For August 4, August 11, August 18, and August 25, as well as the Feast of the Transfiguration (August 6; homily by Rev. John Cush) and the Solemnity of the Assumption (August 15) Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – August 4, 2 … [Read more...]
Magazine
Twenty-five Years After the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification
How an Ecumenical Achievement Offers Catechetical and Pastoral Opportunities
This year marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ). The declaration, first signed on October 31, 1999 by representatives of the Catholic Church[1. The Catholic signatories were … [Read more...]
Revolution in Theology?
A Closer Look at the Significance of Pope Francis’ Ad Theologiam Promovendam
A theological outrage was frothing in the wake of Pope Francis’ November 1, 2023, apostolic letter motu proprio: Ad Theologiam Promovendam (henceforth ATP), which accompanied the approval of new statutes for the Pontifical Academy of T … [Read more...]
Pain, Suffering, and Redemption: Where Faith and Reason Mingle
Much has been said about the compatibility between faith and reason, religion and science. But they are more than parallel tracks that share mutual respect. Rather, they are integrated; they inform one another. In a particular way, the … [Read more...]
Understanding Pain
Pastoral Approaches to Help Those Who Suffer
“Understanding Pain: Pastoral approaches to help those who suffer,” by Fr. John Love, The Priest, March 2024. ©OSV. Used by permission. No other use of this material is authorized. “If you feel pain, you’re alive. If you feel other people’s … [Read more...]
Why Israel Matters: The Biblical Roots of Catholic Zionism
The horrific Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023 and the ensuing war in Gaza have raised many questions among Catholics: Should they support Israel? And if so, should they do so on purely political or moral grounds (such as … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – August 2024
What Is Necessary to Belong to the True Church? Question from the reader: Who is a member of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church, and what is required for full membership in the “heart” of the Church? What is the relation of this C … [Read more...]
Book Reviews – August 2024
Worthy Lamb: An Exegetical-Spiritual Commentary on John’s Apocalypse. By Andreas Hoeck. Reviewed by Fr. Joseph Briody. (skip to review) True Confessions: Voices of Faith from a Life in the Church. By Francis X. Maier. Reviewed by Fr. St … [Read more...]
Homilies for July 2024
For July 7, July 14, July 21, July 28 Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – July 7, 2024 Readings: Ez 2:2–5 • Ps 123: 1–2, 2, 3–4 • 2 Cor 12:7–10 • Mk 6:1–6 bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/070724.cfm The Catechism of the Catholic Churc … [Read more...]
For the Greater Glory of God
The following was originally issued as a pastoral letter on May 3, 2021. Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: Imagine this story: A fame-driven soldier is holding his position in battle. He is shot and wounded by a cannonball. During … [Read more...]
Adoration and the Struggle of Prayer
Surely one sign of hope of Eucharistic revival is the ever-increasing interest among U.S. Catholics in the practice and theology of Eucharistic adoration.[1. For the historical context of the practice of Eucharistic adoration outside of … [Read more...]
Why Did God Become Incarnate as a Man?
Seeking the answer to the question that is the title of this essay[1. I would like to thank Sr. Mary Ann Fatula, O.P., Professor Emerita at Ohio Dominican University, for her invaluable comments that helped to improve this essay. I would … [Read more...]
The Feast of Beholding Jesus
Liturgy is fleshy, concrete, material; it is the prayer of smoking resin, sloughing wax, swirling wine and water; it is the remembrance of God made man gutted on a Cross; it is the celebration of a grilled Lawrence, a gouged-eye Lucy, a Fr. … [Read more...]
Eucharistic Amazement
We speak of the Eucharist in two senses: the Mass and the Sacrament. The first is the re-offering of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. The second is the Blessed Sacrament, which we adore in the tabernacle or monstrance, and receive in … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – July 2024
How Do Sacraments Work? Question from the Reader: What does sacramental causality mean? My parish priest mentioned this concept in our adult education class on the sacraments and never explained it. Can you help me understand it? Answer … [Read more...]
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