This installment of Along the Way is a bit different from my usual contribution, as it deals more with law and civics than with theology. However, as abortion has been such an important moral and social issue for the past few decades, I thought it would be helpful to explore the issues sparked by the appointment of
Christianity, Judaism, Islam and other religious traditions offer a vision of the future in which God reigns supreme and all is right with the world. The lion lies down with the lamb and nations beat their swords into plowshares. In Christianity this ideal future world is described as the Kingdom of God. This ideal world
Sometimes there is a tension in my gut that reflects the contradictions of life. On the one hand, I’m old enough to enjoy stability. I don’t like things constantly changing, as if I needed to jump from one block of ice to another in a swift flowing river just to keep from drowning. I seemed
Effective implementation of the plan requires the efforts of the full body of Christ in the particular faith community. an ordered division of labor is essential. Part of the logic behind the assignment of responsibility for each objective is to remove confusion, and thus obstacles, to speedy implementation of plan objectives. One person coordinates plan
The product of this phase of the pastoral planning process is a series of objectives which address the identified problems. Further, the objectives must be consistent with the doctrine of the Catholic Church and cultural values of the community. The most elegant plan ever developed is a waste of time, money, and effort if it
(Editor’s note: This is the continuation of the series on Pastoral Planning) The next phase in the planning process is to identify the problems which the planning process needs to address. The “problems” are simply the gap between the reality that people experience on a day to day basis and the ideal that is yearned
When I was a youngster I loved superhero comics. Every Friday I would receive my allowance, about 25 cents, and would go for a walk with my Dad to the nearest news vendor where I would buy the latest Superman or Bat man comic for 10 cents. I learned how to read with those comics.
Jesus offended people. He didn’t fit their expectations of what a religious leader should be. He was too messy. If you needed healing it was likely he would spit on the ground and then pick up the spittle mixed with some dirt and make a mud paste that he would wipe on your eye or