The Catholic Church has always seemed to me to be like the solid Rock of Gibralter — stable and permanent. St. Peter, the Rock, and the Roman Catholic Church share the stability of the Rock of Gibraltar Even though we live in a … [Read more...]
An Ignatian Bishop of Rome
May 22, 2013 By 1 Comment
Like Bergoglio’s choice of the name Francis—after the Poverello of Assisi rather than the Jesuit Francis Xavier—the phrase “presides in charity” and its evocation of “the other Ignatius” may turn out to be interpretive keys to … [Read more...]
Thinking as a Christian with Josef Pieper
May 20, 2013 By 2 Comments
In an age when society is again becoming highly polarized, it is important to remember that the lack of real communication causes a breakdown in civility, and an increase in ignorance. During his long lifetime, Josef Pieper (1904-1997) … [Read more...]
Questions Answered
May 16, 2013 By 1 Comment
Is it true that Hell is not a permanent condition? Are there any clear statements in Scripture that homosexuality is a sin and unnatural? Question: Is it true that Hell is not a permanent condition? Answer: The question of the … [Read more...]
The Latest Book Reviews
May 13, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Spring to Summer Reading For May 2013 Reviews for the following books: A SCHOOL OF PRAYER. The Saints Show Us How to Pray. By Pope Benedict XVI (Ignatius Press, San Francisco, 2012), 282 pp. HB $17.95. (Reviewed by Fr. … [Read more...]
Homily After the Boston Marathon Bombings
May 6, 2013 By 1 Comment
In a moment, the whole thing was changed into a secular Good Friday. A bloody, savage assault on the life of the innocent, complete with nails going through flesh after the bombs exploded. Once you’ve been a priest for a while, you … [Read more...]
Four Rocks in a Garden
May 5, 2013 By 1 Comment
In the garden are four small rocks, each inscribed with a capitalized word: BELIEVE, HOPE, TRUST, WAIT ... If the small garden ... can imaginatively serve to suggest the divine “grandeur”; how might one order the realities represented … [Read more...]
Getting a Grip on Gossip
May 4, 2013 By 3 Comments
The Church reminds us that we have the obligation to correct our brother’s fault for the sake of righteousness out of love ... We are called to do this in a spirit of gentleness and humility. A First Down Broadmoor Drive Growing up … [Read more...]
Same-Sex Marriage and the Natural Law
May 3, 2013 By 2 Comments
The vertical dimension of human existence links man to his Creator. He is made in the image of God, intelligent and free. ... It is because man is a contingent, finite, intelligent, free creature of God that he is responsible to him for his … [Read more...]
The Beatitudes and the Gospel of Luke
May 2, 2013 By 3 Comments
And he, lifting up his eyes on his disciples, said: “Blessed are ye poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are ye that hunger now; for you shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now, for you shall laugh. Blessed shall you be … [Read more...]
May 2013 Homilies
April 24, 2013 By 2 Comments
For Sunday Liturgies and Feasts Homilies for May 2013 Jesus Ascends into Heaven 6th Sunday of Easter—May 5, 2013 Not as the World Gives Purpose: This Sunday's Gospel captures the heart of the Christian faith: "We will come to … [Read more...]
Attacking the Roots of Abortion
April 23, 2013 By 31 Comments
What is really required ... is to address the thought processes and motivations that prompt people to seek abortion as a solution to a personal problem that should not have occurred in the first place. Catholics, and our counterparts … [Read more...]
The New Evangelization: The Holiness of the Church
April 22, 2013 By 19 Comments
The New Evangelization is our cooperation with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the 21st century ... an evangelization foreshadowed by Vatican II, according to Popes John XXIII and Paul VI ... an evangelization whose importance became … [Read more...]
Fifty Years Later–Vatican II’s Unfinished Business
April 22, 2013 By 30 Comments
Today, 50 years after the opening of Vatican II, the misinterpretation of one of its most salient documents, Lumen Gentium, continues to drive a number of Catholics in the United States into one of two camps, the “right” or the … [Read more...]
True freedom is interior
April 18, 2013 By 16 Comments
Interior freedom is gained by loving God and one’s neighbor, and by not being inordinately attached to any created thing. Alexander Solzhenitsyn and St. Therese of Lisieux Freedom is what makes man to be … [Read more...]
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