My son Joshua recently celebrated his first Penance in anticipation of his first Holy Communion. He is the first of our five children to do so. Needless to say, it was a very special day for him and our family. As I mentioned in my last blog post, over the last few years he has expressed a true desire to partake of these sacraments. My wife and I have done our best to help him and his sibling to understand the beauty, meaning, and power of the sacraments, and whenever possible have used...
Tomorrow marks the thirty-third anniversary of my first Holy Communion, a day that I remember vividly and with great fondness. My firstborn son, Joshua, is preparing for his first Communion, and over the last few months we have been engaged in some wonderful conversations as he explores the mystery of the Eucharist.
For years now, our family bedtime ritual has included time for Scripture reading, followed by some basic theological reflection and prayer. I have always marveled at how...
As a professional Catholic speaker I visit dozens of parishes every year. In addition to giving general talks, I am sometimes asked if I would be willing to speak to the children in the parish school. I always welcome the opportunity, especially when speaking to the lower grades, since I have five young children of my own.
I always ask the schoolchildren for a show of hands if a grownup has ever asked them,“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
Invariably, all hands go up....
"What if God was one of us
Just a slob like one of us
Just a stranger on the bus
Trying to make his way home"
These lyrics came to mind earlier this week as I learned about a new ad campaign that was recently launched by my home Diocese of Brooklyn. The ad depicts an image of the bottom half of a person (presumably Jesus) clad in a robe and wearing a pair of scuffed Converse Chuck Taylor sneakers. The ad simply reads: THE ORIGINAL...
A few weeks ago I experienced what all expectant fathers dread.
My wife Uki had woken me up before dawn to inform me that it was time. She was in the initial stages of labor with our fifth child and her contractions were intensifying, so we quickly set out for the short ride to the hospital. I felt the familiar rush of excitement and anticipation, knowing that soon we would be welcoming another precious child into the world. But as my wife’s contractions become stronger and...
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"Behold, for a thousand years the pictures of your forefathers holding rosaries in their hands have stood in this church."
