Articles

Music As An Expression Of The Divine

By Tom Scotus / November 19, 2014

Music can deeply affect us emotionally and spiritually. It is an art form. Yet, it is very orderly and even mathematical. When I hit a bad chord on my guitar, I know it’s bad. It simply doesn’t sound right, and there is something innate in me that tells me so. In that sense, we didn’t invent music.

Read More

The Pharisee In All Of Us

By Tom Scotus / November 5, 2014

I once dated a woman named Stella. She would often arrive late for our dates. When I’d complain, she’d say, “You’ve got a problem. People can’t always be on time. I’ve got a good reason for being late.” So I decided to conduct an experiment.

Read More

Are You A Sex Addict?

By Tom Scotus / October 16, 2014
Only a small percentage of the population would consider themselves to be sex addicts. However, porn now generates billions of dollars in annual sales and about a third of all internet traffic is porn related.
Read More

RCIA: What It Is. What It Does.

By Saint Gabriels Newsroom / October 11, 2014

RCIA is the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. It is the process by which the unbaptized adult may enter the Church.

Read More

Breaking Self-Defeating Behaviour Patterns

By Tom Scotus / October 2, 2014

Two hunters shoot a large moose. They phone for air transport. The pilot lands on the small lake. “We need you to haul us, our gear and this moose back to camp,” Max the hunter tells the pilot.

Read More

Rules, Structure and Predictability.

By Saint Gabriels Newsroom / September 22, 2014

I am heading up the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults for our chapel parish again this year.  It is not exactly like “falling off a log” as I’d hoped.

Read More

Are You Knowledgeable Or Ignorant?

By Tom Scotus / September 19, 2014

When I was 19, I thought I knew everything. Now, I often feel that I know nothing. That’s probably a good thing because, as Socrates said, “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.”

Read More

Dogma, Doctrine and Messing Up

By Saint Gabriels Newsroom / September 17, 2014

I was recently told that dogma creates trouble; people just need to be nice to each other, we don’t need dogma. The person who told me this was not Catholic, but I’m not sure it makes a difference in what the statement meant. I can’t speak for other beliefs, but the Catholic Church rarely defines…

Read More

Sin Kills Them Softly

By Tom Scotus / September 5, 2014

I was intrigued by a movie I recently watched called Killing Them Softly. The film really didn’t have that much going for it; however, I think it was a fascinating portrayal of the effects of sin on the human soul.

Read More

Who Are You “Behind Closed Doors”?

By Tom Scotus / August 22, 2014

Hank was my closest friend in high school. I was 17 when I met him. He was 24. Hank had spent a few years in the army and then decided to complete his high school education.

Read More