Hey there, I remember last December how everyone was looking forward to the end of 2020. It was such a difficult year with the Coronavirus pandemic, lockdowns, closed churches, illnesses, deaths, lost jobs, closed businesses. Add to that all the stress and strife from the recent election. We thought 2021 had to get better! A short three months in and we have Washington DC’s government …
Injecting Joy Into Your Lenten Season
Hey there, What comes to mind when you think about the Lenten season? Fasting … sacrifice … almsgiving … penance? Joy? Joy! I don’t associate joy with Lent at all. So I was caught off guard last week when a priest wished us a joyful Lent. Say what? Sure, joy is what we celebrate at Easter with the Lord’s resurrection. But in the 40 days leading up to Easter? Naturally, I knew …
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Does Keeping Lenten Promises Matter?
Hey there, Ash Wednesday is here. And though it may seem like we’ve been living a year-long Lent with everything we’ve given up due to the Coronavirus pandemic, we officially begin the Lenten season. A couple of years ago, Genuflect covered Ash Wednesday and it provided a lot of great resources about today’s celebration … and they are still relevant resources. For this issue, I wanted to …
Preparing For Lent With The Holy Face of Jesus
Hey there, It’s hard to believe Lent is a week away. Thankfully, that’s plenty of time to prepare. Usually our Lent prep involves committing to prayer, fasting, and almsgiving during Lent. How about something a little extra this year? A Lenten preparation before Lent! For 10 years in the 60’s, Catholics worldwide celebrated the Feast of the Holy Face of Jesus on the Tuesday before Ash …
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The Differences Between Protestants And Catholics
Hey there, How are your new year’s resolutions coming along? This is typically when they start to drop off. You’ll recall that one of my resolutions this year is to work to convert someone to Catholicism. I’m happy to announce that I am still at it (I expect this will take quite a while actually). It’s said that if you want to persuade someone to your way of thinking, it helps to …
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How to Protect The Unborn … Whether You’re Pro-life or Pro-choice
Hey there, With all the anticipation (and military buildup) surrounding today’s inauguration in Washington DC, it may have slipped your mind that our Liturgical calendar designates tomorrow as the day of Prayer for the Protection of Unborn Children. And before leaving office, President Donald Trump declared Friday to be National Sanctity of Human Life Day. So I didn’t want to miss this …
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An Afterlife Saving New Year’s Resolution
Hey there, Happy New Year! By now you’ve probably figured out your resolutions for 2021 … and hopefully you’ve not given up on them just yet. Every January we look for ways to improve ourselves. Lose weight. Exercise. Save money. Go to Mass. Ways to enhance our quality of life. But have you ever made a resolution that will improve the life of another person … how about …
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Catholic Apologetics: Your Call to Defend Your Faith
Hey there, Do you remember comedian Jeff Foxworthy’s “You might be a redneck if” routine? (Make sure you read these with a thick southern accent for the full effect.) “If you have an Elvis Jell-o mold … you might be a redneck.” “If people hunt in your front yard … you might be a redneck.” “If you've ever made change in the offering plate … you might be a redneck.” He had a …
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Where Does Catholicism Fit in Our Cancel Culture?
Hey there, If you’ve stopped yourself from posting on social media for fear you’ll offend someone, you’re not alone. A July poll by The Cato Institute found that 62% of Americans avoid expressing their beliefs for this reason. I’ve held back … a lot. We’re afraid of falling victim to the cancel culture. Dictionary.com defines it this way: “Cancel culture refers to the popular …
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Heraldry in the Catholic Church Then And Now
Hey there, When I was in high school, I saw a company at a mall kiosk that would enter your surname into a computer and print out your family’s coat of arms. I thought it would make a nice gift for my parents. So I gave them my surname, which was Ott. As promised, they delivered a colorful coat of arms print out complete with, you guessed it, an otter on the shield. I have no idea where …
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Is Coronavirus a Punishment From God?
Hey there, We’ve removed God from our public schools. We’ve removed Nativity scenes from our public squares. Some judicial rulings have required the removal of large crosses. Not to mention all the sins that have become normalized in our culture. Then along comes COVID-19, infecting almost every country in the world, killing more than a half a million people, and shutting down …
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Becoming Part of The Solution For Racism
Hey there, It’s hard to turn on tv or radio or log into social media these days without reading or hearing about the social unrest and protests following the tragic events surrounding the senseless death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, MN on Memorial Day. It was gut-wrenching to say the least and I believe it’s an important topic to address here on Genuflect. I didn’t want this to get …
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