Freedom in Our Souls

We cannot exercise freedom from inordinate attachments unless we have accepted the purifications which are necessary to be freed from our self-centered instincts. St. Augustine This is salvation: to live in the consolation of the Holy … [Read more...]

The Formation of Priests: Knowledge and Sanctity

Though there has yet to be published a history of the formation of priests, the historic concern for good priests assumes that the Church has needed, and continues to need, effective seminaries and programs of formation Christ, the Good … [Read more...]

Dietrich von Hildebrand on the Natural Ends of Religion

The ultimate aim of all authentic religious practice, von Hildebrand always insists, is the creation of a truly supernatural life in the soul of the believer, in order to bring him to a final end with God that fallen nature can never hope … [Read more...]

“Read Your Thomas”: The Advice We Should Heed

Aquinas was the model philosopher for Ralph McInerny, and following the likes of 20th century Thomists such as Maritain, Gilson, Fabro, and DeKonick, he wanted the world (and the Church) to see the necessity of this man and his … [Read more...]

Getting a Grip on Gossip

The Church reminds us that we have the obligation to correct our brother’s fault for the sake of righteousness out of love ...  We are called to do this in a spirit of gentleness and humility. A First Down Broadmoor Drive Growing up in a … [Read more...]

Glorious Wounds—Christ’s and Ours

You could say that Christ’s glorious wounds are our wounds. He took our humanity to himself in the Incarnation ... Christ’s humanity is completely ours.   Central to the mystery of the Christian faith is Jesus Christ’s suffering, death, an … [Read more...]

Preaching to the Whole Person: Classical Wisdom for the New Evangelization

St. Augustine, the Church’s foremost teacher in the classical art of Christian preaching, master rhetorician, and former teacher of oratory, was convinced that the pagan rhetorical tradition, so important to the ancient cultures of Greece a … [Read more...]

The Church on Trial

Augustine: A New Biography . O’Donnell, J.J. (2005). NY: Harper-Collins Publisher, 10 E. 53 rd St., 10022 pp. 336 BP $26.95.

This rendition of Augustine’s life and legacy is by no means hagiographical. As a matter of fact it is, at times, down-right hostile. The first part of the book is based mainly on an exegesis of The Confessions. O’Donnell questions its gen … [Read more...]