Introduction One of the great treasures of the Church is its Morning Office of Readings, which throughout the liturgical year offers both scriptural readings and meditations from the fathers and doctors of the Church, along with the … [Read more...]
Articles
Advent Preparation through the Daily Office of Readings
Catholic Men, the Spiritual Life, and Our Growth in Holiness-Perfection
Living Faith as Conversion, Knowledge, and Joy According to the Thought of Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger/Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI
A Catholic Christian spiritual life has often been described in terms of “ways,” “stages,” “degrees,” and “conversions.”[1. See, e.g., among many books on the topic, Fr. John J. Pasquini, Light, Happiness and Peace: Journeying Through Tradit … [Read more...]
Who Am I to Judge?
We have all become quite familiar with those words of Pope Francis, quoted two years ago during an interview on his return flight from World Youth Day in Brazil: “Who am I to judge?”[1. w2. … [Read more...]
On the Ordination of Women and the Priesthood of Christ
In the past half century, discussion about women priests in the Christian Churches has intensified. Most Churches, in particular, the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches, have held firm to the traditional view that only males … [Read more...]
Love and Responsibility: Required Reading for the Synod on the Family
Thanks to the Synod on the Family, the Catholic Church is now engaged in an intense discussion on sexual morality and married life. Yet if one listens carefully to the debates and polemics, it becomes evident that there is immense confusion … [Read more...]
“Do-it-Yourself” or Vocation: Coincidence or Providence
"Window dressing” or the Complementarity of the Sacraments of Marriage and the Eucharist?
Is marriage independent of sexual identity, an optional role or an unjust institution; or, alternatively, is there a deeper answer to the question of a man marrying a woman? We live in a time, then, when the foundations of marriage in the … [Read more...]
Halloween: Neither A Trick Nor A Treat
Old and New Experiences There are certain joyful events in our life which are deeply embedded in our memory. Some of those events are associated with particular celebrations or holidays. One such holiday is Halloween which has become part … [Read more...]
God’s Providence
God’s Providence is a topic that gives us a fresh perspective on evil, and a correction on what many people attribute to God's will. The basic mistake in the latter is to think that everything that happens, happens according to God's will, t … [Read more...]
Catholic Higher Education: Ministry of the Head and Heart
Nelson Mandela, the world renowned South African who led the fight to end apartheid in his nation, once stated, “Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.” But what manner of education do we seek for our stu … [Read more...]
Twelve Lessons about the Financial Future of Catholic Schools
I have spoken with several bishops recently about the Catholic schools in their dioceses. The conversations brought home to me that what I recently heard from these bishops are the same questions, and the same challenges, that I have been … [Read more...]
The Family as the Cultural Revolution
A week before his pastoral visit to Cuba and the United States, and his visit to the White House, Pope Francis spoke of a civilizational shift that is occurring in our times—a pivotal moment in which the mission of Christian families will p … [Read more...]
The Family: Expanded Sacrament
It has become a trite truism to say that the traditional family is under attack. The sources of the onslaught may be traced back at least to the 19th century’s exaltation of Romantic infatuation and its accompanying insistence that the s … [Read more...]
Conscience, Freedom, and the “Law of Graduality” at the Synod on the Family
Ideas have consequences—we well know. My concern here is a series of problematic and closely related conceptions of conscience, human freedom, the moral qualification of human acts, and progress in moral living that might be operative in t … [Read more...]















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