Eric Sammons, a former Evangelical, entered the Catholic Church in 1993 and has been involved in Catholic evangelization efforts for over two decades. He is the father of seven children and author of six books, including The Old Evangelization: How to Spread the Faith Like Jesus Did. His website "Swimming Upstream" can be found at ericsammons.com and he can be followed on Twitter @EricRSammons.
Author: ericsammons
9 Things We’ve Lost in the Liturgy (Besides Latin)
Recently I’ve been reading The Hobbit to two of my young children. Central to the story is lost treasure: Thorin and his fellow dwarves ask for Bilbo Baggins’ help in reclaiming their trove, which has been captured by the dragon …
Twenty Five Years Later, I Would Still Become Catholic
I recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of my conversion to Catholicism. When I think back to the time of my conversion, I remember that it was a season of much optimism in the Church. Everyone seemed to feel that we …
Accompany the Sinner, or Accommodate the Sin?
A woman asked a friend to take her to the doctor’s office. She had a stressful medical procedure planned, and she needed her friend’s support. Her friend willingly agreed, and accompanied her throughout the process. The woman was happy to …
Jesus, the Divine Physician
Today is the Feast of St. Matthew. The following is excerpted from the book “Who is Jesus Christ? Unlocking the Mystery in the Gospel of Matthew” by 1P5 contributor Eric Sammons. Stories of personal conversion comprise one of the most …
The Silence of God
Holy Saturday is perhaps the most mysterious day in the liturgical calendar. On this day, God is silent; He is in the tomb. The Church is silent as well; no liturgies are celebrated for the day. From the end of …
Normalcy Bias and Papal Positivism
Over the past few years, we’ve all seen articles advising people what to do in an active shooter situation. The advice usually goes, “run, hide, fight.” But many articles point out that the biggest challenge for responding to a crisis …
Meet Amy, the Average Catholic
“So you think I’m a sinner?” I had just finished giving a parish talk to a group of about 40 people on the topic of mercy. In my talk I noted that everyone needs mercy, because we’re all sinners. I …
The New Pharisees: Who Today is Putting up Obstacles to Evangelization?
Internet veterans are familiar with “Godwin’s Law.” Formally stated, the adage proposes that “As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches.” No matter the argument, if it goes on long enough, someone will …
The Ascending Way of Prayer, Part II
This is Part II of a two-part series. Click here for Part I. In the first part of this series, I listed the nine levels of prayer and described the first four, which exist along what is called “the Purgative …
The Ascending Way of Prayer, Part I
This is Part I of a two-part series. Click here for Part II. Years ago I was involved in a Protestant apologetics online forum. Unlike many online forums, this one included many very bright and respectful people who expertly debated …
