For the Second Sunday, Third Sunday, and Fourth Sunday of Advent, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, the Nativity of Our Lord (Christmas), and the Feast of the Holy Family Second Sunday of Advent – December 7, 2025 Readings: I … [Read more...]
Magazine
Pope Leo’s Renewed Call to Priestly Holiness
“Aspire to holiness . . . do not settle for less” (Leo XIV)
Called to Holiness; Called to be Saints This is a very simple reflection on holiness, a topic given renewed attention by Pope Leo in recent months. The whole Christian life is a “quest for holiness.”[1. Saint John Paul II, Letter to Pri … [Read more...]
The Gratuitous Nature of God
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. (James 1:18) Not because of any need on his part, but because of the effusive nature of … [Read more...]
The Gospel Foreshadowed: Joseph and Judah in Genesis
Genesis 44 and 45 has it all: a foreshadowing of the atonement, forgiveness, providence, and a model for how to deal with suffering. This mini-gospel from the first book of the Bible anticipating the Gospel of Christ is a roadmap detailing … [Read more...]
“That He Might Be Made Known”
John the Herald According to the Gospel of John and Matthias Grünewald
Years ago, inspired by artist Matthias Grünewald’s Crucifixion piece and Benedict XVI’s insights, I wrote an article discussing the significance of the priesthood of John the Baptist and its exemplarity for priests and bishops, particularly … [Read more...]
The Passover Rhyme of the Mass
What did he mean when he said, “Do this”? It was a simple and direct question when my brother-in-law asked it: What did Jesus mean by “this” when he said, “Do this in memory of me”? Why did he say about the bread, “Take this, all of you, … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – December 2025
What Is a Doctor of the Church? Question One: Dear Father Cush, what is a Doctor of the Church? Does the Church have any specific requirements for a saint to be declared a Doctor of the Church? Are all the Fathers of the Church also … [Read more...]
Book Reviews – December 2025
From Calvinist to Catholic. By Peter Kreeft. Reviewed by Peter A. Huff. (skip to review) Slavery and the Catholic Church in the United States. By David J. Endres, ed. Reviewed by Aaron Martin. (skip to review) A Thousand Pounds: … [Read more...]
Homilies for November 2025
For All Saints’ Day, All Souls’ Day, the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica (Nov. 9), November 16 (Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time), the Solemnity of Christ the King, Thanksgiving Day, and the First Sunday of Adv … [Read more...]
The Shaping of a Priest
50 Years of Seminary Formation and Ecclesial Identity
As a Catholic priest ordained in 1998, and as a professor of Dogmatic Theology and seminary director of admissions and recruitment (as well as having served as academic dean and assistant vice-rector in another seminary), I have had the … [Read more...]
Can the Creed Be Proven from Scripture?
Implications for Ecumenical Dialogue
Last year at the annual Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), the largest Protestant denomination in the United States, a motion was put forward to add the Nicene Creed to its doctrinal statement.[1. Mark Wingfield, “Motion will ask SBC to add … [Read more...]
Truth in Dying: The Perfection of the Virtues in a Dying Christian
This article presents a Thomistic portrait of how the virtues of the Christian life come to their full flowering in the person who is dying in the state of grace. Please note that the article is not only concerned with the infused virtues, … [Read more...]
“As We Await the Redemption of Our Body”
Part 1: Status Quaestionis Reflecting on inordinate desire and making a distinction between desire for things that are pleasurable to the senses (bodily) and desire for things pleasurable to the psyche, such as ambition or avarice, it is … [Read more...]
Loving through Illness: Mental Illness and the Beauty of Suffering
Why do some speak so strongly against mental illness and those who suffer with it? With mental illness as common today as many other illnesses, one questions why there is a negative stigma connected to illnesses of the mind. We, as human … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – November 2025
How Did Jesus Experience Temptation? Question One: Dear Father Cush, what is the Catholic Church’s understanding of the Temptations of Jesus in the Desert? If Jesus is sinless, how is he tempted? Answer: The Temptations of Jesus in the … [Read more...]
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