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By Fr. Eugene Hemrick Yeshua Institute Fellow There's no better time than Advent for putting our house in order. The house of which we speak is our disposition that is being bombarded by a topsy-turvy world threatening the beauty of the season. Years ago, the Second Vatican Council's Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World identified the threats to society and the common good: "Feelings of hostility, contempt and distrust, as well as racial hatred and unbending ideologies, continue to divide men." Today, violence, character assassination, dishonesty, animosity and combative ...

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[EDITOR'S NOTE: The day and time for our new Advent webinar has changed since this story was first published. Please see the new date and time below.] The Yeshua Institute offers two webinars to help you make the most of Advent. “All About Advent and How You Can Make it Work for You” will be presented live on Tuesday, Dec. 3, at 11 a.m. Central Time. Msgr. Michael Tierney, a retired priest with extensive pastoral and teaching experience, will discuss the history of Advent – how it began and how it developed over the centuries – and also offer a list of practical ways we can celebrate an...

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By Owen Phelps, Ph.D. Director, Yeshua Institute I’ve got no doubt that there are many people in the world – including many people in positional leadership positions – don’t see any connection between the season of Advent and their own development as leaders in their homes, workplaces, communities and parishes. But they’re wrong. Leadership, you see, begins on the inside. It starts in the heart. Unless we get the heart part right nothing else will turn out to be anywhere near as it could, anywhere near where God would like to see us be. Advent is all about developing our hear...

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While Thanksgiving is a U.S. national holiday and Advent is a universal observance for Catholics and many other Christians, for the bulk of our readers the latter observance arrives on the heels of the former – and together they inaugurate a special time of the year. This year Thanksgiving occurs on Nov. 28 and Advent begins on Dec. 1. We hope that the reflection that follows will help you prepare for this very special season and for Christmas. Unfortunately, we don’t have a source for this reflection. * * * A time to remember all who have supported us in our life and to thank God for our paths crossing. ...

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As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, several important dates loom. For your convenience, here’s a quick list: Nov. 28 -- Thanksgiving Dec. 1 – First Sunday in Advent Dec. 2 – Yeshua Institute Webinar, 1 p.m. CST, “All About Advent and How You Can Make it Work for You,” presented by Msgr. Michael Tierney. Register here. Dec. 5 – St. Nicholas Day Dec. 8 – Second Sunday in Advent. Usually the Feast of the Immaculate Conception is observed on Dec. 8; however, when it falls on a Sunday, the observance is moved to the next day, a Monday. Dec. 9 – observance ...

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Lolly Daskal, author of The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness, offers 12 phrases to help anyone resolve any conflict. I sense that you’re feeling emotional about this topic. Is that right? Let’s take a breather before we think this through. Thank you for your candor—I appreciate your feedback. I recognize your efforts and hard work. Let’s work on this problem and fix it together.   Tell me more—I want to understand. Let’s see what we can do to make sure it doesn’t happen again. What can we do to change the situation? Yes, you’...

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By Dave Coe Certified Facilitator As a former aircraft carrier sailor aboard the USS Forrestal, CVA 59 from 1964 to 1968 -- including a tour of duty off the Coast of North Vietnam in the so called Gulf of Tonkin “Yacht Club” -- l am honored to share this “Cup of Encouragement” for Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2019. This true story, I believe, exemplifies what the scripture in the Gospel of Matthew (22:37-39) means when it is applied. I believe that’s the case not just because I am an ex-aircraft carrier sailor, but because I believe it also exemplifies the S3 Servant Leadership quality o...

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By Owen Phelps, Ph.D. Director, Yeshua Institute It’s time for a confession. When I wrote The Catholic Vision for Leading Like Jesus back in 2009, I didn’t develop the theme of Steward Leadership as much as I would have liked to. Over the years, I jotted down notes to do more with it here in The Catholic Leader and on our website, but like so many things on my innumerable “To Do” lists, I have never gotten around to it. Now I’m glad I didn’t. Because Pope Francis has done it for me. And better than I ever could. You’ll find his thinking on the call to – the ...

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By Owen Phelps, Ph.D. Director, Yeshua Institute It’s safe to say that Servant Leadership has taken the world – or at least very large parts of it – by storm. Businesses, government agencies and non-profit organizations have been jumping on the bandwagon since Robert Greenleaf first coined the phrase – and described the phenomenon – in an essay back in 1970. His seminal book, Servant Leadership, followed in 1976. This approach to effective leadership took on an explicit and distinctly Christian flavor when Ken Blanchard, co-author of The One Minute Manager and 50 other books, an...

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By Owen Phelps, Ph.D. Director, Yeshua Institute Have you ever noticed how people who fail spectacularly are more often brought down by their gifts than by their shortcomings? It’s true. When you’re in school, you’re plagued by the things that come hardest to you. But once you’re out in the “real world,” it’s your strengths that can actually trip you up. The problem is that once we can put our weakest links off to the side and concentrate on what we know and do best, we can forget that we live in a complex support system and can begin to attribute our success solely to ...

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