Archives for September 2012

God’s Love: Reason for Hope

His love for man will never rest until he has raised our earthbound nature from glory to glory, and made it one with his own in heaven.- From a sermon by St. Andrew of Crete, pg. … [Read more...]

“You Can Always Give Them Kindness”

My Favorite Priest

Fr. Robert C. Cieslinski was a priest in the mold of St. John Vianney ... He was self-effacing and humble, but realistic. “It is unusual to see so many people at the funeral Mass of a diocesan priest, especially one of his age.”  So r … [Read more...]

Some Comments on the 2012 Democratic National Platform

The Obama administration has been pursuing a policy that in my opinion, and that of others, amounts to a type of persecution of Catholicism: forcing Catholic institutions to pay for, what from their perspective, are immoral insurance … [Read more...]

Homilies for October 2012

For Sunday Liturgies and Feasts Homilies for October 2012 Christ Consolator by Carl Bloch Spousal Love Purpose: God gave the human race the sacrament of matrimony, “as the one blessing that was not forfeited by original sin or washed a … [Read more...]

Avoiding Cooperation with Evil: Keeping Your Nose Clean in a Dirty World

The most important distinction, when it comes to evaluating cooperation in evil, is the distinction between formal and material cooperation—formal cooperation being always wrong, while material cooperation might be wrong if a person does no … [Read more...]

The New Evangelization: Quo Vadis?

More and more, Catholics are shying away from using terms like "proselytizing," "conversion," and even "Catholic" in their ecumenical and inter-religious efforts, almost as if they were ashamed of the Gospel, or afraid of appearing as a … [Read more...]

E Pluribus Unum: The Church’s Role

Where is that Church where “there does not exist among you Jew or Greek, slave or freeman, male or female. All are one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).  Where are those churches where the congregations are not divided by ethnicity or lang … [Read more...]

Spousal Love in Conjugal Spirituality

Spousal union is sacramental because it makes visible the invisible reality of God’s spousal love for his people.  Our Catholic faith is lived through an array of spiritual traditions. While each observes the same theological truths, the … [Read more...]

Thank you, Fr. Berg!

Hello, Thank you for the article entitled "What is Moral Conscience?" (January 2012), written by Fr. Thomas Berg, Ph.D.  I have read it a few times, at least, and continue to review it to understand a difficult topic, which I have needed to … [Read more...]

Full and Active Participation: The Challenge of “Porta Fidei” and the Promise of Right Brain

To effectively promote Pope Benedict's effort, the Year of Faith, with its associated catechetical programs, a new marketing approach needs to be crafted putting joy before the law ... leading with the contagious love of Jesus Christ, d … [Read more...]

The Value of Philosophy

True philosophy throws light on all other forms of knowledge, revealing their relation to each other...with philosophy underpinning them all. Especially does it help in the study of sacred theology, the supreme science based on God’s s … [Read more...]

The Theology of St. Paul

St. Paul is the most important theologian in the history of the Church ... since St. Paul first gave expression to many truths that are the basis of the Creed and the Catechism of the Catholic Church.   St. Paul's conversion and … [Read more...]

Questions Answered

Justification by faith alone? Any guidelines on the nature and practice of spiritual direction within confession?    Pictured above: Martin Luther, St. Paul, and Pelagius, the heretic. Justification by Faith Alone Revisited Answer:   R … [Read more...]