The Catholic Cafe

With the recent release of the movie Cabrini by Angel Studios, there has been a very divisive reaction from various sectors and especially among Catholics. Perhaps a review of this film about the life of the first American saint, Frances Xavier Cabrini, will help bridge the divide.

The Fourth Sunday in Lent carries with it a special character even within the desert of the lenten journey. It is a time to start to realize that we are loved by Jesus, and though we move through this season in a spirit of profound repentance, we must have hope.

When we read about Jesus cleansing the Temple of moneychangers we can see how the Lord desires the Church to be first a house of worship. But we also read in Scripture that our bodies are temples as well, temples of the Holy Spirit. So we need to periodically cleanse our own temples to properly prepare ourselves for worship of the Lord.

Some wonder what role temptation plays in the story of salvation and why the First Sunday of Lent focuses us on the Temptation of Jesus in the Desert. We must understand why God allows us to be tempted, and how temptation and spiritual warfare are related so that we can grow closer to God through Jesus during Lent.

Some have declared that how we worship is not so very important, and that apparent extravagance is a misplaced distraction from the truth of the Gospel message. Perhaps, though, there is value in the manner in which our Church gathers to worship and that the Sacred Scriptures can help us see this.

Time flies and it is already time to be thinking about the season of Lent and how we can best prepare ourselves for the Easter Mysteries. Making our Lent matter more will enhance our Easter experience. So, prepping for Lent is the key to a Happy Easter.

For some, there is an apparent contradiction between the Catholic concepts of dying to self and self esteem. Many think it impossible that both can be true goals at once. When you consider the self to be a soul, however, and pursue soul esteem, then dying to self becomes more apparent as a beneficial path of the spiritual life.

Many people feel that God has not spoken to them or called them in any way. They see God as silent in their lives. Perhaps it is possible they have not put themselves in the right place or the right frame of mind to hear God calling them to their vocation. Take the examples of Samuel and Saint Peter.

So many folks have fallen into the throws of addiction. The worldly doctors tell us sobriety is the answer, when in reality the true cure for addition to anything is total faith, submission and intimacy with God, who fulfills all desires.

Brother Dylan Perry, FSC, is a De La Salle Christian Brother who serves as school principal of the De La Salle Blackfeet School. This is the third episode of a three-part series and concludes with his experiences as principal of a small but effective school located on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Northwest Montana..

Brother Dylan Perry, FSC, is a De La Salle Christian Brother who serves as a school principal on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Northwest Montana. This is the second episode of a three-part series about his experiences and continues with Brother Dylan and his vocational call and discusses the charism and history of the De La Salle Christian Brothers.

Brother Dylan Perry, FSC, is a De La Salle Christian Brother who serves as a school principal on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Northwest Montana. This is the first episode of a three-part series about his experiences and focuses on Brother Dylan and his vocational call.

The Catholic notion of making reparations to God for sin, especially blasphemy, is an ancient and constant teaching of our faith. As we prepare our spiritual houses for Christmas this Advent season, we need to start making amends for our poor and sinful choices.

Many of us have places or rooms within our hearts where no one, not even our Lord, is welcome. Perhaps as we enter the season of Advent, we should learn to forgive and forget so that we can best prepare for the Coming of the Lord at Christmas.

As we prepare for the season of Christmas, a season which for many in the modern culture has become very materialistic, perhaps we should take this time of Advent to look into what the Catholic Church teaches us about the universal destination of goods.