Ordinary Old Catholic Me

Wake Up Catholics!

Amid the dilution of the faith, it is of great solace to hear a priest from Nigeria remind us of the blessings we have and the struggles in his home country. His homily to raise funds to assist Nigerian Catholics was also a bit of a wake up call for us.

Whither Goes the Synod: Will Somebody Help Me?

Last week, a working document was published apropos the Synod on Synodality. 
When asked about a section related to those who feel unwelcome, the divorced and civilly remarried, the polygamous and the gay community, someone asked Cardinal Hollerich about how these concerns played into the teachings of the Church. I was listening to another podcase presenting his answer, and that answer floored me. My concerns aren't original, but they are very real. And what will be the answer? And why do we need an answer?

This N That

Things come to mind during the week. Three of them this time. Thoughts about the Sacred Heart and how we receive the Eucharist. Thoughts about Hell. Thoughts about my lack of radical trust. 

Focus on Him: The Feast of Corpus Christi

We are living in deeply troubling times. While it might be no worse than say in the time of Pope Urban IV, where relativism reigned, there was moral corruption and a lack of faith, sometimes it feels so. Thank God we are reviving Eucharistic Adoration as part of the Eucharistic Revival. Oh, Lord, give us hope. Help us to focus on You!

What Will Open Our Catholic Hearts

How a bad mood got me thinking about what it will take to open our Catholic Hearts to a true recognition of the indispensability of the Sacraments, especially of the Eucharist. 

Thoughts On Just How Little I Know

I have begun to immerse myself in the riches of the Catholic Faith and her teachings. And the journey (the Journey of the Hero of a Thousand Faces) has revealed to me the dearth of knowledge I have had, despite calling myself a life long Catholic. Thoughts on that on Ordinary Old Catholic Me. 

We ARE Seeing the Chaos

So many of the episodes of this podcast are inspired by things that I observe and read in the course of my week. I find myself responding audibly without anyone else being present, and then I remember:  I can talk about this on the podcast! And so here I am talking about a late diarist, Edward Robb Ellis, and one of his entries and how I see it as, you know, an ordinary Catholic.

When We Meet Again

A good friend is no longer with us and I just need to talk about it in Ordinary Old Catholic Me. 

Getting a Handle on Anger, I Pray

If I cannot maintain calm in simple challenges, without anger, the how will I be able to do so when the big challenges come? Reflecting on a week's worth of the small and considering where, to whom, I must go for help. Her initials are BVM. 

Suffering: When Theology and Reality Clash

I suppose not for the first, or the last, time, I'm thinking about suffering. It's always been around me, and you, but sometimes, it presses closer to the people you love, which causes pain and a sense of powerlessness, and then to yourself, which can make you forget that suffering is the road to sanctity. It seems counterintuitive, but there it is. I have to hold fast. We have to hold fast. Christ joined us in our suffering to transform it. A paradox that only constant immersion in the faith can reveal and demonstrate. It ain't easy, is it?