Are doctrine and morals too controversial?

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What happens to a parish, and to its parishioners, when the pastor refuses to preach Catholic doctrine and morals on the grounds that they are now “too controversial”?   Cardinal Francis George and Cardinal Timothy Dolan are well … [Read more...]

Beauty: A Necessity, Not a Luxury

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Just when I am about to succumb to the sadness and living death of nihilism, some piercing ray of beauty breaks open my heart, and the breath of possibility returns. I recently visited the Botanical Garden in St Louis.  Amid the sights … [Read more...]

Questions Answered

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Is Baptism by water "Baptism in the Holy Spirit?" Can medical research on incapacitated patients ever be justified? Is Baptism by water "Baptism in the Holy Spirit?" Question:  I have often heard the phrase “Baptism in the Holy … [Read more...]

Husbands and Fathers in the Image of Christ: Facilitating God’s Will for Our Wives and Children

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What does it mean for a man to love his wife and children as Christ loved (and loves) his Church?  Obviously, a lot rides on the word “as”—loving as Christ loves. ... It means according to the same standard with which Christ … [Read more...]

John Paul II’s “Triptych” of the Human Person

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This article focuses on the first part of Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body which broadens the vision of humanity from not just this life (historical man), but to what God intended for man before the Fall (original man), as well as … [Read more...]

Roman Missal 3.0: Updates Installed

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As a revision, the Roman Missal 3.0 has, as its obvious intention, to be an improvement upon that which came before ... the highlights that follow will serve as fledgling insights into the treasures we have received. The last time I put … [Read more...]

The Dynamic of the Gift: Authority and Submission in Christian Marriage

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Both persons in a marriage are called to love ... called to a life of giving and receiving.  The catch is:  spouses don’t give and receive in exactly the same way ... because man and woman are not replicas of one another, nor are they … [Read more...]

The Latest Book Reviews

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Winter Reading For January 2013 Reviews for the following books: CHRISTIANITY: THE FIRST THREE THOUSAND YEARS. By Diarmaid MacCulloch. (Reviewed by Fr. Brian Van Hove, S.J.) __________ HOMOSEXUALITY AND FOLLOWING CHRIST. By … [Read more...]

January Homilies

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For Sunday Liturgies and Feasts Homilies for January 2013 Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God Spiritual Resolutions for 2013 Purpose: a) To help Catholics better understand their obligation to attend Mass on Holy Days of Obligation, … [Read more...]

“Father, Aren’t You Afraid I’ll Become Muslim?”: The Challenge of Encountering Non-Christian Religions

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The reason behind offering a world religions course to Catholic young adults became more apparent: to help them understand Christian Catholic distinctiveness, what separates our faith from others.    Fr. Hardon, S.J., Peter Kreeft, Fr. … [Read more...]

Social Justice According to Pius XI

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The term “social justice”... is the key term and concept of Catholic social teaching ... with all the other aspects of the Church's social doctrine—the principle of subsidiarity, the just wage or the right to private property—are … [Read more...]

Obstacles to Reading Scripture in Modernity: Von Balthasar’s Response

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Hans Urs von Balthasar’s theological aesthetics {are} a remedy for the breakdown in modern biblical exegesis and the groundwork of an approach to revelation that allows the glory of God to show forth in all of its splendor. In the … [Read more...]

The Widow’s Mite

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... {I propose here} to move ... to the freedom of giving as an inevitable expression of our spirits in Christ and as a necessary means of our own sanctification. We Catholics in the United States traditionally give more from an … [Read more...]

An Introduction to Spirituality for Priests

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Priesthood ... is a call from Christ to “participation in a new life.”  Every priest must cultivate in his own life a deep and abiding union with Christ, who is the perfect high priest, and the one whom every priest imagines in his … [Read more...]

America’s Leading Pastoral Magazine in This Year of Faith

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Honor the Pope’s request in renewing our devotion to our Catholic faith, and assisting Homiletic & Pastoral Review in being that voice of the Gospel around the world. On January 1, 2013, Homiletic & Pastoral Review will … [Read more...]

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