Archives for October 2014

Homilies for November 2014

Homilies for Sunday Liturgies and Holy Days, November 2014

Solemnity of All Saints (Not a Holy Day of Obligation)—November 1, 2014   The Hidden Path to Beatitude Purpose: The Beatitudes are principles which Christ gave us in order to encourage us to aspire to true happiness. True happiness … [Read more...]

May We Donate Our Organs?

It is likely that most Catholics consider the question of the morality of organ donation to be a settled matter, and to view it as a noble and generous gesture on the part of donors. After all, the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) … [Read more...]

What Every Chancery Needs to Consider

Six Reasons Why Some Chanceries Work Better than Others

While every chancery is unique, some clearly function better than others. There are, in fact, six common, key differentiators (listed below) which separate the highest functioning chanceries from those that are simply well functioning. I … [Read more...]

Scriptural Iconography Communicating Our Vision of God

Literature, whether in the form of narratives, plays, autobiographies, biographies, or histories, is a question-raising work of art for the inquisitive mind seeking understanding. As such, it presents what scholastic philosophy called “the s … [Read more...]

True, Virginal Wife of Joseph

Recently, a holy, married couple made the following claim regarding the central place of sexual intercourse in sacramental marriage, expressed as a personal insight, gained over the course of more than 50 years of sacramental … [Read more...]

Private Revelation and the Revelations of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

The Nature of Private Revelation When thinking about the idea of private revelation, it occurs to one that there is, and has been, a lot of it going around for centuries; and the reason that it is so successful, both the true and the … [Read more...]

Fall Reading for October 2014

History of the Catholic Church: From the Apostolic Age to the Third Millennium. James F. Hitchcock (Ignatius Press: San Francisco, 2012) 584 pages. (Reviewed by Fr. Brian Van Hove, SJ) The Word Made Love: The Dialogical Theology of … [Read more...]

Holiness and Helmets

A monthly editorial will always lag a bit behind current affairs, especially these days, when most of us no longer get our headlines once a day from a morning newspaper, but off the internet every couple of minutes. Yet, these past few … [Read more...]

Past and Present Conceptions of Tradition: Looking at the Synod on the Family

“Tradition” is one of the most important concepts in Christianity, and yet, it is a term very often misunderstood among Catholics, let alone other Christians. I propose that this is precisely why the Extraordinary Synod on the Family, which … [Read more...]

In the Fullness of Time: The Fullness of Family

The incident related in the Gospel of Luke, celebrated as the “Finding in the Temple,” has always been troubling. It’s the one and only glimpse we’re given into the “secret life” of the Holy Family. Earlier, we see baby Jesus with Simeon and … [Read more...]

The Eucharist: From Corinth to Liege

Many converts to the Catholic faith are surprised by the lack of devotion to the Eucharist evident among those attending Mass—their poor unconvincing responses to the liturgy, their matter of fact attitude at Holy Communion. As one such c … [Read more...]

The Sacred and Inspired Page

A Proper Understanding of Biblical Inspiration

In recent years, there has been a renewed discussion on biblical inspiration. “The key concept for understanding the Bible as ‘the word of God in human words’ is certainly that of inspiration.”[1. Verbum Domini (VD) No. 19.  ] This statement … [Read more...]

Questions Answered

Is it true that Vatican II was a complete break with the past? Is authority in society optional? Is it primarily a matter of the intellect or the will? Question: This year the Church is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the … [Read more...]

The Real Presence

One of the pillars of Catholic doctrine is the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. According to this doctrine, at the consecration of the bread and wine during the Mass, although the appearances remain unchanged, the bread becomes the … [Read more...]