Magazine

St. John Vianney and the Meaning of the Priesthood

Homily preached by the Reverend Peter M. J. Stravinskas, Ph.D., S.T.D., at Holy Innocents Church in New York City for the memorial of St. John Vianney (4/8 August 202/OF & EF calendars). In this month of August, we celebrate the … [Read more...]

Prejudices Against Mercy: Is Mercy a Relaxation of Justice?

An Inquiry Guided by St. Thomas Aquinas

Contemporary Concerns about Mercy The fact that the Jubilee Year of Mercy called for by Pope Francis in 2016–17 coincided with mass encounters of Middle Eastern refugees in Europe, challenging immigration policy disputes in the United S … [Read more...]

Questions Answered – August 2022

Mixing Unconsecrated Hosts Question: Is it a sin for a priest to mix unconsecrated hosts with the consecrated Precious Blood in intinction when distributing communion? Answer: The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Catholic … [Read more...]

Book Reviews – August 2022

Configured to Christ: On Spiritual Direction and Clergy Formation. By Deacon James Keating. Reviewed by Rev. John P. Cush, STD. (skip to review) Married Priests in the Catholic Church. Ed. by Adam A.J. DeVille. Reviewed by John A. … [Read more...]

Homilies for July 2022

For July 3, July 10, July 17, July 24, and July 31 Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – July 3, 2022 Readings: Is 66:10–14c • Ps 66:1–3, 4–5, 6–7, 16, 20 • Gal 6:14–18 • Lk 10:1–12, 17–20  bible.usccb.org/bible/ … [Read more...]

Stir into Flame: A Response to the Survey Among Recently Ordained Priests

Saint Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy is particularly encouraging to young priests. Being a young priest, I can relate to Timothy and his vocation to shepherd the people of God in the midst of challenging circumstances. Paul writes to e … [Read more...]

The Terminal State of Unbaptized Infants

Since the earliest centuries of the Church, Christians have debated the terminal state of unbaptized babies. (This paper will use the term “unbaptized babies/infants” to represent all who die without baptism and without the cognitive abi … [Read more...]

Solidarity in Suffering

Physical suffering is an unpleasant fact of life. Responses to a chronic disease can fluctuate from creative growth to self-pity. It can bring out the best or the worst in a person as well as sanctify or darken their soul. In other words, … [Read more...]

Questions Answered – July 2022

Roots of the Apostles’ Creed Question: In the Apostles’ Creed we profess: “On the third day he rose again from the dead.” What does it mean to say “again” in this context? Answer: The Apostles’ Creed has a long and pious tradition behind … [Read more...]

Book Reviews – July 2022

The Restless Flame, Daniel Lord, S.J.: Thinking Big in a Parochial World! By Stephen A. Werner. Reviewed by Steven R. McEvoy. (skip to review) The Scandal of the Scandals. By Manfred Lütz. Reviewed by Robert Rooney. (skip to r … [Read more...]

Homilies for June 2022

For Pentecost Sunday, Mary Mother of the Church, Trinity Sunday, Corpus Christi, the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, and the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul Pentecost Sunday – June 5, 2022 Readings: Acts 2:1–11 • Ps 104:1, 24, 29–30 … [Read more...]

The Wheat and the Tares

A Reflection upon Contemporary Priestly Formation

In St. Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus tells the parable of the tares (13:24–30). Some tares had been sown by an enemy and grew up alongside the wheat. The wise owner of the field instructed his servants to let both grow together until the harvest “ … [Read more...]

Ministering Like the Prodigal Trinity

Deep into the weeds of Catholic social media, we can easily fall into the mindset of categorizing people as sinners. Whether the issue is abortion, racism, LGBTQ, gender or another lightning rod topic, we are often inundated with views on … [Read more...]

Eucharistic Competence

By Fr. Winfried M. Wermter C.O. Translated from the German by Dr. William R. Gallagher Introduction Nowadays people everywhere talk about competence. It is truly important that people be on familiar ground in their area of expertise, … [Read more...]