For the Second Sunday, Third Sunday, Fourth Sunday, and Fifth Sunday of Lent, the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, the Solemnity of the Annunciation, and Palm Sunday Second Sunday of Lent – March 1, 2026 Readings: Genesis 12:1–4a • Psalm 33:4– … [Read more...]
Archives for 2026
“Love One Another”: Synodality and Diocesan Life, Part II
Editor’s Note: This essay is the second installment of three on synodality and diocesan life. You may find the first installment HERE. Part Two: What Is Synodality? Synodality is the “expression of the Church’s nature, her form, style and … [Read more...]
The Daily Gift That Is Psalm 95
One of the important ways that the Church gives clergy to stay on track with religious and spiritual growth is the requirement for daily recitation of the Liturgy of the Hours. That requirement makes the practice truly a Divine Office, part … [Read more...]
Forming Domestic Churches: Models of Family-Centered Catechesis
Believing parents, with their daily example of life, have the most effective capacity to transmit the beauty of the Christian faith to their children . . . The greatest challenge in this situation is for couples, mothers and fathers, active … [Read more...]
Christ Our Fellow-Pilgrim
If our Church is a pilgrim Church, then we all are pilgrims, traveling to Heaven by way of death. And if the members of the Church are pilgrims, what of the Head? Is He not a pilgrim too? He walked a path that would end in death, as was … [Read more...]
The Christian Responsibility for the Poor in the Scriptures
“If you cannot find Christ in the beggar at the church door, you will not find Him in the chalice.” These words, attributed to St. John Chrysostom’s sermon on St. Matthew 25:31–46, carry in them a powerful challenge: See Christ in others … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – March 2026
Predestination: What Does the Church Teach? Question One: Do Catholics believe in predestination? Answer: Catholics do indeed believe in predestination, though the Catholic understanding of the term differs markedly from what is often … [Read more...]
Book Reviews – March 2026
Preaching from the Cross: Paul’s Theology of Proclamation. By Frank J. Matera. Reviewed by Rev. Vien V. Nguyen, SCJ. (skip to review) On the Dignity of Society: Catholic Social Teaching and Natural Law. By F. Russell Hittinger, ed. by Sc … [Read more...]
Homilies for February 2026
For February 1, February 8, February 15, and February 22 (First Sunday of Lent), as well as the Feast of the Presentation (February 2) and Ash Wednesday (February 18) Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time – February 1, 2026 Readings: Ze … [Read more...]
Rebuilding the Church, Within the Church
An Editorial on Pope Leo XIV’s Declaration of the Year of Saint Francis (2026)
I begin with an admission that may surprise some readers. When I was discerning my vocation, Franciscanism never appealed to me. I never quite got it. To my young clerical imagination, Saint Francis of Assisi was a kind of “hippie saint,” al … [Read more...]
A Marian Response to Mater Populi Fidelis
Tribute to God’s Perfect Cooperator
Mater Populi Fidelis has pushed Catholic households, parishes, and dioceses to deeply contemplate the nature and role of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The title of Mary as “Co-redemptrix,” which was an honest theological debate up until the Dic … [Read more...]
“Love One Another”: Synodality and Diocesan Life
Part One: Why Do We Need Synodality? Last June, the General Secretariat of the Synod published the “Pathways for the Implementation Phase of the Synod.” This document, which the Holy Father Leo XIV approved, invites all local Chu … [Read more...]
Preaching Repentance as Participation
There is a legend that I once heard that tells of a mystical vision of the great translator of the Bible, St. Jerome. Visited by the Lord one night in prayer, the Lord asked St. Jerome to give to him a gift. Jerome, perplexed yet honored by … [Read more...]
Theosis: Becoming Gods in This Life
In a previous article published at HPR, I wrote about moral perfection in this life, but I focused on contrasting mortal and venial sins for the purposes of helping us to remove sin from our lives and to grow in holiness.[1. Nate Guyear, … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – February 2026
Who Are the Doctors of the Church? Question One: Last November, Saint John Henry Newman was named a Doctor of the Church. How does one become a Doctor of the Church? Answer: The title of Doctor of the Church is among the highest honors … [Read more...]
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