Book Reviews – May 2023

Joseph Ratzinger and the Healing of the Reformation-Era Divisions. Ed. by Emery De Gaál and Matthew Levering. Reviewed by M. Ciftci. (skip to review) Benedict XVI: Servant of Love. By Bénedicte Delelis. Reviewed by Christopher Siuzdak. (s … [Read more...]

St. Joseph and Fatherhood

Originally delivered as a talk for the Diocese of Paterson Advent Day of Prayer for Priests, St. Paul Inside the Walls Evangelization Center, Madison, NJ on December 6, 2022. It is my privilege and pleasure to be with you today at the … [Read more...]

Human and Divine Fatherhood in The Violent Bear It Away and Gilead

The Violent Bear It Away and Gilead show the role of prophet as a preacher of the Lord as a genetic vocation growing out of ‘blood’ and family bonds, but responded to in varying degrees and manifestations. While Marilynne Robinson paints a p … [Read more...]

Revisiting the Letter to Families

Pope St. John Paul II’s Letter to Families, which was first published in 1994, is a gem highly worth revisiting. This treatise on the family is packed with inspiring theology for families, and especially fathers. Moreover, it is also very a … [Read more...]

In Praise of Patriarchy and Headship

For the husband is head of his wife just as Christ is head of the church, he himself the savior of the body. (Ephesians 5:23) He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church. … [Read more...]

St. Joseph: His Increasing Importance in Our Times

In his Apostolic Letter Le Voci of March 19, 1961, the “Pope of St. Joseph,” St. John XXIII, invoked that saint as the Patron of the Second Vatican Council. Shortly after the beginning of that Council, he inserted the name of St. Joseph int … [Read more...]

Abortion: Unmasking the Demon

It is true that fatherhood is the main target of Satan’s forces, but his is a multi-pronged strategy which includes the destruction of motherhood and childhood. This is blatant in abortions.   The spiritual dimension of abortion, based on … [Read more...]

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

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 loves.  Pope … [Read more...]

The Eternal Presence of the House of Nazareth

The family life of Jesus, Mary and Joseph in Nazareth is an ever-present revelation of God’s purposes and work in the world, inviting to holiness families of the 21st century.   Does the household of Jesus, Mary and Joseph in the small vi … [Read more...]

In Praise of My Father

I write this article as a pause from the great sorrow of scandal which has wounded the Church, in order to bring to mind... the spiritual beauty of fatherhood present in our priests. Being corrected by a prince of the Church in the … [Read more...]

Same-Sex Attractions in Youth and Their Right to Informed Consent

This paper was presented at the Twenty-Third Workshop for Bishops in Dallas, Texas, on February 16, 2011, sponsored by The National Catholic Bioethics Center and the Knights of Columbus. Youth have the right to be provided with the … [Read more...]

A Prayerful Meditation on St. Joseph

Every March, we recall the heroic virtues of the holy husband of the Virgin Mary, St. Joseph. Coming to appreciate St. Joseph’s mystery If anyone had a special insight into the parable of the hidden treasure, it was unquestionably St. J … [Read more...]

Curran’s Attack on John Paul II Rebutted

Dr. May shows how utterly false are four major criticisms Charles Curran levels against the moral thought of John Paul II.

Shortly prior to Pope John Paul II’s death on April 2, 2005 Georgetown University Press published Charles E. Curran’s book entitled The Moral Theology of Pope John Paul II. [1. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press, 2005, xii+262 pag … [Read more...]

NFP: A Defense and an Explanation

What are the conditions according to which one may use NFP without offending Almighty God?

When is it licit for a married couple to use natural family planning (NFP)? What are the conditions according to which we may use this method without offending Almighty God? This will be my subject in this article both with reference to … [Read more...]