Posts by Arrowood
Why You SHOULD Give Up Chocolate for Lent
Apparently, giving something up for Lent has become lame. The current wisdom is instead of sacrificing something for Lent and making yourself miserable, we should focus on doing something “positive” instead. This article shares a better idea . . .
Read MoreAdvent – Wait . . . What’s Coming?
Welcome to the first week of Advent! Only four more weeks to Christmas! The word “Advent” means “coming.” Everyone knows that Advent is the season of waiting for the coming of Christmas, right? But . . . Wait . . .What’s with these READINGS! The first week of Advent celebrates (pay attention to that word)…
Read MoreChristian Love: Why Selfishness and “Stinking Thinking” Make Us Miserable
Christian love is the key of Catholic spirituality. Our first calling is to love God with our whole hearts, mind and soul and to love our neighbor as ourselves. But it’s too easy to relegate love to a broad, vapid sense of well-being while still remaining selfish and self-centered at heart. My “favorite flavor” of…
Read MoreSpiritual growth in Dei Verbum from Vatican II
What is the Word of God? Dei Verbum, which means “Word of God” in English, is the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation from the Second Ecumenical Vatican Council. It’s funny that most American Catholics are so used to hearing our Protestant brothers and sisters calling the Bible “the Word” that they immediately assume Dei Verbum…
Read MoreSenses and Appetites
In Common with Animals Because we are living physical creatures, we have all of the qualities that animals have. Human beings are defined by the addition of spiritual faculties, which govern and elevate our physical faculties and animal qualities. So, when psychology “discovered” due to Darwinism that we can learn a lot about human behavior…
Read MoreGrowing in the Theological Virtues – Hope and Heaven
Is Your Hope Manly or Wimpy? The theological virtues are infused into our souls at the time of our baptism. In other words, if you are baptized, you have the virtue of hope. Hope is a supernatural virtue, which means that through God’s grace it strengthens our ability to have a relationship with God and…
Read MoreSpiritual Project: Preparing for Your Final Judgment
There are few things that capture the Christian imagination more than the “final judgment.” From “end times” stories like the Left Behind series to near-death experiences, Christians – and many people in general – are fascinated with what happens when the individual soul and the world in general will receive final judgment form our Lord.…
Read MoreCatholic Spirituality
I recently stepped in to teach a high school Catholic spirituality class for a teacher out on leave. This was a time of spiritual discovery for me. My first question for myself is why I’m so miserably bad at growing my own Catholic spirituality. Now don’t get me wrong. I go to Mass at least…
Read More2 Ways a Christian Can Deepen His or Her Faith
Religious faith is an important part of our lives. In fact, more than 80 percent of individuals around the world claim to adhere to some sort of spirituality, religion, or doctrine. Most identify as Christians, and that is certainly the case in the United States. There are approximately 240 million Americans practicing the faith, representing…
Read MoreDaily Bible: Let Us Love One Another
Read Today’s Readings Saint John addresses his second letter (2 John 4-9) to the “chosen Lady.” While there seems to be a bit of debate about whether Saint John was addressing a specific lady (a title used for Roman citizens) or to a local church that he was bishop over. Either way, his message is…
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