Why Abstain?
Over the past few weeks I’ve been wrestling with the realization that I no longer appreciate feasts. I became poignantly aware of this last Christmas. It was not that I wasn’t enjoying the day, but rather that it felt no…
A Lent of Change
From my window I can see the waters of Lake Ontario extending off into the horizon. Looking out, there is no proof that there is an opposite shore looking back at me. Ash Wednesday is kind of like that. We are…
Benedict’s Inspiring Humility
Needless to say, we were all surprised by Pope Benedict’s announcement of his resignation. While certainly not unheard of and not impossible, the departure of Pope Benedict XVI from the See of Rome stuns us, for we are accustomed to…
World Day of the Sick
A regular columnist wrote on Saturday that turning 65 is not the same as turning 60. 65 is not the new 55: it is 65, and boomers better get used to it. 65 means old age, cheaper movies and transit…
The Living with Christ Survey
We asked for your opinion and we got it in spades! Recently we sent a survey to readers of Living with Christ seeking information to help us get a clearer picture of who our readers are and how you respond…
Unsung Heroes
Today we mark the World Day for Consecrated Life—and well we should. Throughout history and in many countries around the world, religious communities have been the channel of the Church’s message of love and faith. In Canada, we suffer from…
Schools
January was cruel for Toronto public schools, teachers, students and parents. Putting aside the resignation of the Director for alleged plagiarism, everyone has suffered from the lack of leadership displayed by most of the adults in this sorry tale. Parents…
St. Thomas Aquinas
As a young university student, I learned a prayer that continues to speak deeply to me to this day: “Grant, O Merciful God, That I may ardently desire, Truthfully acknowledge, And perfectly accomplish, What is pleasing to Thee, For the…
Conversion of Saint Paul: Encountering Christ in Everyday Life
Today’s commemoration of the conversion of St. Paul on the road to Damascus has entered the public imagination in ways that go beyond Church circles or even Christianity. We often refer to our own “Damascus” experience to describe our own…
What so Ordinary About Ordinary Time?
For most of us, the feast days that celebrate our type of faith should be the Sundays of Ordinary Time. While the ordering or numbering of Sundays gives the name to Ordinary Time, as a faithful ordinary Catholic this time between Christmas…