Many sincere Catholics associate kneeling with greater reverence and standing with something less. It’s an understandable instinct. But when we look at how the Church herself has understood these gestures across history, a clearer picture emerges. The question is not one of “more” or “less” reverent postures, but of fitting ones. And the Church’s own...
While the Epstein files have turned out to contain many genuinely shocking revelations about this man’s malign influence on public life, for a long time the belief that this would turn out to be the case was firmly in the category of conspiracism. It fed off the same anxieties, fears, and prejudices as,...
Update: The SSPX has formally declined the offer of dialogue. Last Wednesday, I published a backgrounder on the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), in which I attempted to lay out why the SSPX’s planned consecration of new bishops this July is effectively a schism in all but name. Within 24 hours, events moved...
Many sincere Catholics associate kneeling with greater reverence and standing with something less. It’s an understandable instinct. But when we look at how the Church herself has understood these gestures across history, a clearer picture emerges. The question is not one of “more” or “less” reverent postures, but of fitting ones. And the Church’s own...
While the Epstein files have turned out to contain many genuinely shocking revelations about this man’s malign influence on public life, for a long time the belief that this would turn out to be the case was firmly in the category of conspiracism. It fed off the same anxieties, fears, and prejudices as,...
Update: The SSPX has formally declined the offer of dialogue. Last Wednesday, I published a backgrounder on the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), in which I attempted to lay out why the SSPX’s planned consecration of new bishops this July is effectively a schism in all but name. Within 24 hours, events moved...
With dust-like ashes crossed upon our foreheads, each one of us is firmly presented with Ash Wednesday’s wake-up call that our mortal body, this earthly life, is passing away — sooner than we realize — and that you and I would be wise to diligently prepare for eternity by getting our lives in...
This is a homily that was given by Deacon Steve O’Neill for the 6th Sunday in Ordinary time. We are sharing it tonight due to its focus on sin and our call to righteousness. This past Sunday’s reading from Matthew is surely one of the longer Gospel readings we hear in Ordinary Time,...
A recent meeting between Cardinal Víctor Fernández and the leadership of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X (SSPX) has raised important questions about authority, unity, and the limits of pastoral flexibility in the Catholic Church. How far is Rome willing to go to restore communion with groups that resist parts of the...
Note: Deacon Doug graciously shared this homily with us for February 1st. Unfortunately, due to an email glitch, the piece went unposted. However, we feel it is a valuable reflection and are sharing it now, albeit two weeks late. As we all know, Jesus commanded us to love our neighbor as we love...
The United Nations has been unjustly vilified over the years, usually by people who have an agenda or do not understand how it works, its context, and the stakes involved. The reality is that the UN is a beneficial organization that has done, and continues to do, much good. Pope Leo XIV, in...
The chief deceit used to conceal the new schism is the name of “Catholic.” The originators and adherents of the schism presumptuously lay claim to this name despite their condemnation by Our authority and judgment. It has always been the custom of heretics and schismatics to call themselves Catholics and to proclaim their...
Valentine’s Day arrives each year with predictable enthusiasm. Shops turn red, restaurants fill, and love is packaged into cards, flowers, and carefully planned moments. For a brief time, it feels as though love is everywhere. Then the day passes, the decorations disappear, and ordinary life resumes. Yet love—real love—is not confined to a...
Those sympathetic to the Society of St. Pius X will remind you that the Church has never formally declared the SSPX to be in schism. Arguably, this may be true. But the 1988 episcopal consecrations carried out by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre were deemed a “schismatic act” by Pope St. John Paul II in...
In this episode, I spoke with Rhonda Miska, a lay minister working at a parish in the Twin Cities. A couple of weeks ago, I received an email from Rhonda introducing herself, thanking me for the podcast, and sharing with me some of her experiences working as a lay minister in the Twin...
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