This Lent will be a little different from previous ones for me. Personal responsibilities will make it difficult to make “big plans,” such as setting aside significant times of fasting, major volunteer activities or going on retreat.
Sometimes it takes an outsider to help you to see the beauty and depth of something you have never fully appreciated. I suspect this is true for many of us, myself no exception, regarding the celebration of the Eucharist in our churches.
The early years of my adulthood and priesthood were spent teaching theology at Newman Theological College in Edmonton, Canada. I was young, full of energy, loved teaching and was discovering the joys of ministry. For the most part, these were good years.
During my senior year of high school, I had an experience that struck me (even at the time) as worthy of reflection.
Someone asks Fr. Mike Schmitz how to receive a gift well.
“I think it’s a great opportunity.” I was bemoaning the state of a country divided almost down the middle. The election that so many people thought was for the soul of the country or for its future instead revealed that we are divided almost 50-50.
I do a lot of outreach to the young on behalf of my religious congregation, so I try to be aware of trends in vocations work and the common traits of emerging generations.
I recently watched a compelling video prepared by a group called “Heartbeat International.” They provide women, who regret having taken an abortion pill, the chance to reverse their decision through a treatment involving progesterone.
This year’s theme for the Respect Life program is “St. Joseph, defender of life,” which is fitting as we celebrate the Year of St. Joseph.
Young people today experience various pressures and expectations that can make them anxious. In a recent essay, Professor Timothy P. O’Malley, of Notre Dame’s McGrath Institute for Church Life, crisply describes some of the over-the-top pressures that graduating college students are likely to encounter in commencement addresses.
