Over Thanksgiving break, a friend of mine asked me, “What is meant by the phrase cancel culture?” I thought the best way to get at the answer was to ask him a question of my own, “What does it mean to talk about culture?” That simple questio … [Read more...]
Magazine
Recollection: The Beating Heart of Prayer
December 11, 2020 by Dr. Timothy Herrman
“We must serve GOD in a holy freedom; we must do our business faithfully, without trouble or disquiet; recalling our mind to GOD mildly and with tranquility, as often as we find it wandering from Him.” — Br. Lawrence of the Resur … [Read more...]
The Gift of the Mind: Scholars and Saints
December 11, 2020 by Fr. Peter Stravinskas
If one thing characterized priesthood fifty years ago (especially in Europe, even if less so here), it was the priest as a man of learning, that is, possessing a broad grasp of knowledge, a true Renaissance man — an in-depth knowledge of a f … [Read more...]
The Sweetness of the Yoke of Christ
Hope for those struggling to live out the teaching of Humanae Vitae
December 11, 2020 by Paul Fahey
My wife, Kristina, and I were married just weeks after our twenty-second birthdays. We were still in our final year of college, young, naive — and in love. Our Catholic faith was always a central part of our lives and our relationship. We t … [Read more...]
Conception: A Contradiction?
December 11, 2020 by Francis Etheredge
[Cf. Francis Etheredge: Conception: An Icon of the Beginning, St. Louis: En Route Books and Media, 2019: https://enroutebooksandmedia.com/conception/ (the publisher’s page includes interviews, reviews, endorsements, Contents and connections … [Read more...]
A Review Essay of The Devil’s Redemption: A New History and Interpretation of Christian Universalism
December 11, 2020 by Dr. Ralph Martin, STD
This is a very important book. In two large and carefully documented volumes, Dr. McClymond, a professor of theology at St. Louis University, has traced the entire history of Christian universalism from its first appearance in the Gnostic … [Read more...]
Homilies for December 2020
November 25, 2020 by Rev. John P. Cush, STD
For December 6, Immaculate Conception, December 13, December 20, Christmas, December 27 2nd Sunday of Advent – December 6, 2020 Readings: Is 40:1–5, 9–11 • Ps 85:9-10-11-12, 13–14 • 2 Pt 3:8–14 • Mk 1:1–8 bible.usccb.org/bi … [Read more...]
Liturgical Lessons for Social Media from Medieval Hermits
November 25, 2020 by Fr. Edward Linton
In the face of stay-at-home orders and church closures put in place throughout the world to keep people safe from the coronavirus, Catholic priests have exhibited remarkable pastoral creativity. One has only to browse social media to see … [Read more...]
Hope: A Virtue for Our Time
Faith, hope, and charity are the three theological virtues — the three virtues that direct us immediately and rightly to God Himself.[1. St. Thomas Aquinas says that the theological virtues are called “Theological” for three reasons: God is … [Read more...]
Making Pastoral Sense of Pope Francis’ “Civil Arrangement” Proposal
November 25, 2020 by Dr. Tiju Thomas
Pope Francis’ recent comments on “civil arrangement/union” for same-sex couples have caused concern among many across the world. Several Catholic bishops, archbishops and even a few cardinals have not minced words in their criticism. Even so … [Read more...]
The Month of the Priesthood
November 25, 2020 by Fr. Nathaniel Dreyer
One of the relatively minor and nonetheless frustrating consequences of COVID’s rude invasion into society can be observed in diaconal and priestly ordinations. These typically large-scale celebrations have been reduced to minute g … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – December 2020
November 25, 2020 by Fr. Brian Mullady, OP
Joseph and the Virginal Conception Question: What was Joseph’s state of mind when he knew for certain that Mary was with child? I cannot believe he doubted her purity, despite the reality before him. Answer: This is a very important q … [Read more...]
Book Reviews – December 2020
November 25, 2020 by Book Reviews
Art and Architecture for Congregational Worship: The Search for Common Ground. By Richard S. Vosko. Reviewed by Christopher Siuzdak. (skip to review) American Priest: The Ambitious Life and Conflicted Legacy of Notre Dame’s Father Ted Hes … [Read more...]
“I Am The Immaculate Conception”
November 13, 2020 by Carolyn Humphreys, OCDS
In his classic and inspirational book The Song of Bernadette, a novel based on the true story of Mary’s apparitions and miracle at Lourdes, France, Franz Werfel wrote, “Then at last she revealed the most important happening of the day, whi … [Read more...]
Religious Life: Ideal and Reality
November 13, 2020 by Fr. Richard Gribble, CSC
All aspects of life are experienced on a continuum between the poles of ideal and reality. Human relationships are one example. Certainly, all desire our relationships to be of an ideal, but such a desire is not possible, for reality tells … [Read more...]
Recent Comments