In our quest to find out what Jesus meant when he said that we must love God and neighbour, we have to be able to define love. We must also be able to stay away from those “love myths”. There are many definitions of love and many volumes have been written on the subject. If ...read more

The phrase “my friend Jesus” brings up memories of the 70s and playing folk music at Mass. But what can Jesus teach us about friendship? Last week we looked at a very important quality of friendship: Faithfulness. A good friend sticks with you through thick and thin. They may not be able to help you ...read more

Pope Francis greets victims of violence outside the Vatican nunciature in Bogota, Colombia, Sept. 8. (CNS photo/L’Osservatore Romano) Some of the most moving encounters that the Holy Father had in Colombia went mostly under-reported. Some of these took place each evening at the Apostolic Nunciature in Bogotá, where he was staying. At the gathering with ...read more

“I invite all Colombians, without distinction, to joyfully welcome the visit of Pope Francis. He comes to bring us a message of peace, that peace that we are all called to build from hearts open to forgiveness, to reconciliation and solidarity.” These were the words of Cardinal Rubén Salazar, Archbishop of Bogotá, upon the announcement ...read more

Some of you would say that friends stick together; they are loyal. Last week we looked a trust and gossiping and I shared a real handy formula for knowing when to say or not to say something to a friend or about a friend- this is especially helpful in this day and age of social ...read more

Do your friends think? Last time we began looking at some qualities that should be part of a friendship: trust, honesty, fun and time. We also saw that in the Gospel of Matthew (5:22), Jesus speaks about forgiveness as a good quality in friendship. Today we’re going to see how friends think. But first, here’s ...read more

Most of the time, as kids, we don’t have much choice in our friends. But if we did, what would you look for? What friend qualities would you look for? Last week I called friendship a sacramental, because, like all sacramentals (like a Rosary, prayer card of holy medal), it is something that points us ...read more

Friends: We all have them and we all want them. We love them; we want to kill them. I’ve heard that friends are good for us: they make us healthier and they even make us more attractive! Can friends point us to God? Of course, right? But is that what you look for in a ...read more

A month ago, at age 82, my mother died. As much as I know that my mom was a woman of deep faith and belief in Eternal Life, I’m finding it hard. I’m usually OK, until someone asks me how I am. My mom was also a public figure. She was a ballet dancer and ...read more

There aren’t a lot of things that bring Canada together; that make us feel like we are all part of this great country. I mean, do people in Vancouver feel like they are one and the same as people in Charlottetown or St. John’s? Do people in Whitehorse feel a kinship with the people of ...read more