There have been a lot of responses to the viral video this past week that preached on how Jesus hated religion. But this response is the best one yet. It was produced by Spirit Juice Studios and is extremely well done.

I’ll show the original video first to give some context. The original was very well done and now has over 15 million views on Youtube. I’m sure the young man who did it had good intentions and makes some good points we can all agree on, unfortunately, it’s extremely flawed (most especially the entire premise) and deserves clarification since it got so much attention.

The original:

A (very sound and loving) Catholic response:

I pray that it’s seen by many!...READ MORE

I just feel like a lot of Catholics need to hear this. No particular reason why. Really. It’s nothing personal. I mean, I’m sure none of you need to hear this. But seriously. Watch it. Please.

If you were especially touched by this video or convicted by something in it, God bless you. If you are still struggling with the email forwarding lifestyle, there is hope. It’s called social media. Make a Facebook profile. Next time you’re tempted to forward an email to a large sub-section of your contact list, stop yourself. God always gives us the strength and grace to do what is right. We just have to ask for it and accept it.

Post it on Facebook instead. Eventually you can break loose from...READ MORE

Why are so many catholic services these days sub-par? Whether it’s an event or a ministry or some kind of media, catholics are quite used to it being less than what they’d otherwise expect. I hesitate to make such generalizations, but this is generally true.

I’m not trying to take away from the things we do well (there are many). But there are many other things we do very poorly. Some blame this on a lack of money. I blame it on a lack of economy.

By economy I mean: The complex of human activities concerned with the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. And I’m not talking about our American or world economy here. I’m talking about the economy of the Church.

I...READ MORE

That’s right. Christmas still beats porn. But only barely. And probably not for long, unfortunately.

I’m talking about Google search trends (of course).

Porn is one of the most searched for things on the internet, as disgusting as it is. But, according to such search trends, people still love Christmas more than porn…at least for a few days a year. Every year around this time there is a peak where more people are searching for “Christmas” than for “porn.” And this year, though some thought porn would finally reign, Christmas managed to just barely nose out our unquenchable thirst for porn yet again - for a day or so.

The trend, however, is disturbing. Interest in Christmas has been...READ MORE

Who cares if you’re still stuffed from Thanksgiving - time to stuff the pie hole again! Just remember to do so carelessly. Otherwise, it might not be good for your health.

After being trained to always “watch what we eat,” and when most all of us could stand to lose a few pounds, this may sound like careless advice. Well, it is. But it’s just what most of us need.

Being too care-ful about food is what’s made us all obese in the first place. It’s time to care-less. And then eat to our hearts content.

Chesterton had some great insights in regard to drinking that I think apply here perfectly. I took the liberty of modifying his quote to apply to stuffing our faces (read original quote here...READ MORE

I admit, there are a lot of days I wish Zuckerburg would wake up and just hit the delete button on Facebook. In a lot of ways, it would be refreshing. Think of all the extra free time we’d have. Think of how much more present we’d be with those sitting in front of us. Yes, it would be nice to just go back to the good old days, back before we had to make stressful decisions about whether or not our boss was also our “friend.” Or whether or not a cute little honey badger video would offend anybody.

But I think we underestimate the negative fallout from such a catastrophe, too. Watch this video to see what I mean:

I guess there’s no going back to the good old days....READ MORE

Rick Perry’s latest TV ad is getting a lot of attention, but most all of it is negative.

Here’s the ad:

It’s been viewed almost 3 million times in just a few days and 98% of its youtube ratings have been “dislike.” The comments have now been disabled for it, but the post on Rick Perry’s Facebook wall has continued to get thousands of comments (mostly negative). You can view it here.

If you view the conversation there, it’s easy to see why this kind of ad is not helpful. I admire and commend the witness to the importance of faith, but, on the issue of homosexuality, it lacks the nuance the issue deserves and instead uses it as a political tool.

It ends up just being red meat for those...READ MORE

What is your parish doing to prepare for the influx of C&E (Christmas and Easter) Catholics at Christmas Mass this season?

Making more room and bringing in more chairs? Assigning more extraordinary ministers? More greeters and seaters? More hosts and wine? You might need all of those.

But what are you doing to make a special connection with those C&E Catholics (and anyone else who may be visiting)?

Just think. What if you did something that actually started a meaningful relationship with them? What if you did something that allowed you to make a connection and continue your relationship with them between now and when you see them next (next Easter or Christmas ... or maybe never)?

What...READ MORE