What’s the Apocrypha?
What’s the Apocrypha and why is it part of some Bibles and not others? The Apocrypha is the set of 15 books generally placed between…
read moreWhat is the prayer of absolution?
This is the prayer that is offered by the priest during confession also known as the sacrament of reconciliation or penance. After one confesses their…
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Four Tips for Keeping Your Semester Holy
I’m a college English professor with two children, ages 6 and 8. As a new school semester begins for our family, new routines automatically emerge.…
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Community Service: How You Can Act on Catholic Social Teaching Every Day
During my many years of volunteer service (primarily in hunger relief organizations), I’ve witnessed a frustrating phenomenon. While people (admirably) tend to focus on opportunities…
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Praying for Presence: How the Examen Helps Me Focus
When I was a kid, there were nights at the dinner table when my dad would get quiet and start staring off into the distance.…
read moreWhy Does the Apostles’ Creed Say That Jesus ‘Descended Into Hell’?
In my parish we say the Apostles’ Creed and not the Nicene Creed, and in the Apostles’ Creed it states that Jesus descended into hell.…
read moreWhy do we read so much from the prophet Isaiah during Advent and Christmas?
The Catholic theologian Gerald O’Collins, S.J., has called the writings of the prophet Isaiah “the fifth gospel.” By this he means that so many of…
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