This sex abuse scandal is, perhaps, the first time our listeners in the pews truly understand the pervasiveness of sin. ... The preacher speaks of its toll on our hearts, while ...reminding us that grace is more … [Read more...]
Articles
Helping to Heal the Pain in the Pew: The Preachers Role
March 26, 2013 by Rev. Richard R. DeLillio, OSFS
On Giving: What goes around…
March 25, 2013 by Richard J. Janet, PhD
When we are reunited with God fully in the Heavenly City, how should we explain what we have done with the entirely unmerited gifts that have been given us? Parable of the Talents by Willem de Poorter; English martyr, Robert … [Read more...]
Darkness, the Theological Virtues, and Finding the Inflection Point
March 25, 2013 by Ann R. Morrill
... the downward inflection consists of distrust in God, and a focus on the importance of self. The upward inflection involves abandonment to divine providence, and a focus on reflecting the light of Christ. According to many Catholic … [Read more...]
Welcome, Holy Father Francis!
March 15, 2013 by David Vincent Meconi
Like Francis of Assisi, our Holy Father is calling us back to the great saint who “rebuilt Christ's Church” by living a life of sheer simplicity and charity. St. Francis of Assisi, Pope Francis: "Rebuild my House" Let us take this oppo … [Read more...]
Twelve-Step “Pride Elimination” Plan
March 13, 2013 by Donald DeMarco, Ph.D.
At the end of Lent, as we are called to put the Crucified One at the center of our lives, we are also encouraged to let go of the many subtle ways pride tempts us to keep ourselves at the heart of things. Narcissus versus Christ washing … [Read more...]
Pondering the story of Passion Sunday: Lessons for our lives
March 12, 2013 by Fr. Benedict B. Ehinack, STL
Passion Sunday calls us to be a little more attentive to what we say about others, what we accept about others ... reminding us that there is never a single story about any place, any people, or any person. Usually, on days like Palm … [Read more...]
How Did We Get Into This Mess? The Legacy of Postmodernism.
March 11, 2013 by Michael P. McKeating
Scholars tell us that this tipping point, when all taboos were uprooted and all universal expectations were discarded, goes by the name "Postmodernism." We have the sense that we went to sleep and woke up in a future we don’t recognize, s … [Read more...]
Lenten Reflections: Patience
March 11, 2013 by Rev. William J. Nessel, OSFS
We should rejoice that through our unique flaws, God is teaching us the lesson of patience. Jesus Preaching by Tissot Patience is one of the “little virtues.” We may never be called upon to practice heroic virtues, such as martyrdom. How … [Read more...]
The Latest Book Reviews
March 7, 2013 by David Vincent Meconi
Winter into Spring Reading For March 2013 Reviews for the following books: CONSTITUTIONAL ILLUSION AND ANCHORING TRUTHS: THE TOUCHSTONE OF THE NATURAL LAW. By Hadley Arkes. (Reviewed by Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.) __________ THE SOUL O … [Read more...]
Lenten Reflections: Fasting
March 4, 2013 by Paul Kokoski
Denying material food ... nurtures an interior disposition to listen to Our Lord, and be nourished by his saving word. Through prayer and fasting, we allow Christ to satisfy our deepest hunger and thirst for God. Christ in the Wilderness … [Read more...]
Remembering Who We Are: Recovering from Cultural Amnesia.
March 4, 2013 by Wanda Skowronska, PhD
The western loss of the larger and smaller narratives which depicted the horizons of life, is a loss of memory on a grand scale, a sign of some deep disorder for those who see it. Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus, Western Civilization … [Read more...]
On striving for perfection
February 24, 2013 by Fr. Kenneth Baker, SJ
Our ultimate goal in life, a supernatural goal, which is the face-to-face vision of God in heaven for all eternity, is a state of perfection. Gradual progress or growth from imperfect to perfect is a natural characteristic of all living … [Read more...]
Sent Forth to Father a People: Christ’s Priesthood in our Time
February 22, 2013 by Fr. Robert E. Markovitch, MD
In our faithfulness to God, it falls to the Church, as the announcer of the Good News concerning mankind, and more especially to her priests, to begin re-establishing a civilization of truth and love, and the life that springs forth from … [Read more...]
Symbols and the “Hermeneutic of Continuity”
February 21, 2013 by Fr. Brian Van Hove, SJ
The camauro appears in the portraits of popes before the Reformation. Its revival for a single occasion by Pope Benedict XVI was surely within his well-known program of the “hermeneutic of continuity." From left to right: Pope Innocent V … [Read more...]
A Dialogue with the HHS Mandate
February 19, 2013 by Sean M. Connolly
Editor’s Note: The so-called HHS Mandate, enacted by the United States Department of Health and Human Services in January 2012, has been the subject of growing controversy and pending lawsuits. It requires nearly all private health i … [Read more...]
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