The Official Newspaper of the Diocese of Little Rock
Our culture is filled with messages and ideologies competing for our attention. As Christians, we have the opportunity and responsibility to discern what is of true and lasting value. This series of 10 monthly articles explores some of what the Bible has to say to shape our attitudes and our way of being in the world.
Catherine Upchurch, general editor of the Little Rock Catholic Study Bible and contributor to several biblical publications, writes from Fort Smith.
Over the years, I’ve been in several Bible study groups and other faith-sharing groups. One of the temptations I’ve noticed is that we can be hesitant to welcome newcomers or consider splitting a group that is too large to be effective. We value the relationships that have formed and the trust that has developed in the group, and rightfully so. It is rare in our world to experience the intimate kind of sharing that can More... 
Good engineers know the value of a counterbalance. Whether for a seesaw, elevator or a forklift, the design has to allow for weights to balance one another. Without that balance, a child will go flying off the seat of the seesaw, an elevator will plummet and a forklift will tip over on itself. We are designed with a need for a counterbalance as well. We cannot simply be busy doing the work of the kingdom More...
Every year around this time, social media outlets are flooded with photos of students (and even teachers and professors) posing to mark the first day of a new school year. Most of these pictures show eager faces, even when schooling is at home or a mix of at-home and in-person learning. Hopefully, backpacks are brimming with needed school supplies or are awaiting kids at school. All this is a way of saying, “We’re ready. Bring More...
The gospel spiritual, “Go Down, Moses” begins, “When Israel was in Egypt’s land, let my people go. Oppressed so hard they could not stand, let my people go.”
That spiritual and countless others testify to the conviction that our God hears the cry of the poor and the oppressed and does not sit idly by.
We are told in Exodus 3:7-10 that God witnesses the affliction of the slaves, hears their cries, knows well what they suffer More...
Have you noticed how frequently the Scriptures announce tidings of peace? How frequently a biblical letter or a visit ends with a blessing of peace? It occurs so often in both the Old and New Testaments that we might miss its very presence and its importance for shaping our attitudes and dispositions as disciples.
The ancient Israelites understood peace as a gift of God, manifest in the abundance of nature and in crops to be cultivated, More...
Anyone who has been around children knows how persistent they can be — asking “why” until they receive a satisfactory answer, insisting on just one more story before bedtime and asking for their favorite snack until we give in. We can teach a child to persist when tasks are challenging and praise them for the perseverance they exhibit in learning a new skill.
Persistence is a valuable asset for disciples of Jesus as well, not simply More...
In our era it is quite common to hear conversations about multi-tasking. We sometimes wear it as a badge of honor that we are able to juggle multiple projects or tasks at home or at work. We regularly catch ourselves watching television and simultaneously catching up with social media on our phones or other devices.
Occasionally this ability to do many things at once is necessary, but sometimes it is simply a reaction to perceived pressure. More...
In the popular television show “Frasier,” now seen only in reruns and streaming, a therapist moves from Boston to Seattle and becomes a radio personality. His clients/patients call in to the show for advice on all manner of things. Frasier begins each call with the soothing sound of “I’m listening,” except that many times he decidedly is not. He’s distracted by his own issues, or mentally planning a date night or bantering with his show’s More...
The first time I ever met with a spiritual director, she posed a two-part question: In what circumstances do you most often find yourself aware of God’s presence? Or, even aware of your need for God’s presence? I’ve discovered that spirituality, living in a way that is tuned to God’s spirit, is very much connected to an attitude and a disposition of awareness or attentiveness.
Consider the story of Jacob in Genesis 27?28. On the run More...
On a recent visit to my niece’s home, her 2-year-old son became fussy and disgruntled. After several attempts to calm him down, my niece looked him straight in his eyes and said very calmly, “Thomas, I think it’s time you go to your room and adjust your attitude. You can come back and play when you find a new attitude.” He wasn’t happy about it, but he went straight to his room and in just More...
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