Introduction What is the difference between a furrow and a rut? A furrow is an intentional emptiness cut into the earth in preparation for fullness. A farmer’s plow intentionally cuts a furrow, opening the earth to produce a full harvest. A … [Read more...]
Magazine
Meditations Upon The Virgin’s Virtues for Contemporary Clergy, Part 1
August 18, 2017 by Fr. Kenneth G. Davis, OFM Conv.
Perceptions of Ministry, and Facilitators and Barriers of Self-Care, Amongst Roman Catholics and Anglicans in Full-Time Ministry
The work of clergy and others serving in full-time Christian ministry is unique. They are often intimately involved in important life transitions and events, such as births, baptisms, weddings, serious illnesses, deaths, and the grieving … [Read more...]
Screen Time, Sacred Time
Could Tech Use Affect Your Ability to Pray?
August 18, 2017 by Stephen Sharkey
Let me begin with a story I read a while ago that really got me thinking about screen time.[1.This article is based on a parish education presentation given in May 2017 at Saint Mary of the Visitation Catholic Parish, Elm Grove, … [Read more...]
The Flawed Strategy Behind Amoris Laetitia
August 18, 2017 by Fr. Regis Scanlon, OFMCap
Catholics continue to be confounded by the mixed signals sent by Pope Francis' Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia. Given the high-ranking Church officials who have weighed in (but on opposite sides), and some who have been apparently … [Read more...]
Drawing Others to Celebrate God’s Mercy Through Storytelling
August 18, 2017 by Stephanie H. To
“Read me just one more story!” Maggie lay snuggled beneath the pink floral quilt, her brown eyes imploring me to continue reading from the big book of fairy tales. “You should be asleep already,” I replied. I gave a half-hearted sigh, tur … [Read more...]
Questions Answered
August 18, 2017 by Fr. Brian Mullady, OP
Question: Can you explain to me the problem of evil exemplified in the Book of Job? Answer: In answer to your question, I would like to summarize the Commentary on the Book of Job by Thomas Aquinas, which I have recently translated. As … [Read more...]
Homilies for August 2017
July 27, 2017 by Fr. Steven Beseau
August 6, 2017—Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord Readings: http://usccb.org/bible/readings/080617.cfm Dn 7:9-10, 13-14; Ps 97:1-2, 5-6, 9; 2 Pt 1:16-19; Mt 17:1-9 “It’s an adrenaline-fueled thrill ride.” “Twice the action, and … [Read more...]
The Centrality of Love to the Teaching of Humanae Vitae
July 21, 2017 by Dr. Maria Fedoryka, PhD
Introduction The approach of the 50th anniversary of Humanae vitae gives us the opportunity to once again meditate on the Church’s teaching on human generation, and on the magnificent articulation of this teaching in recent decades, coming … [Read more...]
Using the Means at Hand for Spiritual Growth
July 21, 2017 by Fr. Joseph Koterski, S.J.
When retreatants ask for suggestions about how to deepen their prayer and to grow in their spiritual lives, their directors might have suggestions about some new approach to try. But often it is better to encourage people to work patiently … [Read more...]
When the Church Defames Her Priests
Over the last two decades, the Roman Catholic Church in the United States has reeled under claims of clerical sexual abuse. The claims resulted in extraordinary liability and wide-spread publicity. When bad things happen in any … [Read more...]
A German Philosopher Sees the World
A Review Essay of Josef Pieper’s Not Yet the Twilight: An Autobiography
July 21, 2017 by Fr. James V. Schall, SJ
“The almost lethal crisis of American Catholicism after the second Vatican Council, I was convinced, consisted mainly in the absence of a living theology in the universities. Again and again, the guest (i.e., Pieper) from Europe, the old c … [Read more...]
Of Horses and Men
July 21, 2017 by Dr. John M. Grondelski
Over thirty-five years have passed since St. John Paul II issued his encyclical, Laborem exercens. Its key principle—that human labor has priority over raw capital (§12)—was, and remains, a revolutionary proposition. It shouldn’t be. Capita … [Read more...]
A Layman’s Look at Television Commercials
July 21, 2017 by Cornelius F. Murphy
In 1979, the Justice Department filed suit against the National Association of Broadcasters claiming that it was illegal for the members of that trade group to agree to restrict media advertising. The rules of the association would limit … [Read more...]
Questions Answered
July 21, 2017 by Fr. Brian Mullady, OP
Question: Does a homily mean something other than a sermon? Online dictionaries seem to show them to be interchangeable. I have for years now believed homilies to be based on Scripture, and sermons might cover a range of topics, not … [Read more...]
Homilies for July 2017
June 28, 2017 by Fr. Patrick Hyde, OP
July 2, 2017 - 13th Sunday of Ordinary Time Readings: http://usccb.org/bible/readings/070217.cfm 2 Kgs 4:8-11, 14-16a; Ps 89:2-3, 16-17, 18-19; Rom 6:3-4, 8-11; Mt 10:37-42 The gradual conversions of pious saints pale in comparison wi … [Read more...]
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