, derived from scriptural texts, which originates in the 12th century.

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Fr. Steve Grunow

Halloween III: Jesus crushes the devil

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.

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Fr. Steve Grunow

God’s love and the glowing heart of mercy

Fr. Steve Grunow

Hanging on the wall of one of the confessionals at my parish is an image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The unknown artist has opted, as many have, for a soft Jesus, whose features are as bland and inoffensive as possible and whose heart is more of a glowing orb than anything remotely resembling flesh and blood.

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Fr. Steve Grunow

In Christ, we are baptized to become saints

Word on Fire
Fr. Steve Grunow

Each November the Church celebrates the Solemnity of All Saints. The saints are the great heroes of our faith. The Church describes a saint as a person of “heroic virtue.”

This means that while many Christians might be willing to settle for lackluster accomplishments as disciples, the saints engage their relationship with the Lord Jesus with vigorous creativity and absolute dedication. Most often, the work of the saints will go unnoticed and unseen.

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