Written On Our Hearts

January is Respect Life Month in the Catholic Church; this is due in large part to the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade that legalized on-demand abortion in the United States. That decision made by the Supreme Court on January 22, 1973 declared war on innocent humans in the most vulnerable stages of our development. It’s hard to believe that for the past forty-four years the sanctuary of the womb has become a warzone. The ongoing conflict between the pro-life and abortion rights movement has been fought on many different battlefields; legislative, economic, social, cultural and religious. These are important battlefronts for us to remain engaged, but most importantly we must capture the heart to transform our society from a culture of death into a culture of life. Sometimes pro-life supporters and advocates (including myself) forget that those in the abortion rights movement have a heart and that we can appeal to it. Often we talk to and about our opponents as heartless monsters. I’m not ...

“In Him was life and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” ~ John 1:4-5 Each hour of sunlight is precious in December and as the days get shorter we seem to treasure those hours we are able to walk in the light. We eagerly await the advent of the longer days that begin after the winter solstice. It is during these darkest days on the calendar that we celebrate the solemn arrival of the Lord’s incarnation. Simply, a cold winter night provides the perfect backdrop for the arrival of the Light of the World. Nightfall in Bethlehem will be the canvas in which Christ paints the light of His love upon a world clothed in darkness. Soon, the King of Kings will hold court in a manger, clothed in rags surrounded by shepherds and wise men; His arrival like the dawn of a new day is filled with a fresh hope. The imminent messiah’s arrival brings hope to us and generation after generation of God’s chosen people but what amounts...

During the Advent season there are many people, events, causes and activities that demand our attention. Amidst the many distractions, we mostly spend our time and money this season in a worthwhile way. We tolerate the long lines, big crowds and an abundance of junk email in an effort to find something special that demonstrates our affection and love to those closest to us. Many of us also seek out ways brighten and warm the hearts of the poor, hungry and lonely as the days grow darker and colder by donating our time and resources to bring souls in need joy. Although our schedules become increasingly hectic, we are in some ways living with more purpose and direction as we prepare to welcome friends and family into our homes and show our love. Throughout this time of preparation, we grow both in joy and grace as we anticipate the coming celebrations and gatherings. While it is very important to enjoy these special moments with family, friends and serve the poor, they should not be ...

“Jim Snyder, You Did It. You’re An Ironman Jim” are the words that rang out over the PA system amidst the cheers from our family and his friends as my 6 foot 2 inch “little brother” crossed the finish line of the Ironman competition at the base of Capitol Square in Madison, Wisconsin a few weeks ago. He finished a triathlon that consists of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride and a 26.2 mile run. That is 140.6 miles, for those of you keeping score at home. He accomplished this test of both skill and will in just under 15 hours. Let me say that again 140.6 miles in less than 15 hours. Incredible. Unbelievable. Amazing. Simply, there aren’t enough adjectives in the English language to describe watching someone you love complete this triathlon, but I’m sure if my little brother had a pen right now he could add a few more adjectives to the list. In my opinion this is the most physically and mentally demanding sporting event in which one can participate. After a “leisurely” 2.4 mile ...

As I write this article I'm on a plane headed for the Jersey Shore. I'm 30,000 feet above sea level, soon hoping to be swimming in the sea. But as I cruise at 450 miles an hour toward the shore I've been thinking...where has my summer gone? In April, I made a resolution, I'm going it slow down relax and enjoy the summer. There are less than 8 weeks left to the summer and haven't really slowed down or taken a deep breath. Sure, I've taken a number of lakeside walks and gone on a few weekend trips, but I really haven't slowed down and enjoyed God's creation. I get wrapped up thinking about and planning all the fun things I am going to do then when the time comes to enjoy them, I'm thinking about what's next. In some respects, I feel like I've been bouncing from Ice Cream Cone to Ice Cream Cone this summer. As much as I like my double scoop of Chocolate Peanut Butter, the sugar highs just don't cut it. I'm in need of something more prof...

It was a warm summer day, before cell phones took over the universe, and my little brother and I were playing a game of home run derby in the backyard of our childhood home in Malvern, PA. I was about 13 years old, he was about 10. He was an athlete (and still is an athlete), I...well I just wandered around on little league fields (I’ve stopped wandering around...well at least on baseball diamonds). But this day there weren’t any scoreboards...or umpires just two brothers having fun pitching tennis balls at a cut off hockey stick trying to hit them into our neighbors pool (over the years we tried to hit lots of items in their pool...but I’ll save the story of “Pete Sampras mad at his neighbors” for another occasion). Home run derby was our favorite summer game - we played it often and we had a dirt spot in my father’s otherwise pristinely manicured lawn to prove it. We would always stand in the same place to hit baseballs. We played it so often that we wore out the grass down to t...

In late March, one of my favorite TV shows, “How I Met Your Mother”, wrapped up it’s 9 year run on CBS. The series finale, like most things of this world, came to an end, albeit with much fanfare and debate by it’s devoted fan base about how Ted Mosby finally met his true love under a yellow umbrella. Debating how the writers concluded the show is not my focus, nor will you find my opinion about it here; like most things of this world it is inconsequential. But as I watched the final episodes I found myself rewinding and replaying the following line, by protagonist Ted Mosby, from the second to last episode entitled “The End of the Aisle”. “Love doesn’t make sense. You can’t logic your way into or out of it. Love is totally nonsensical but we have to keep doing it or else we’re lost and love is dead and humanity should just pack it in… Because love is the best thing we do.” This quote from the show contains much truth. It reminds us that the perfect love of God runs deeper...