Our Guest Columnists Columns
The Georgia Bulletin features guest columns and spiritual reflections from laypeople and clergy from the archdiocesan community.
Our Guest Columnists
“I Have Witnessed The Gift That Priests Are”
BY VICTORIA M. THORNEnglish
A priest is a man, clothed in tenderness, who speaks of God’s mercy, who prophetically pronounces the truth, unpleasant though it might be and who reflects God’s love to a hurting world. Sometimes he is shoring up souls and sometimes he is breaking up concrete. He’s comforting the grieving and challenging the young. He’s soothing […] English
Previous Columns by Our Guest Columnists
Natural Wonders Give Glimpses Of Heaven
I am walking down the brick path as the big clock starts chiming ten times. It is my morning break from my job at the theology library at Emory University, and I am all alone. The air is clear, there are huge trees surrounding the path, and the sky is a crisp shade of blue. […] English
By LORRAINE V. MURRAY, CommentaryPublished: August 20, 2009
The Priest, Throughout Life
Alter Christus … the Priest, another Christ. In his love and wisdom, God did not leave us alone on this earth but gave us the priest. During my pilgrimage here on earth, the priest has accompanied me, helping me to navigate and stay on the path that will lead me to my eternal home. He […] English
By PAULA BROCK, CommentaryPublished: August 6, 2009
Signs Of Grace
The “Catechism of the Catholic Church” describes grace as the “free and undeserved help that God gives us to respond to his call to become children of God.” My husband, Frank, and I have experienced God’s “undeserved help,” as we have wrestled with His plan for our family. We now know it was God’s grace […] English
By JENNIFER RICARD, CommentaryPublished: July 16, 2009
Paul’s Gospel Message Still Reaches Us
Paul had a bold take on the Gospel. He proclaimed that all peoples of the world were invited into a saving covenant relationship with the God of his Jewish ancestors through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He put it quite simply to the Corinthians: “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, […] English
By CLIFFORD M. YEARY, Little Rock Scripture StudyPublished: July 2, 2009
A Bow To Miss Regina
One of the most moving and beautiful passages in the Old Testament Book of Proverbs begins with the question: Who shall describe a valiant woman? Many of the virtues and ensuring accomplishments of such a one are listed and extolled in the answering verses that follow the question; and most of these qualities were to […] English
By SALLY FITZGERALD, Special To The BulletinPublished: May 28, 2009
Paul’s Stature Beyond Letters He Wrote
The author of the Second Letter of Peter had this to say about Paul’s letters: “In them there are some things hard to understand that the ignorant and unstable distort” (2 Peter 3:16b). Many experts on Paul in our day might agree. Paul’s training in Pharisaical Judaism, his personal encounter with the risen Jesus on […] English
By CATHERINE UPCHURCH, Little Rock Scripture StudyPublished: May 14, 2009
Paul Finds God’s Strength In Suffering
Paul preached where he was not welcome and he disputed with doubters in public places. To too many, Paul was a pest. This is the first charge we hear his prosecutor from the Sanhedrin, Tertullis, make against him as he is presented to the Roman Governor Felix for trial (Acts 24:5). This was no small […] English
By CLIFFORD M. YEARY, Little Rock Scripture StudyPublished: May 7, 2009
Paul’s Images Help Shape the Church
When Jesus began his ministry he proclaimed “the kingdom of God is at hand” (Mark 1:15). When Paul began his ministry he preached Jesus Christ, the embodiment of that kingdom. And he preached not to those he identified as disciples, but to those identified as brothers and sisters, the body of Christ, and the temple […] English
By CATHERINE UPCHURCH, Little Rock Scripture StudyPublished: April 30, 2009
The Cross And Joy
God wants you to be happy, even though life is filled with misery. There will always be crosses, and yet we are called to live joyfully. St. Paul helps us to master the Christian faith by understanding the relationship between God’s love for us and the trials we have to endure in this world. He […] English
By FATHER JOHN CATOIR, CommentaryPublished: April 9, 2009
Marriage Should Reflect Christ’s Love
When modern readers engage with Paul’s teachings regarding marriage, three concerns often arise. First, how highly does Paul actually regard marriage? He seems to respect it, but doesn’t he also treat it as an option meant for those in danger of succumbing to their baser passions? Then, there is the matter of the relationship of […] English
By CLIFFORD M. YEARY, Little Rock Scripture StudyPublished: April 9, 2009
The Way Of The Cross
Known as the Via Dolorosa or the Way of the Cross, this Christian devotion chronicles the journey of Jesus Christ to his death on Calvary. It is the ultimate sign of God’s love, the sacrifice of the Lamb of God for the redemption and salvation of humanity. This year The Georgia Bulletin extended an invitation […] English
ByPublished: April 9, 2009
To Love As Jesus Loves
Our authentic self is the sanctuary where God dwells within us. It is here in solitude that we can sense the innermost movement of God and what it means to be “one” with God. Thomas Merton wrote: “The inner self is precisely that self which cannot be tricked or manipulated by anyone, even by the […] English
By TOM REICHERT, CommentaryPublished: April 2, 2009
Spirit Within Allows Us To Live In Christ
When Paul speaks of his experience of God, he most often talks about Jesus the savior or he speaks of the risen Christ who reveals God’s plan for salvation. And yet, Paul’s writings are filled with an appreciation for the Spirit as well. Fundamentally, the Spirit originates in God and in Christ and is an […] English
By CATHERINE UPCHURCH, Little Rock Scripture StudyPublished: April 2, 2009
Paul’s Letters Assure Us of God’s Grace
There is some debate as to whether babies learn to recognize a smiling face very early in life, or are in fact born with the capacity to recognize it as part of their genetic makeup. In either case, a baby’s joy in recognizing a smiling face seems to be an important part of a bonding […] English
By CLIFFORD M. YEARY, Little Rock Scripture StudyPublished: March 26, 2009
Disciples Are Saints Set Apart To Serve
When writing the church in Philippi, Paul offered his thanks, assured the Philippians of their place in his heart and called the believers “partners with me in grace” (Philippians 1:7). Often depicted as a man who was larger than life with an ego to match, Paul readily praised, thanked and shared the spotlight with others […] English
By CATHERINE UPCHURCH, Little Rock Scripture StudyPublished: March 19, 2009
Paul Welcomes All Into Life With Christ
Paul probably never thought of himself as being a convert to Christianity. Paul’s own words tell us he never swerved in his zeal to serve the God of his Jewish forbears. “(God), who from my mother’s womb had set me apart and called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, […] English
By CLIFFORD YEARY, Little Rock Scripture StudyPublished: March 13, 2009
Cross Of Jesus Is Means For Salvation
Quoting the prophet Joel, Paul writes to the Romans, “For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ But how can they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone […] English
By CATHERINE UPCHURCH, Little Rock Scripture StudyCATHERINE UPCHURCH, Little Rock Scripture StudyPublished: March 5, 2009
Saul Becomes An Apostle Of Jesus
Paul, also known as Saul of Tarsus, had been a firebrand of faith long before he became the outspoken apostle to the Gentiles. Based on Luke’s record in Acts and from Paul’s own letters, we know he was a loyal student of Jewish Scripture and tradition. He had trained as a Pharisee under the great […] English
By CLIFFORD YEARY, Little Rock Scripture StudyPublished: February 26, 2009
The Word And The Church
Although it was one of the signature innovations of the Second Vatican Council, the Synod of Bishops rarely receives the rapt attention of the people of the Church. Yet Synods have been the occasions for some of the most important decisions and documents of recent Catholic history. The 1985 Extraordinary Synod, which marked Vatican II’s […] English
By GEORGE WEIGEL, CommentaryPublished: February 12, 2009