St. Francis de Sales in his excellent book, On the Preacher and Preaching, declares emphatically: “We must adhere to method in all things; there is nothing more helpful to a preacher, makes his preaching more profitable, and is so pleasing t … [Read more...]
Articles
The Theological Anthropology of Karol Wojtyla (Pope St. John Paul II)
Every so often, there appears in history a person who has an effect on the world, that the whole world is changed for the better as a result of their being there. A person of recent memory is Father Karol Wojtyla, who became Pope St. John … [Read more...]
Pastoral Formation as Improvisation
Introduction So what does slapping together a sandwich in a soup kitchen have to do with priestly formation? And how does packing medical equipment for a mission trip help anyone become a spiritual father? Or visiting random old dudes at a … [Read more...]
Some Notes for Preachers on the Reading of Ephesians Five in the Lectionary
In my years of presenting basic sacramental theology to engaged couples for pre-Cana, the interpretation of the literal sense of Ephesians five on marriage is something that has frequently occupied me. It was even an endeavor to which I was … [Read more...]
Mass Exodus
We’ve seen it in most of our parishes: empty pews, easy-out parking, friends and familiar faces who we no longer see at Sunday Mass. This mass exodus we have been experiencing over the last few generations is a true crisis of faith — aff … [Read more...]
An Anthropological Reflection on the Church’s Sexual Scandal
Assuaging God for the Rape of Abel
The kind of penitence that must take place to move the Church away from the precipice of destruction is the kind that comes from a much deeper well of ancient understandings of man who is flesh and spirit. We must mine the deeper … [Read more...]
Catholics and Their Interaction with Other Religions in Contemporary Society
I. Contemporary Western society’s preponderant secular relativistic thought tendencies contend that all beliefs are to be deemed worthy of being considered equally true. The philosophical concomitant outgrowths of this thought place s … [Read more...]
Integral Ecology of Man
The Theological Mind of Laudato Si’
The crisis in the family has produced a crisis of human ecology, for social environments, like natural environments, need protection. And although the human race has come to understand the need to address conditions that menace our natural … [Read more...]
Abortion Stories
Exploding the Myths of Consequence-Free Sex
The stories in this article are about several women I've known personally, one fictional woman, and one famous Catholic woman, Dorothy Day, who is being considered for sainthood — all of whom had abortions. Their stories illustrate in v … [Read more...]
Alkaline Hydrolysis
Imprudent in Its Current Context
For most of Her history, the Catholic Church, with very rare exceptions, has insisted that the bodies of the deceased be interred in graves or other suitable burial sites. In 1963, Pope Paul VI allowed the practice of incineration cremation … [Read more...]
Review: Sunday Will Never Be the Same
A Rock and Roll Journalist Opens Her Ears to God
Goldstein, Dawn Eden. Sunday Will Never Be the Same: A Rock and Roll Journalist Opens Her Ears to God. Gillespie, CA: Catholic Answers Press, 2019. 256 pages. Dawn Eden Goldstein is a Catholic theologian, blogger, and author of several … [Read more...]
Our Lady of America
Great Expectations
What could it mean that the Blessed Virgin Mary, appearing in Northern Indiana, USA, on September 25, 1956, in private revelation to Sister Mary Ephrem, CPpS, “promised that greater miracles than those granted at Lourdes and Fatima would be … [Read more...]
The “Un-hefted” Vanishing Flock
When Irishman Declan Dinneny spoke, I caught every fifth word. His voice came in a wild chorus of undulated high pitches that crescendoed when he spoke of something important, like maybe a heifer who’d miscarried that morning. His farm was b … [Read more...]
Perserverance in the Face of Imperfect Ministers
Too frequently, practicing Catholics encounter family members and friends who are dismayed by the priestly and hierarchal abuse scandals. They have lost faith in the hierarchy and priests, not knowing whom they can trust. Consequently, they … [Read more...]
Priesthood and Spiritual Childhood
September 11, 2019 by Fr. Tim McCauley
Spiritual pride is an occupational hazard of the priesthood, and a potentially deadly disease. Because of our current ecclesiastical environment, I think it is important to mention clergy abuse cases. Quite apart from the personal emotional … [Read more...]
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