For October 4, October 11, October 18, and October 25 Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time – October 4, 2026 Readings: Isaiah 5:1–7 • Psalm 80:9, 12, 13–14, 15–16, 19–20 • Philippians 4:6–9 • Matthew 21:33–43 bible.u … [Read more...]
Magazine
Developing the Dignity Doctrine
The proclamation of St. John Henry Cardinal Newman as Doctor of the Church is a great “coda” on several of the key themes and ideas of modern Catholic intellectual and pastoral life: integration of ideas, centrality of theology in the “id … [Read more...]
The Sensus Fidelium, Moral Theology, and Youth
If we are reading the signs of the times, it is apparent that there needs to be more effort put into the moral training of our youth. But this would be a mighty task because the common approach when it comes to catechizing teens is to avoid … [Read more...]
How Our Bodies Are Relationally Determined
We live in a time in which some societal movements and ideologies are attempting to evacuate the sexed[1. I use the adjective “sexed,” instead of “gendered,” as the latter term is used in different senses, including a purely subjective sense … [Read more...]
St. Thomas and Cooperation with Evil
This article will examine a foundational principle for the classical Thomistic account of cooperation with evil in the realm of moral theology: namely, understanding and appreciating the integral nature of the external object of the moral … [Read more...]
Is Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Still Relevant?
The feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was established in 1670 at Rennes in France. The main person behind its establishment was St. John Eudes. Five years later, a religious sister of the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary at … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – October 2026
Organ Transplants and Church Teaching Question One: I was reading that it is not morally permissible to transplant a person’s brain or gonads according to Catholic Moral Theology. Why is this the case? Answer: Modern medical advances h … [Read more...]
Book Reviews – October 2026
A Quest for the Historical Christ: Scientia Christi and the Modern Study of Jesus. By Rev. Anthony Giambrone, O.P. Reviewed by Rev. Ignatius John Schweitzer, O.P. (skip to review) The Intentional Household: Living as if People Matter. By … [Read more...]
One Church, One Faith, One Lord: A Critique of the SSPX’s Profession of Faith
Full incorporation in the Catholic Church requires professing the same one faith, sharing the same seven Sacraments — especially Baptism and the Eucharist — and communion with the Pope and College of Bishops.[1. Vatican II, dogmatic con … [Read more...]
Homilies for September 2026
For September 6, September 13, September 14 (Exaltation of the Cross), September 15 (Our Lady of Sorrows), September 20, and September 27 Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time – September 6, 2026 Readings: Ezekiel 33:7–9 • Psalm 95:1–2, 6 … [Read more...]
Forming the Mind and Heart of the Priest
Human Formation in a Fragmented Culture
Culture is the air one breathes; it is the environment in which one’s habits, values, and patterns of thought are engendered. Psychological data has shown that current cultural factors and influences pose major threats to the appropriate d … [Read more...]
The Fathers We Are Losing
The Crisis at Noon
Priests are leaving active ministry in their middle years, and we have not reckoned with why. This essay offers a partial answer from an unlikely source: the developmental psychology of Maria Montessori, which treats every crisis not as a … [Read more...]
Antioch’s Flesh and Bone: Rereading Scripture Beyond Fundamentalism and Suspicion
Along the dusty banks of the Orontes, in a city where merchants’ voices collided with imperial decrees and parish quarrels, the Antiochene masters learned to read Scripture under pressure. Not the pressure of modern ideology, but the older k … [Read more...]
Catholic Financial Management: Relational, Pastoral, Mission-driven and Synodal
Any reflection on financial management in the Catholic Church in the US could easily focus on policy, on USCCB guidelines, Canon Law or similar matters. My focus here is to make five points about the culture and practice of financial … [Read more...]
Reflections on a Bobblehead
Cleaning out sixty years of my predecessor’s accumulated stuff from my latest rectory was a matter of triage: what could I clean and use, what could I sell on eBay, and what should go in the 40-cubic-yard dumpster I quickly filled to o … [Read more...]
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