Archives for November 2016

Sifting Interior Movements of the Heart

I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice, and cleaving … [Read more...]

Temporary Sacred Architecture

Reflections for the Celebration of Mass Outside of a Church

Whether it is a youth conference, rally, weekend retreat, or service project, numerous occasions arise each year in which Catholic communities celebrate Mass, and other liturgies, in a place other than a church. The preparation for these … [Read more...]

Life with God

God cannot exist in any place or at any time, though God is present to anything in any place, and the proposition that God exists will be true at any time that it is uttered or conceived. Thus eternity, which properly belongs to God alone, … [Read more...]

Whom the Lord Loveth, He Chastiseth

There are epochs in every life marked by adversity: times when tragedy strikes, injustice reigns, or when overwhelming pain defies equanimity. One has to wonder at the heartbreak caused by human cruelty, frailty, or even just by nature run … [Read more...]

Restoring Unity Through the Spiritual Works of Mercy

The practice of mercy, emphasized throughout Scripture, is brought together in Tradition and Church teaching via the seven corporal, and seven spiritual, works of mercy. In this Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, the Pontifical Council … [Read more...]

Revisiting Grace

There is an old Irish saying according to which there is an ebb and flow to every-thing except God’s grace. George Bernanos, in his Diary of a Country Priest, gives a touching illustration of that truth. It is the portrayal of a priest who b … [Read more...]

Self-esteem: Biblical or Distracting?

Self-esteem is a relatively modern concept that has been elevated to the point of an all-important virtue by pop psychology, perhaps the virtue in which all others can be found. Christians need to make sense of the word from their own … [Read more...]

Homilies for November 2016

32nd Sunday of the Year—November 6, 2016 Readings: 2 MC 7:1-2, 9-14; PS 17:1, 5-6, 8, 15; 2 THES 2:16-3:5; LK 20:27-38 http://usccb.org/bible/readings/110616.cfm They can no longer die, for they are like angels; and they are the child … [Read more...]

What Is Really At Stake for Catholic Voters in this Election

November 2016 Editorial

In his Republic, Plato argues that we all get the government we deserve. That is, the political leaders of any given people are a direct reflection of what those people hold dear. Does a society think riches are the defining characteristic … [Read more...]

The Year of Mercy and the Eucharist

With great joy the world received Pope Francis’s announcement of an extraordinary Jubilee Year focused on the mercy of God. This event was inaugurated by the Bull, Misericordiae Vultus, or The Face of Mercy. The Almighty showed mercy to t … [Read more...]

Simony in Spiritual Direction?

When I mentioned this thesis to my classmate, he deemed it “peculiar.” I had to apologize after shouting, “My thesis isn’t peculiar, what’s going on is peculiar!” My thesis is that direct, monetary payment to a spiritual director from his/he … [Read more...]

The Dialectic of Mutual Glorification

In the past century or so, dialectic has become a tool for analyzing many areas of life and thought: we might consider the dialectic between “being-for-itself” (l’être-pour-soi), and “being-for-others” (l’être-pour-autrui) in the philosophy … [Read more...]

Questions Answered

Question: I’ve read, though not in any real depth, the two schools of thought: One that Jesus became man primarily so as to suffer as man, and die for the redemption of each one of us. The other being that the Son of God most likely would h … [Read more...]

Late Fall Reading

What Does It Mean to Be Catholic? by Jack Mulder, Jr. (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2015). Reviewed by Dr. Rick Janet. The Heart of the Diaconate: Communion with the Servant Mysteries of Christ by James K … [Read more...]