Hey there, It’s well documented that when we hear music we like, we experience a physiological reaction that’s involuntary, exciting, sometimes unexpected, and often enjoyable. We may not know the reason … or even be conscious of it, but we enjoy the way we feel when we listen to music, and we instinctively believe that listening to music might be one of the only ways to feel those …
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Hey there, Did you see all the Christmas stuff in the stores before Halloween? They get earlier every year. It’s not even Thanksgiving and stores are already promoting black Friday sales. There are even some houses in my neighborhood who have their Christmas lights up and on at night. And I’ve seen a Christmas tree in a window. At the risk of adding to the pre-Thanksgiving Christmas …
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Hey there, Amazing grace how sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me I once was lost, but now I'm found Was blind but now I see I’m sure you recognize the lyrics to the beautiful hymn, “Amazing Grace.” It’s the most recorded song ever, estimated to be performed 10 million times annually and has appeared on more than 11,000 albums. Amazing Grace was originally written in 1772 by …
Hey there, Whenever discussion turns to the greatest basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan’s name comes up. But did you know he didn’t make his high school Varsity basketball team the first time he tried out? It’s true. He ran home, locked himself in his room, and cried … and then he went to work. Talking about that JV year, Jordan said, “Whenever I was working out and got tired …
Hey there, Occasionally, a Genuflector will ask a question or suggest a topic. (I love when that happens.) A few weeks ago I received the question, “Can you really do something terribly wrong and be forgiven through Confession?” We’ve covered Reconciliation before, but not necessarily this specific aspect of it. And at the time, I felt this would be a great topic to cover during Lent … …
Hey there, This week’s topic is one of the most important in our faith, but one that is sometimes overlooked … the Holy Mass. If you’re like me, there have been periods where you weren’t so good about attending Mass. For a variety of reasons. I rediscovered Mass when I was in college … and again later when I felt the responsibility to get my children to Mass. But truth be told, I’ve …
Hey there, On Monday, August 15th, Catholics around the world will celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Well, some Eastern Catholics will celebrate something slightly different ... more on that below. It’s typically a Holy Day of Obligation, but not this year since it falls on a Monday. I ran across this beautiful poem about the Assumption. Memories of …
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Hey there, On August 6th we'll celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration … one of the key events in Jesus’ life. Just to refresh your memory, this was when Jesus took Peter, James, and John up the mountain and He was transfigured with His face shining bright like the sun and his robes a dazzling white. Moses and Elijah appeared, and the Lord spoke to them as well. There’s more to the …
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Hey there, There once was a minister who died and was waiting in line at the pearly gates. Ahead of him was a guy dressed in sunglasses, a loud shirt, leather jacket, and jeans. Saint Peter addressed this guy, "Who are you, so that I may know whether or not to admit you to the Kingdom of Heaven?" The guy replied, "I'm Joe Cohen, taxi driver, of Noo Yawk City." Saint Peter consulted his list. …
Continue Reading about Why Our Salvation is a Process … And Isn’t Guaranteed
Hey there, I’ve learned a lot about Catholicism since I began Genuflect four years ago. As a cradle Catholic who attended Catholic school, you’d think I wouldn’t have had that much to learn. But it’s not unusual as I’m researching one topic, for another topic to jump out at me. That’s what happened in the case of the magisterium. The magi-what? That’s right. I had never heard of the …
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Hey there, We often hear that to grow in our faith, we should pray every day, go to church every Sunday, and read the Holy Scriptures. But what we don’t hear is that we should read the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The Catechism, or CCC as it’s referred to, is the compilation of the beliefs of our Catholic faith. It’s what Priests and Deacons reference for their homilies. And it’s …
Continue Reading about The Catechism Isn’t Just For Catechists
Hey there, In Catholicism we talk about the Roman Catholic Church. And you may hear the term Latin Rite. Then there’s the Eastern Church ... the Western Church ... and the Universal Church. If you’re like me, your head starts to spin when these terms are thrown around. I was recently told about a mutual acquaintance who grew up Catholic, but it was not a Roman Catholic church. So we …
Continue Reading about Looking Beyond The Roman Catholic Church
