Dwight Longenecker's Blog, page 48

Epiphany Homily

My Sunday homilies from Our Lady of the Rosary Church are now available as podcasts online for you to download listen and share. Go here for Sunday’s homily for the Feast of the Epiphany which explains who the wise men were historically and reminds us of the gifts they (and we) bring to the Christ [Read More...]

Flagging and Flabby? Get Spiritually Fit

Here is my latest article for Aleteia which encourages us to get spiritually fit in the new year. After the holiday feasting I’m ready to sign up at the gym. Crammed with Christmas cake and candy, and stuffed like the turkey, I am, like my waistband, overflowing with good intentions and new year resolve. I’d [Read More...]

Change? That Means Pain

My latest blog post for National Catholic Register looks at the pains that are necessary for real and lasting change to take place. Many of us are trapped in a cycle of lust and shame. We’re trapped in a downward spiral of a dead end job, a loveless marriage or an inner dynamic of rage, [Read More...]

The Theological Theory of Indiana Jones

My article this week at The Imaginative Conservative website explicates the hidden meaning of the Indiana Jones films…. ….or does it? Is it possible that the popular Indiana Jones trilogy is a cleverly structured, well thought-out, theologically astute analogy of the Christian spiritual quest? I do not suggest that it is an allegory, and I [Read More...]

A New Year and A New Start for Humanity

My article on Mary Mother of God and New Year’s Day is here at the National Catholic Register Did you know that, for centuries, Christians celebrated the new year on March 25 — not Jan. 1? March 25 is the feast of the Annunciation, and the new year was celebrated on that day because the [Read More...]

Hey Punk. Look New Year in the Eye

I am not really what they call a party animal and have never understood the human need to celebrate a calendar date. The turn of the New Year, however, does cause me to pause. I want to give the New Year one of those squinty eyed, cheroot chomping, Clint Eastwood type silent stare downs. I [Read More...]

What’s It Like Being a Married Catholic Priest?

I don’t often mention my wife and family on this blog because the blog is public and I have a private side. However, people do often ask what it is like being married to a priest. I think I can answer for Mrs Longenecker and my family. These are the main questions and answers: Q [Read More...]

Hypocrites and Heretics: Welcome to the Catholic Church!

One of the things that troubles me as a pastor and as a man trying to be a disciple of Jesus Christ is the hypocrisy and heresy in the Catholic Church. I should be more precise. What troubles me are the heretics and hypocrites in the Catholic Church. A heretic is someone whose Catholic belief [Read More...]

Why I Converted to the Catholic Faith

I was brought up in a Protestant fundamentalist home. We saw all the different denominations, but we considered them all to be man made institutions. None of them were God-given, so you just chose the one that was best for you. It is commonplace within Protestant circles to believe that the early church was similar [Read More...]

Archbishop Martyrs: Becket and Romero

Last summer during our pilgrimage to England we visited Canterbury. Saying Mass in the crypt of the cathedral was an amazing experience, then spending time in prayer at the site of the martyrdom of St Thomas a Becket (memorial today) was very moving. What made the visit to Canterbury even more astounding was our visit [Read More...]