VIEWS

I used to think that fasting was worthless. I would find reasons to excuse myself from the obligatory Lenten practice: low blood sugar, anemia, etc.

If you’ve ever watched a football game on television, you’ve no doubt seen a banner in the stands proclaiming the message “John 3:16.”

In my previous articles, I began to look at the current crisis in the Church resulting from the sins of priests and bishops.

(CNS) — In late February, the Church pledged to put the victims of abuse first, to listen to them with an open heart, to root out the culture of protecting priests accused of abuse.

When I was in college there was a group of students who didn’t always practice their faith, but when Ash Wednesday rolled around all decided to band together in giving up a few particular sins common among college students.

A 40-foot balloon floats high over a rural area in Communist North Korea. When it lands, the precious cargo is discreetly received and distributed by those willing to risk imprisonment or death in defiance of the regime.

As the Diocese of Phoenix kicks off this year’s Charity and Development Appeal (CDA), I am once again amazed by our community.

On Feb. 13, Pope Francis approved the canonization of Blessed John Henry Newman, a 19th-century Catholic convert from Anglicanism, whose theological insights on matters such as the development of doctrine and the role of the laity in the Church stand behind many of the teachings of the Second Vatican Council.

For centuries, the Church has been referred to as the “Barque of St. Peter” passing over the waters toward her heavenly destiny. It was in Peter’s boat that Jesus sat as He taught the crowds (Cf. Lk 5).

I can still hear her voice, all these years later: A coworker at the local newspaper where I was working was angry — very angry — and launched into an explosive tirade with one word.