All humans struggle with moral perfection, and temptations to sin are ever-present. Jesus tells us, “Temptations to sin are sure to come . . .” (Lk 17:1; RSV-CE). Yet Jesus, the Catholic Church, and Sacred Scripture call us to moral per … [Read more...]
Book Reviews – October 2023
Aquinas on Scripture: A Primer. By John F. Boyle. Reviewed by D.M. Walker. (skip to review) Remembering Why We Preach: A Retreat to Renew Your Spirit and Skill. By Karla J. Bellinger and Michael E. Connors, CSC. Reviewed by Deacon … [Read more...]
Healed, Mystic, Teacher: Seminary Spiritual Formation
Go to Part I “Spiritual formation is directed at nourishing and sustaining communion with God . . . This intimate relationship forms the heart of the seminarian in that sacrificial love that marks the beginning of pastoral charity.”[1. Na … [Read more...]
Book Reviews – January 2023
December 22, 2022 by Book Reviews
Theology as Prayer: A Primer for the Diocesan Priest. By Msgr. Walter R. Oxley and Fr. John P. Cush. Reviewed by Fr. Ryan A. Muldoon. (skip to review) Theology and Science in the Thought of Ian Barbour: A Thomistic Evaluation for the … [Read more...]
Caregivers of the Soul
November 25, 2022 by Carolyn Humphreys, OCDS
In the first dwelling of her spiritual classic, The Interior Castle, Teresa of Avila cautions us: “We know we have souls. However, we seldom consider the precious things that can be found in this soul, or who dwells within it, or its high v … [Read more...]
Solidarity in Suffering
June 24, 2022 by Carolyn Humphreys, OCDS
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...]
Book Reviews – May 2022
April 28, 2022 by Book Reviews
The Decline and Fall of Sacred Scripture: How the Bible Became a Secular Book. By Scott Hahn and Benjamin Wiker. Reviewed by Nathan Farrar. (skip to review) Exegetical Gems from Biblical Hebrew. By H.H. II Hardy. Reviewed by D. Malachi … [Read more...]
Lent: In Search Of the One and the Real
February 26, 2022 by Philip Primeau
Lent, the great and holy fast, comes upon us again. It is a season of promise and peril. Promise, because we are invited to anticipate in ourselves the paschal mystery, whereby human nature is healed and elevated. Peril, because we risk … [Read more...]
Book Reviews – September 2021
September 9, 2021 by Book Reviews
The Hundredfold Songs for the Lord. By Anthony Esolen. Reviewed by Lawrence Montz. (skip to review) An Introduction to the Creeds. By Steve Ray and Dennis Walters. Reviewed by Joseph Tuttle. (skip to review) Eight Popes and the Crisis … [Read more...]
Prayer as the Gateway to Mystery
August 30, 2021 by Carolyn Humphreys, OCDS
For a Christian, mystery is reverenced as that hidden dimension in things, people, situations and life which is beyond time, place or physical description. We may understand aspects of this esoteric reality beyond us and we can appreciate … [Read more...]
Am I Called To Be a Contemplative?
The Dignity and Destiny of Every Man According to St. Teresa of Avila
June 3, 2021 by Br. John Paul Puschautz
In a world of distraction and dispersion, modern man is distraught, thirsting for peace in a troubled world. The dream of humanity sufficing in itself by its enlightened thought and conscientious humanitarian charity has met the sad reality … [Read more...]
Some Reflections on the Spiritual Life for the Lockdown
With much of our ordinary life still affected by the lockdown, it can be harder than ever to keep our heart fixed on the Lord and his divine providence. Rather than prayer, spiritual reading, contemplation and encouraging others, we may … [Read more...]
Sanctuary
March 26, 2021 by Carolyn Humphreys, OCDS
Sanctuary is like a singularly beautiful flower in a vast garden of words. It comes in varieties ranging from a place where we are safe from harm to an interior region of the heart where God dwells. “Sanctuary” originates from the Latin roo … [Read more...]
Pope Francis and the Girardian Moment
February 25, 2021 by E. Tyler Graham
The promulgation of the Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete et exsultate constitutes a decisive moment in the Magisterial teaching of the Church. Perhaps its most obvious contribution is breathing the spirituality of St. Ignatius Loyola into the … [Read more...]
Toward a Causal Account of Priestly Formation
A Reading of Pastores Dabo Vobis
January 28, 2021 by Matthew Walz
Pope St. John Paul II published Pastores dabo vobis on March 25, 1992, when the Church celebrates the Annunciation, the initial moment of the Incarnation. No doubt he chose this date deliberately — and fittingly so. For when a man enters s … [Read more...]
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