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Pentecost in Two Minutes

The Editors — Sun, 20 May 2012 14:35:24 +0000

Can't remember what or when Pentecost is? Well for starters, it's this Sunday; and if you want a little more info on this celebration of the Holy Spirit and the birthday of the Church, take a look at Busted Halo's two minute video.

Apologizing for My Catholicism (or sometimes lack thereof)

Amanda Farah — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 03:50:54 +0000

As a sometime Catholic, I often find myself apologizing. Primarily, I find myself apologizing to those more devout than myself for my negligence. This comes up most often having dinner at my parents’ house with the priests from their parish, who ask the perfectly innocent questions of why they haven’t seen me in a while [...]

Between the Covers

Ginny Kubitz Moyer — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 08:02:41 +0000

In the last week, two different people have asked me if I have any interest in owning a Kindle. My answer both times was a slightly softer version of “when hell freezes over.” It’s not that I’m morally opposed to e‑readers. I don’t see them as the spawn of Satan, or anything like that. It’s [...]

Eden is for Herbivores

Elizabeth Desimone — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 08:01:16 +0000

Let’s get one thing clear: I like the taste of meat. I like double bacon cheeseburgers. I like steak so rare it moos. On Thanksgiving I want turkey, on Christmas I want ham, and on my father’s birthday I want meatballs made from my family’s off-the-boat-from-Sicily recipe, so good they take five hours to make [...]

BH@WYD: Annie Goes to Confession

Annie Reuter — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 05:30:50 +0000

I haven´t been to confession in 10 years. It´s not that I refuse to go, it´s just something I never thought too much about. One of the many events on the World Youth Day schedule included the Festival of Forgiveness, a section set aside in Retiro Park where 200 priests are stationed to hear confession. [...]

What Works: Between acceptance and thirst

Phil Fox Rose — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 03:35:49 +0000

We are told it is natural to thirst for fulfillment in aligning our life with God’s plan for us and to thirst for the kingdom of heaven on earth to be made manifest around us. So how is this compatible with the idea of accepting everything exactly as it is? This tension is expressed in [...]

Church Hopping

Vanessa Gonzalez Kraft — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 04:30:55 +0000

The more years that separate me from my time at Notre Dame, the more I realize how easy college made certain things in life. Making friends was easy as I was surrounded by a great community of people with whom I had a lot in common; I never had to spend a lot of energy [...]

Lost and Found

Christine B. Whelan — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 04:25:31 +0000

I went to Mass every Sunday with my father throughout my childhood, and even said evening prayers with him until I was a teenager. Then I went to college, and promptly stopped all of it. Sure, when I was home I’d attend regularly but, on my own, my faith — which had never really matured [...]

Not My Will But Thine… But I Do Have This One Request

Anne Lindley — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 03:30:44 +0000

When we speak to God are we affecting His plans? Are we influencing the future? And if not, why do we persist in asking God to listen to our wishes? The most thoughtful people I know can’t help wondering. Jesus taught his disciples to ask in prayer for specific blessings: for our daily bread; to [...]

Seeing Christ in bin Laden

Helen Lee — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:02:53 +0000

When I learned of Osama bin Laden’s death, my immediate reaction was indifference. I didn’t share the jubilant response that seemed to be sweeping the nation, and I didn’t feel much of a sense of relief, either. Then, for a very superficial reason, I realized I was called to more than indifference: I looked at [...]

Being the “Other” on September 11, 2001

Carmel Delshad — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:01:07 +0000

At 13, I walked the halls of my middle school proudly as the smart Egyptian girl who brought in stuffed grape leaves for lunch and baklava for dessert. Like most teens, I was still trying to figure out what it meant to be “me” as I navigated the awkward early years of my teenage life. [...]

Thomas Merton and Our Dad

Peter Williams — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 04:00:00 +0000

In that cosmically complex and fun butterfly effect way of looking at the world, we may never have been born if it wasn't for Thomas Merton, the world's most prominent Catholic monk and prolific author. Besides being a father himself before entering the monastery and Catholic priesthood (thank God Catholics and spiritual seekers everywhere have such a wild and real role model to look to), Merton has always played a huge role in the mythology and background story of our own father and was always the subject of many memories shared in the evenings over family dinners.

In the early 1960s, inspired by The Seven Storey Mountain, our dad decided to follow what he thought was his calling and go join the Trappist monks at the Abbey of Gethsemani, the Kentucky monastery made famous by Merton.

Advent in Two Minutes

The Editors — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 03:00:35 +0000

Not sure about the relationship between Advent and Christmas? You thought they were the same thing? Check out Busted Halo’s two-minute video that describes why we celebrate Advent and wait to celebrate Christmas.

Top Five Mass Changes

Julianne Wallace — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 08:05:46 +0000

If you’re headed to Mass during the upcoming Advent and Christmas seasons, you’re going to notice some changes. Starting November 27 the Roman Catholic Church will be using a new set of instructions for celebrating Mass — all part of the newly revised Roman Missal (the 3rd Edition, in fact!). This new translation contains revised [...]

Baptism (why we baptize)

The Editors — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 07:07:28 +0000

Why, exactly, do Catholics have the practice of baptizing infants? What is the purpose of baptism and who can celebrate the sacrament of Baptism? Do the godparents of our child need to be married to each other? These are questions and more are answered in this edition of “Sacraments 101,” a web video series geared [...]

We’re Just Chatting

Christina Gebel — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 08:00:21 +0000

Last week, I paused to look out the front window of my apartment just long enough to see a middle-aged woman briskly get in her car, make the Sign of the Cross, and turn over the engine. I felt somewhat comforted knowing someone else prays before driving. I never used to pray in the car, [...]

What Works: Cultivating presence

Phil Fox Rose — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 08:05:24 +0000

I often hear people talking about living in the present moment as if it is a struggle, some cosmic game of attempting to grasp something that is fleeting, illusory. They say things like, "the moment I have it, it's gone." While this is true and can be frustrating, the last thing present moment awareness is about is grabbing serenity. I have always liked the metaphor of the river (borrowed from my Christian contemplative practice of centering prayer) in talking of the flow of thoughts. Imagine the stream of consciousness as a river, with boats and debris representing thoughts. You're sitting on the bank of the river watching it. Normal awareness has you looking at each individual boat-thought, following it down the river with your eyes -- and to strain the metaphor, getting on it and opening hatches -- then suddenly shifting your awareness to another boat and so on. If your mind is particularly cluttered, you can feel overwhelmed by all the boats you have to look at and it can feel like that classic I Love Lucy skit with the conveyor belt at the chocolate factory, like you're falling behind and they start slipping by. There can be a sense of panic that a thought that's getting past you without attention is important and you're missing it.

Present moment awareness is simply sitting on the bank and watching the river, not the boats. Boats cross your field of vision and you do see them, but you don't follow them with your eyes or get on them. They're not out of focus, but you don't focus on them.

Gaga and Judas

Phil Fox Rose — Fri, 06 May 2011 04:05:35 +0000

The video for Lady Gaga's song "Judas" has premiered, ending weeks of speculation stirred up by several religious spokespeople who denounced it before seeing it. The video is set in a motorcycle gang; Jesus is the leader, Judas a thuggish member and Gaga is torn by her attraction to both. As a quick first reaction, I find it moving, both artistically and spiritually. What has always fascinated and frustrated me is the disconnect between the Gaga haters and what I, and some of my friends, see in her work. Many of my religious young adult friends love Gaga; most of the rest don't have any serious problem with her. They understand what she's trying to do, even if it isn't their taste. This is true across Catholics, mainline Protestants and evangelicals. So, what is it about Gaga that excites one devout person and intimidates another?

What Sticks to Our Fingers

Ann Turner — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 08:55:31 +0000

I am thinking about death. And ashes. Possibly this is because Easter is looming on the horizon, and if you have any truck with Jesus and think that what happened to him really happened, going through the Triduum is scary. Relentless. Deeply emotional, riveting, and scouring out of one’s emotional innards. Because in order to [...]

Building a Culture of Lie

Dawn Eden — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 02:50:59 +0000

On February 1, Lila Rose's Live Action organization debuted the first video of its biggest scoop yet -- an undercover video "sting" allegedly revealing Planned Parenthood employees aiding a purported sex trafficker. That same day, Fr. Euteneuer, in response to online rumors, released a statement confessing that the real reason he left HLI was that he had admitted to "violating the boundaries of chastity" with an adult woman he was exorcising.

Judging by the reaction to these stories in the Catholic pro-life media, it seems many took these coinciding stories simply as an instance of "good news/bad news," with Lila Rose a heroine and Fr. Euteneuer a tragic figure. Perhaps it would be wise for Catholics dedicated to defending life to pause and reflect upon the confluence of events, before the news cycle moves on. It may be that the Holy Spirit is trying to tell us something about what happens when good people, with the best of intentions, attempt to justify deception.

Alabama Homeboys

Bill McGarvey — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 18:38:19 +0000

For over 20 years, Homeboy Industries has offered a way out of gang life for thousands of young people in Los Angeles. Established by Fr. Greg Boyle, SJ, in 1988, Homeboy has garnered national recognition and become a model across the country for helping people transition out of gang life. Their many programs include job [...]

Remembering how to pray

Monica Rozenfeld — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 22:00:10 +0000

So, recently, I’ve been trying out this new thing called bubble baths which I hear are great for relaxation. I make a warm bath, get in, and read a good book for about a half hour or so. For the past week, during these baths, I’ve been rereading Eat, Pray, Love (which I had forgotten [...]

Emilio Estevez and The Way

Fr Dave Dwyer — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 08:02:20 +0000

When The Busted Halo Show with Father Dave broadcast a week of our Sirius XM radio show from Los Angeles, actor/director Emilio Estevez dropped by our studio to talk about his career and his new movie, The Way. Son of iconic Catholic actor Martin Sheen, and brother of actor Charlie Sheen, Emilio Estevez might best [...]

iPads in Liturgy?

Tom Gibbons — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 05:40:41 +0000

While I adore the parish at which I am serving this year, I sometimes wonder if it is run by Quakers rather than Catholics. Because at the beginning of Daily Masses at my Church, only the priest seems to have an assigned role. Of course roles are much more defined during the Sunday services, but [...]

Seeking Sanity

The Editors — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 05:20:22 +0000

Ask most any twentysomething in the United States where they get their news from these days, and one of their answers, if not the only one, will undoubtedly be The Daily Show or The Colbert Report. The two hit satirical news programs from Comedy Central attempt to weed through the inundation of far right and [...]

Are You A Little Bit Married?

Christine B. Whelan — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 01:40:04 +0000

Matt, 29, and his girlfriend, Kelly, 28, have been dating for four years and living together for two. They were both raised Catholic, attend Church occasionally, and joke about “living in sin” and being “semi-married.” Kelly told me she was OK moving in with Matt because she just assumed that this was a step in [...]

Can I Really Date a Guy Who Doesn’t Wear a Yarmulke?

Farrah Fidler — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 05:45:32 +0000

They say opposites attract. For example, in the play “Can I Really Date a Guy Who Wears a Yarmulke?” the protagonists are two people with very different religious views. According to the play’s website “Eleanor is a smart, savvy, New Yorker, whose secular brand of Judaism might include the occasional latke but definitely does not [...]

Questioning God

Annie Reuter — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 03:00:48 +0000

In October, I wrote about a difficult week when three close friends and family members were admitted to the hospital. Last Saturday I found out the worst news when I was told my cousin Silvia would never make it home. After eight weeks of battling an infection, pneumonia and what they eventually found to be [...]

Why Are They Still Here?

The Editors — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 03:00:02 +0000

Every Sunday, all around the globe, a minor miracle is occurring that has gone almost unnoticed: despite continuing revelations about the sex abuse scandal in the Catholic Church, somehow the churches aren’t empty. Despite all the terrible news about the Catholic Church sitting at the top of everyone’s RSS feed for days on end, it was still standing room only at the Holy Week events. While it is strictly anecdotal evidence, people are still coming to church even when the reports of the sex scandal are so dire. Can you imagine any other organization on earth weathering this type of negative publicity over this long a period and still being able to function?

What Works: Character Defects

Phil Fox Rose — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 22:00:40 +0000

In my recent interview about the spirituality of being on time, I talked about the fact that the spiritual answer is not just to behave, but to change oneself interiorly. Of course, that’s beyond the scope of this column, but I want to talk in this column about one aspect of what needs to change: [...]