On Filial Respect and Humility
I am never more at a loss for words than when one of my elementary school-aged children argues with me as if we are on the same playing ground. If I say the sky is blue, they will argue with...
Category: Reflection
Always with the Pope
A reflection on fidelity to the teaching of Peter’s successor in times of controversy and questioning Introduction: The pain of a father being hurt It has been very painful to witness in recent weeks numerous attacks, criticisms and suspicions against...
Reflections on Pope Francis’ 2024 World Day of Peace message
Fast-moving advancements in science and technology grab our attention, spark fascination, and receive automatic acceptance within our modern societies which crave new things, quick results, and instant gratification. Within such an atmosphere there is often little time given to examine...
But who do you say that I am?
God is truly so close to us that we don’t even know him. Anyone who is a parent will understand exactly what that means. When you know someone, literally from the moment they appear on the earth and tend to...
Why do we have to go to Church twice this Christmas?
“That’s not fair.” “That makes no sense.” “I don’t see why it doesn’t count if you just go once, it’s a Sunday.” “Do we still get to open one gift early like we do every year on Christmas Eve?” These...
A Christmas Message from the Heavens
On Christmas Eve, December 24, 1968, the crew of Apollo 8 entered lunar orbit and began circling the moon – the first time in history for humans to visit another world. That evening the crew’s astronauts Bill Anders, Jim Lovell...
Desiring Heaven
Anyone who has read of the life of St. Padre Pio has undoubtedly learned of his many interactions with the holy souls. One of these tales involves St. Pio praying alone in the friary and being surprised at the sudden...
We are all called to be holy
I am putting this together late on All Saints’ Day, so most of you won’t read this until November 2. But I would like to share a few things that might be worth reflecting on and carrying through this month...
With Faces Unveiled
It is clear in reading the Gospels that tensions ran high between Jesus and the scribes, Pharisees, and lawyers. The Gospels recount a number of instances when one or another of them “stood up to test Him.” He in His...
A Pope for All People
Pope Francis welcomed actress and activist Whoopi Goldberg to a private audience recently, and he told her she was “really important.” I used to have a really hard time with news stories like this one. The pre-COVID, self-righteous version of...
St. Thérèse’s Closeness to the Lost
Pope Francis’s apostolic exhortation on St. Thérèse of Lisieux, C’est la confiance (“It is confidence”), discusses at length an aspect of Theresian spirituality that is widely known but not widely examined. Thérèse is an enormously appealing saint, with there being...
Keeping God at Arm’s Length: The Danger Averted by Vatican II
In reading some articles presently published on Catholic websites, one might get the impression that the story of Cain and Abel is an apt parable for the state of the Catholic Church, especially in the United States. Who is to...
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