One of the things I find irritating is "fake help". Every day you hear stories about supposed charities that are nothing more than a way for the organizers to skim the donations of those who are committed to the cause.  To me, there is nothing more vile than someone who enriches themselves in such a way. The truth, however, is that some of this fake help is much more nuanced than the public understands. For example, I get a weekly envelop from a certain veteran's charity that solicit funds and offers "gifts" in return for my donations. Well, if I was sincere about the cause why would I expect a gift?  If I took the gift did I give the money for the gift or because I wanted to support the cause? It's a tricky situation at times.  Frankly, I have stopped giving any money to those who offer gifts. It seems insincere to me. Now consider Jesus' thoughts on the subject, which is contained in today's (10/1) Gospel reading from St. Luke. When his discipl

Every morning that I'm in town I follow the same morning ritual. I'm normally up by 6:00 am and off to the kitchen to make breakfast for my wife and kids. My wife heads out the door by 6:45 am to teach her fifth graders at Good Shepherd and I'm off by 7:15 am to take my two youngest to St. Charles Borromeo. By 7:30 I'm in the chapel of the church in front of the tabernacle with my Rosary. I'm not telling you this boastfully or suggesting that I'm a better dad or a more holier person than anyone else. I'm telling you this because it's how I make time for devotion every day.  During that time in the chapel something else happens very predictably at 7:35 am each day: a light turns on, illuminating the face of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  This morning it happened right as I was was beginning a "Hail Mary".  I had never been looking directly at Mary when the light turned on until today, and I was immediately struck by that coincidence. What did it mean

A centurion was an officer in the Roman army who typically commanded a group of around 80 legionaires.  That would make his command a bit bigger than a modern platoon and a bit smaller than a company at full strength. It was a demanding job with a myriad of responsibilities, both military and otherwise.  Centurions appear all over the New Testament, and most of the time are presented in an unflattering light. They are almost always arresting someone, torturing them, or - in Jesus's case - killing them. Needless to say, they were perceived as being not very holy. Jesus, however, believed that redemption was the most important trait of the loving God that is His Father - and this is particularly true of his attitude toward centurions. In the Gospel reading from St. Luke on September 17th, Jesus has pity on a centurion whose slave is dying. We all know the connection we have for those who have served with us, and the centurion was no different. But when Jesus approaches the centur

September 11th is a date that is certainly unforgettable, and  I know that many of you served based on that event and the call to duty it inspired. There is no way that any platitudes I might offer would do it justice, so I won't attempt it.  However, the first reading from the daily Mass this past Tuesday offered something important for all of us who have worn the uniform, deployed overseas and later struggled to reconcile our behavior with our Catholic faith.  Here's the portion of that reading from Paul's letter to the Corinthians that I found compelling: Do you not know that the unjust will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor boy prostitutes nor sodomites nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor robbers will inherit the Kingdom of God. That is what some of you used to be; but now you have had yourselves washed , you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesu

I have published a fitness blog for over a year, and in that time I have learned a few important lessons. First, speak directly to your audience. Second, use personal experiences whenever possible. Finally, have an impact - don't waste people's time with drivel just to fill up your self-imposed word quota. So now with all that said, let's get to my first Catholic blog post, and it has to do with the "trials of men".  I try to follow the "daily Mass-or-daily-Rosary" format for my daily devotional period. Most days it's the Rosary, first because I love praying it but also because I can head right into the chapel at my church and have total silence in front of the Blessed Sacrament. That makes a huge difference  n my ability to concentrate. Each day when I pray the Rosary I dedicate it to the "trials of men". So what does that mean, exactly? This list may not be exhaustive, but the "trials" include lust, pornography, adultery, m