Before my assignment at Relevant Radio, I did youth ministry – broadly speaking – for thirty-three years. Among other things, I served as Chaplain of Embers Elementary School in the Chicago area; and one day, speaking to second graders about just how wonderful heaven will be – the joy, the wonder, Jesus, Mary and Joseph,...

There are just two days left in our Novena for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Every day I have been sending you these brief articles on these themes because the more you know about your Faith, the more you will love it, and the more likely you will be to practice it. Every day we have...Continue reading→

If you thought death and taxes were unpleasant topics, just try thinking about hell. Is hell for real? Yes, it is, because Jesus told us about it many times in the New Testament. Who is in hell? The souls of the damned, that is, Lucifer and his minions. Other than that, we don’t know for...Continue reading→

When we die we will be immediately judged by Jesus. If we are in the state of grace, we go to heaven, perhaps spending some time in purgatory first. If we have unrepented mortal sin on our soul, we have already made our choice to flee from God’s love and will spend eternity in Hell....Continue reading→

Death is an unpleasant topic. So are taxes. Both are inevitable, so we better be prepared. Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell are known as the four Last Things. In Theology, the study of the four Last Things is a course called “Eschatology,” an English derivation of the Greek word that means the “study of the last things.” Jesus Christ’s...Continue reading→

This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine! We all know the tune of this more than one-hundred-year-old children’s song. And you probably know the scripture its lyrics are based on. Matthew 5:14-16 says: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they...Continue reading→

Did you know that you can gain a plenary indulgence for the souls in purgatory if you visit a cemetery during the “Octave” of All Saints Day? That’s right. Let me explain. First, what’s an “octave”? An ‘octave’ is a one-week celebration of a feast day in the Church. We have ‘octaves’ for Christmas, Easter, and...Continue reading→

Today’s feast, “The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed” or “All Souls’ Day,” is so important that when it falls on a Sunday it takes the place of that Sunday’s prayers and readings. The Church clearly does not want us to forget those who have died and may need our prayerful help.  Though we are...Continue reading→

If someone about to have surgery asked you to pray for them, would you?  Or would you say to them: “Why are you asking me to pray for you?  You can go directly to God.  You don’t need me to help you, just ask God for help.” Of course you would never say that to...Continue reading→

On Morning Air, Ashley Noronha joined Glen Lewerenz to discuss how Pope Leo’s teaching calls every Christian to engage others with openness of heart and firmness of faith. At his Wednesday General Audience on October 29, Pope Leo XIV reflected on the theme of interreligious dialogue, drawing from the encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan...Continue reading→