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Catholic Diocese of Little Rock
Understanding Our Church
Explore this treasury of Arkansas writers discussing the Catholic faith on a wide variety of topics. Find what you're looking for by browsing the whole list or search by keyword or author. All articles have been reviewed for theological accuracy. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
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Vatican II’s theological experts continue to shape Church today Charles T. Sullivan The Second Vatican Council, the 21st ecumenical council in the history of the Church, was undoubtedly the most important religious event of the 20th century. |
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God knows us as we are, sin, failure and all, and loves us anyway Deacon John Marschewski In this Sunday’s Scripture (Luke 18:9-14), Jesus takes us to a place familiar to every dedicated Jew. He begins the story, “Two people went up to the temple area to pray, one was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector ...” |
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Missionaries are still needed to plant seeds of the Gospel in new ‘soil’ Father Erik Pohlmeier This week the Church celebrates the memorial of the North American Martyrs. These eight men were the first and only canonized martyrs of the United States and Canada, canonized together by Pope Pius XI in 1930. |
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Science’s evolution explains ‘how, ’while belief in creation tells us ‘why’ Charles T. Sullivan One of the thorniest issues in public education today is the debate between the presumably contradictory theories of evolutionism and creationism. |
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Labor Day chance for workers to be with families as God intended Dr. Linda Webster With Labor Day upon us, summer unofficially ends. Novelists and playwrights often use this modern holiday as literary device, foreshadowing a return to the humdrum and prosaic workdays filling the other three seasons. |
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Happiness is not in security, power or acceptance; it is unity with God Abbot Jerome Kodell, OSB There is a story in the tradition of the Islamic Sufis about a man who lost the key to his house. His neighbor saw him hunting in the grass and when he found out what was wrong asked if he could help search for the key. “I would appreciate that,” he replied. |
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Through baptism all are united in the royal priesthood of Jesus Christ Msgr. Richard Oswald In an address to the clergy of Rome in February 1997, Pope John Paul II said, “To be a true help to young people and to all involved in the mission of the Church, and to live fully our own priesthood, it is essential to always to put Jesus at the center of our efforts. St. |
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Lectio Divina offers in-depth Scripture reflection, meditation Charlotte Miller Sometimes on TV we see the warning: “Do not try this at home.” Such an admonition would never be appropriate for prayer, however; we must “try it” at home, even though we sometimes feel we do not know how to pray. |
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Focus on what you can do for others rather than what you can’t Sister Mary Lou Stubbs, DC “Do not let the things you cannot do interfere with the things you can do.” I received that sage advice from a recent fortune cookie. As with many of the ordinary little things of daily life, it reminded me of a core set of scriptural lessons. |
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Psalms help us go to God as we are, not as we think we should be Judy Hoelzeman My younger brother was born when I was 15 months old. He was hale and hearty, but my mother developed a blood clot after the delivery and almost died. |
