refugees: when theology and patriotism conflict
Since the horrendous terrorist attacks in Paris last weekend, calls for stopping the proposed admission of Syrian refugees to the United States have reached a deafening roar. Over half of all state governors have released statements defending their right to refuse entry to any refugees the United States admits into its borders. Numerous . . .
pastor, France is not Serbia
thoughts on violence and terrorism
In the wake of the horrific terror attacks in Paris on Friday, Christian pastors had a difficult situation to face last Sunday.
- All rightly called out these evil deeds for what they were
- Most rightly pointed out that Christianity also has its share of sinful atrocities in its past
- Some wrongly placed Christian . . .
the origins of the chaplaincy
on Veteran's Day and the feast of St. Martin
This post is copied from CatholicYouthWork.com and is presented here in its entirety. I claim no credit for this work.
Wednesday the 11th of November is the feast of St Martin de Tours, the first chaplain! Below is an extract from Fr David O’Malley’s book ‘School Ethos and Chaplaincy’, available from Don Bosco Publications and on . . .
Posted in: chaplaincy
charade: war on Christmas
yep, it's the most wonderful time of the year
In the beginning was a Starbucks coffee cup with snowflakes on it. Then the snowflakes went away, and all hell broke loose.
And so it began...the annual charade of the 'war' on Christmas, where every year Christians who otherwise spend the rest of their year not terribly concerned about hard calling of the Christian life find . . .
despise the sins...not the brother who commits them
The Devil cunningly induces us – instead of irritating us against himself – to notice our neighbors’ sins, to make us spiteful and angry with others, and to awaken our contempt towards them, thus keeping us in enmity with our neighbors, and with the Lord God Himself. Therefore, we must despise the sins, the faults themselves, and not our . . .
responding to persecution
St. Ignatius and ISIS
Pray continually for the rest of humankind as well, that they may find God, for there is in them hope for repentance. Therefore allow them to be instructed by you, at least by your deeds. In response to their anger, be gentle; in response to their boasts, be humble; in response to their slander, offer prayers; in response to their . . .
on choosing a prayer book
why I started using Doberstein...again
Little secret...I'm miserable at keeping a habit of bible reading and prayer on my own. That's probably a horrible thing for a padre to say, but it's absolutely true. Left to my own, I go back to the same parts of Scripture over and over again, which isn't necessarily a bad thing but isn't really good either. Also, while . . .
Posted in: prayer
