Sacraments

March 21, 2015

Eradicating Weeds

Week BookIn the early summer of 1975, one of my cousins decided that he wanted to try his hand at gardening. For the purpose of this article, I’m going to call him “James.” At the time, James and I were both 18 years old. I knew quite a bit about gardening because I had been in charge of taking care of our large family garden for the previous five years.

June 28, 2014

The Secret to a Happy Marriage

Marriage - HappinessLast week at the end of my weekly Adoration Letter article, I asked a question: “So what can Catholic couples do to stay happily married while the world around them is falling apart?”  Before I answer the question, we need to take a look at the Catholic Church’s definition of marriage.

June 21, 2014

Social Media and Marriage

Prenuptial AgreementThere’s a new trend that’s been developing among couples who are getting married. They are signing prenuptial agreements that prohibit their partners from posting nude or embarrassing photos on the Internet. A prenuptial agreement has been traditionally defined as a written contract that is signed by a couple prior to marriage. The agreement provides that in the event of a divorce, the couple will be allowed to retain the property that each of them acquired during the marriage.

May 17, 2014

Planting Seeds of Doubt

seeds-of-doubtEarlier this year while I was at a church-related function, I ran into some relatives — a married couple — who are about 20 years older than I am.  After we talked for short time, a priest (who is in his 60s and a friend of the couple) walked up to us and joined in the conversation.

October 30, 2013

Going Shopping At The Nut House

The Nut HouseThere’s a business on Main Street in downtown Peoria, across the street from the courthouse, called The Nut House.  The inside of the business consists of a tiny storeroom that is lined with glass display cases along three sides.  Inside the display cases are numerous trays and jars that contain different types of candy and nuts.  On top of the display cases and on shelves attached to the walls are decorative jars that are also filled with candy and nuts.  There are at least 200 different items on display that a customer can choose from.

May 30, 2013

School Is Never Out

Cavett Robert (1907-1997), a lawyer and founder of the National Speakers Association, used to say, “School is never out for the professional.”  During the time he was on the national speaking circuit, Cavett sold courses that consisted of workbooks and cassette tapes for people to take home to listen to and study on their own.  He and other well-known speakers emphasized the importance of “spaced repetition,” a learning system that encouraged a person to listen to each cassette a minimum of seven times so the material that was covered would become imbedded in the subconscious mind of the listener.

February 9, 2013

80 Years and Still Counting

John & Ann Betar celebrate their 80th anniversary at St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church

John & Ann Betar celebrate their 80th anniversary at St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church

October 27, 2012

A Scary Spooky Question

Boo!  Halloween Is Right Around The Corner And I Have A Scary, Spooky Question For You: Do you know what your faults are and what are you doing to correct them?

August 11, 2012

An Eternal Contract

In the mid-1980s, I taught a Business Law class at Illinois Central College (ICC).  One of the areas of law that was covered in the class was contract law.  I taught my students that there are four conditions that are necessary in order for a contract (or agreement) to be legally valid and binding.  The four conditions are: