earthquake
Liturgical Seasons & Feasts

Teaching About the “End Times” at the End of Ordinary Time

In these last few weeks of Ordinary Time before Advent begins, we hear Scripture calling our attention to the “end times.” I’m sure you’ll agree that these Scripture passages are difficult to understand and challenging to teach. Permit me to offer a few insights. Jesus was not predicting the end of the world but the end of an “age”—a paradigm shift, if you will. Jesus’ speaking of the end times can best be understood in […]

stopwatch - urgency
Scripture

The End Times: Urgency, Not Fear (And a Thought About the Election)

My best friend Joe is a real handyman, and he has a keen eye for spotting problems that might need some repair. He often says something like, “It may look OK now, but if you don’t deal with this soon, and if you don’t do it right, you could have some real problems on your hand.” His advice creates a sense of urgency, but not alarm. Joe is a realist, not an alarmist. In the […]

No Picture
Newsworthy

A Catholic Take on Left Behind

As if we haven’t had enough of the Left Behind series, now a “major” motion picture starring Nicolas Cage is set to be released. Unfortunately, this means that once again, people will succumb to the false notion that there is going to be a Rapture at which time the saved will be whisked away to heaven and the rest will be “left behind.” Thank goodness we have someone like my friend Joyce Donahue to provide […]