Fr. Harry Winter
The Five Ways
Five Ways Blog – Most Recent Post
- Five Ways – June 26
June 30, 2026
1. Joy of Children: After a little boy attended his first wedding, his cousin asked him, “How many women can a man marry?” “Sixteen,” the boy replied. “How do you know that?” his cousin asked. “Easy,” the boy replied. “All you have to do is add it up, like the pastor said, four better, four worse, four richer, and four poorer” (from the Joyful Noiseletter, “In the Marry Month of June”).
2. The Fourth of July, 250 Years of Independence. As we approach July 4th this year, we remember that of the 96 signers of the Declaration of Independence, only one was a Catholic, Charles Carroll of MD. But all the others belonged to various Protestant denominations, a rate significantly higher than in the colonies at that time. Charles Carroll’s cousin John became the first bishop in the Catholic Church in the new republic, at a time when Catholics were persecuted in some of the states.In the 250 years since, we have had two Catholic presidents, and Catholics have become the largest denomination in Congress. When Pope St. John Paul II addressed Congress in Oct. 1995, he said “At the end of your national anthem, one finds these words ‘Then conquer we must, when our cause is just And this be our motto ‘In God is our trust!’ America: may your trust always be in God and none other.”
3. Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus: on June 11, our bishops consecrated the USA to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. They listened to Archbishop Shelton Fabre explain that bishops are called to “ensure that our words and choices make visible our life giving incorporation into Jesus Christ, a lived participation in Christ, that binds us to each other in unfeigned love. The people entrusted to our care long to encounter the Sacred Heart of Jesus in us, their shepherds.” Since each of us shares in the shepherding of our bishops, may we continually remember this consecration of our country and each citizen to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Many thanks to those who responded to the May 27 Five Ways e-letter. The website Mission-Unity-Dialogue http://www.harrywinter.org is continually being improved. Click on the home page icon at the top for much more.
In the love of the Sacred Heart,
Father Harry Winter, O.M.I.
Recent Five-Ways posts from Fr. Harry
Introduction to the Five Ways
You can learn more about the Five Ways here.
There are five ways to live the Christian life. But all five have rarely flourished simultaneously. Usually, one or two dominate. During the last half of the twentieth century, in every denomination, all five competed in the average parish, congregation, and religious order. Only once or twice has this happened in the two-thousand-year history of Christianity. And then, instead of mutual support, the competition brought conflict and division. Yet all five can claim a basis in the New Testament.
Catholic Christians (and they exist in every denomination) are baptized as infants, love the sacraments, and are suspicious of emotion. Evangelical/Charismatic Christians search for a born-again experience, or baptism in the Spirit, as adults. They welcome emotion, long sermons, and witnessing and are uneasy with structures such as sacraments. Reformed (neo-orthodox) Vatican Il Christians recognize the necessity of change and renewal and frequently mediate between those Christians who practically worship change (Liberals) and those who view any change as betrayal (Fundamentalists).
- Five Ways – June 26June 30, 2026 1. Joy of Children: After a little boy attended his first wedding, his cousin asked him, “How many women can a man marry?” “Sixteen,” the boy replied. “How do you know that?” his cousin asked. “Easy,” the boy replied. “All you…
- Five Ways – May 26May 27, 2026 1. Joy from Children (and Parents): The little league baseball coach had to have this conversation with one of his young players. “Do you understand what cooperation is? Do you understand what a team is?” The little boy nodded. “Do you…
- Five Ways – Apr 26April 15, 2026 1. Easter Joy reflected in definitions by children. 1. An unbreakable toy is useful for breaking other toys. 2. If at first you DO succeed, try not to look astonished. 3. Diplomacy: the art of letting someone have your way. (All…
- Five Ways – Mar 26March 26, 2026 The three dioceses of the Personal Ordinariate cover the US and Canada; England and Wales, Scotland; and Australia and Japan. So there are former priests of the Episcopal-Anglican Church scattered all over the world who can use this worship language, more…
- Five Ways – Feb 26February 19, 2026 Christians bridge division during 2026 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity In His love, Father Harry Winter, O.M.I.
- Five Ways – Jan 26January 21, 2026 1. Children’s joy: When my grandson asked me how old I was, I teasingly replied, “I’m not sure.” He answered, “Look in your underwear, Grandpa. Mine says I’m 4 to 6.” (WOW! I really like this one–it says I’m only 38!). …