A few weeks ago in our RCIA group, someone asked: “Do Catholics tithe?” This is a topic that generates some controversy. “Give generously,” I answered. “But generosity is very subjective,” the adult convert commented. “How can you be sure that everyone gives equitably to the Church?”
How Much Should You Tithe to the Church? Read Post »
Faith and the Parish: Pray that our parishes may be places where faith is communicated and charity is seen.
Pray with the Pope: September 2017 Read Post »
I’ve been thinking about how we in South Africa — like many other places —are struggling with what our churches mean and should look like. I’ve been thrown into this struggle in the last few years when I’ve become responsible for renovation and restoration projects that preserve and enhance our Catholic legacy.
Let Our Churches Be Works of Art Read Post »
The Catholic Church preaches, teaches and practices total nonviolence. This statement is not true regarding the Catholic Church today. But it was an accurate and true description of the Catholic Church during its first 300 years.
Catholic Church is Journeying Back to its Nonviolent Roots Read Post »
The Bible has never been neglected by the Catholic Church. This is because both the Old Testament and the New have only one core, one point of reference, and that is Jesus Christ.
Our Knowledge of the Bible Read Post »
My father’s death, after almost a lifetime of absence, seems to close the yawning chasm between us. I feel him closer in death than when he was alive. The seed of an “inclination to look back on history” was planted the day I heard he had died.
How My Father’s Death Led to a Book Read Post »
I attended the ordination of a priest and heard Genesis 14:18-20 quoted wherein Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of God Most High, blessed Abram. Who was this Old Testament man and how can he be associated with Christ and the priesthood today?
Who Was Melchizedek? Read Post »
The battle of the sexes seems to have taken on more sinister overtones. There are some women who see men as the source and root of all evil, and there are men who see women as nothing more than temptresses, seductresses, models for lads’ magazines and child bearers.
The Endless Battle of the Sexes Read Post »
In so many areas of our lives, we have overcome our prejudices to exercise gender sensitivity in language.
The Church’s Language Problem Read Post »
