Hey there, The divide in our world is growing. Man vs. woman. Black vs. white. Christian vs. Muslim. Democrat vs. Republican. There’s no end to the labels we apply to those who are not like us. We focus on what separates us. And are driven even further apart. The real tragedy is the discord, anger, and insults opposing sides hurl at the other. In person. In the media. In social media. …
Continue Reading about Get Closer to God Through Inclusiveness and Kindness Toward Others
Hey there, This Saturday, January 22nd, marks the 49th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion in the United States. On our Liturgical Calendar, it’s the Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of the Unborn Child. And the day before, in Washington, D.C., hundreds of thousands are expected to attend the annual March For Life. Protecting the unborn is a …
Continue Reading about Protecting The Most Vulnerable, The Unborn
Hey there, Are we who we are because of our heredity or because of our environment? It’s one of the oldest debated concepts in psychology. On the one side are those who believe our behavior, personality, and characteristics are determined by nature … the genes we inherit. On the other side are those who believe in the nurture theory … environmental variables like how we were raised, …
Continue Reading about Transform Your Heart in Jesus’ Image This Advent
Hey there, I don’t know why I’m so late hearing about this, but did you know that on Oct. 10th Pope Francis kicked off a synod (pronounced sin-ed) with the theme “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission?” Nicknamed the “Synod on Synodality,” the process will take two years to complete and is supposed to involve all dioceses from around the globe. In other words, Pope …
Continue Reading about All About Synods And The Synod of Synodality
Hey there, There are plenty of phenomena in the Catholic Church, but perhaps one of the most extraordinary is the Stigmata. This is when a person experiences the five wounds of Jesus’ Passion, typically involving the intense pain and bleeding in the hands, feet, side, and sometimes the head. Though I’ve learned there is also Invisible Stigmata that doesn’t involve bleeding. Several Saints …
Continue Reading about Investigating the Stigmata Phenomenon
Hey there, I enjoyed a nice long Labor Day weekend at the lake with friends. It was such a blessing to get away and relax. Hopefully you also found some time to relax. The result though, was less time to work on Genuflect. So I’m refreshing a topic from three years ago this month. If you recognize this issue (thank you for still being here!), don’t worry, I’ve updated almost all of the …
Hey there, Last May Pope Francis approved 7 men and women for canonization: Blessed Charles de Foucauld Blessed Pillai Blessed César de Bus Blessed Luigi Maria Palazzolo Blessed Giustino Maria Russolillo Blessed Anna Maria Rubatto Blessed Maria Domenica Mantovani Unfortunately the date of their canonization is not yet set due to the Coronavirus pandemic. We’ll have to …
Hey there, Disappointment, frustration, unhappiness, pain … just a few of the challenges we experience in life. Some are minor irritations. Others are setbacks or even life-altering events. It may happen directly to us. Or to someone we love. Our response to these challenges affects our happiness. But more importantly, how we choose to respond directly impacts our entry to …
Continue Reading about Finding Happiness While Taking Up Your Cross
Hey there, We’ve all been blessed with certain talents by our creator … even multiple talents. Some of the talents are easily seen … like drawing or singing. (I sure wish I could sing … or draw for that matter!) You may not think you have any special talents. They may not be so obvious. Like being detail oriented, or good with numbers, or consoling to people in distress. We’re …
Continue Reading about Finding Your God-Given Talents (And Using Them)
Hey there, The past year has been a challenge for all of us. The impact of the Coronavirus pandemic has been far reaching on a personal and a professional level. Even on a spiritual level. It’s enough to shake anyone’s trust in God. I have a friend whose constant mantra was “Let go and let God” … even throughout the course of several years dealing with a major health crisis, which he …
Hey there, We know that love is the greatest thing there is. And most importantly that God doesn’t just love us, but that God is love. But what exactly is love? In the English language, “love” is used for so many different situations and emotions ... it’s often misunderstood. There’s neighborly love, called Philia, that is based on goodwill towards others. There is brotherly or …
Hey there, We make commitments all the time. We tell a friend we’ll meet her for lunch tomorrow. We decide to eat healthy or to get physically fit. We commit to our employer to perform a certain job. And then there are the major commitments. Like marriage or parenthood. Whether big or small, or over the course of a few days or even a lifetime, every commitment we make obligates us …
Continue Reading about Strengthening Commitments in Your Life
