Posted on 10/24/2012 at 22:44:55  |  Reply  |  Report Abuse |  1

I'd like to hear your stories about sacramentals: Rosaries, Crucifixes, Prayer Cards, Medals...holy water, holy oils... even good old worn Bibles. Which sacramentals mean the most to you and why?

Posted on 08/12/2012 at 10:12:37  |  Reply  |  Report Abuse |  1

Someone recently asked me what the impact was on the Church of the fall of the Jewish temple in 70 A.D., and I have to confess I have no idea. I know documents from that time period are few and far between, but does anyone here know about this era? Could you point me to any web sites that are good resources for studying this era?

Posted on 07/29/2012 at 05:05:09  |  Reply  |  Report Abuse |  1

My Second Life discussion group is still going strong - we have discussed many difficult topics, and this week is no different. The topic is "Contraception" and I am in search of up-to-date information. The booklets I have on this and other important life issues is about 10 years old, so I would feel better using something more recent as a source. Any suggestions?

Posted on 06/07/2012 at 15:33:06  |  Reply  |  Report Abuse |  0

Have you heard about it? What is your parish doing in response to the USCCB's requests for prayer, catechesis and action regarding the various legal challenges to religious freedoms today?

Posted on 05/12/2012 at 18:26:40  |  Reply  |  Report Abuse |  0

I am thinking of making a novena of prayers to my patron saint, "The Little Flower", St. Therese of Lisieux. Any advice or suggestions?

I am terribly undisciplined with prayer. Perhaps this will help.

Posted on 04/08/2012 at 02:16:16  |  Reply  |  Report Abuse |  1

Many blessings for you and yours this Easter, and may Spero continue to be a blessing for those who come here seeking truth.

Happy Easter!
Diana

Posted on 03/11/2012 at 20:36:50  |  Reply  |  Report Abuse |  0

I have decided to make this the next topic for my skeptics group.

I'm familiar with the sections of the Catechism on this subject, and I also have the information gathered in the two "Evidence That Demands a Verdict" volumes... plus a parallel of the synoptic Gospels.

Anything else you think I need to be prepared to consider?

Thanks all for your help and prayers - they have really been invaluable!

Posted on 03/09/2012 at 12:40:59  |  Reply  |  Report Abuse |  0

I am in an ongoing one-on-one discussion with a lifelong atheist who is very knowledgeable about the Bible. He asserts that the Tree of Life in the garden is Jesus Himself, and that this is actually a primary plank in Jesus' theology.

Would you agree with this assessment?

Posted on 03/01/2012 at 15:41:52  |  Reply  |  Report Abuse |  0

The next topic chosen by our "skeptics" discussion group is "Christian Atrocities".

I have the option of narrowing the scope of the discussion. Our prior two topics were really too broad for a one-hour discussion, and I'm concerned that this one may be as well.

I'm thinking the best way to approach this topic is to start with this question:

- Is it ever right to do something that would otherwise be viewed as wrong?

Perhaps we can discuss "white lies" (particularly under circumstances where the truth could cause someone pain or harm), "less worse cases" (such as cutting a person open to remove a cancerous tumor), or imprisonment (taking away a guilty person's rights for the protection of innocents).

I'm hoping this will start people off with the mindset of not automatically condemning people responsible for so-called "Christian atrocities", but trying to understand that there are circumstances under which people make choices that are not obviously right or wrong.

It may be tough, though. We have a couple of members who are very reactive and outspoken... "binary thinkers" if you will. You know, everything's black and white... no shades of grey whatsoever.

Anyone have other suggestions for how best to approach this topic?

Posted on 02/22/2012 at 22:27:20  |  Reply  |  Report Abuse |  0

The next topic of discussion for my skeptics discussion group is "Other Faiths". I'm trying to determine how I should approach it, so my question here is, can people be led to Jesus Christ through other faiths?