“I’m still converting!”
Years ago, my pastor took a group of men from my parish on a pilgrimage down to Mexico City, to visit the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe at Tepeyac Hill—where Our Lady appeared to St. Juan Diego in 1531—and...
Category: Reflection
No one is an accidental creation
In my thirty years on this earth, I have strived to live according to the commandments handed down by God fully manifest in the incarnate and risen Jesus Christ. It is never easy, regardless of which commandment. While all are...
Our Unfolding Suffering
Many Catholics today try to find solace in their suffering by imposing meaning upon their experiences. The desire to make sense of the chaos of the modern age often leads people to attempt to customize their lives and the lives...
Clothed with the Glory of God
There is an ancient tradition that before the Fall, Adam and Eve were clothed with the Glory of God. Their relationship with God was so intimate that His life radiated out from their very skin. When Eve looked at Adam,...
We must address the structural issues that plague the Church
In Pope Francis’s 2013 apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, he expressed his desire for a renewed missionary impulse throughout the entire Church. Francis called for the Church to become more mission-oriented by making “ordinary pastoral activity on every level more inclusive...
Prayer Is a Prerequisite for Holiness
In the United States, a pervasive intellectualism continues its stranglehold on Catholics, thwarting our flourishing. Again and again, we hear the need for “doctrinal clarity,” or about how Pope Francis is “confusing.” Many seem to believe that being clear-minded and...
Disagreeing with the Church
What do you do when you find yourself in disagreement with a Church teaching or objecting to a discipline that the Church legitimately imposes? Many Catholics find themselves in this place at some point in their life of faith. Some...
God, evil, and hope
The German cardinal Walter Kasper opens the first chapter of his book Mercy: The Essence of the Gospel and the Key to Christian Life by describing the twentieth century as “a horrible century in many respects.” Continuing his deplorable description...
The Miracle of Sharing
In his Angelus address this morning, Pope Francis spoke about today’s Gospel reading, the Miracle of the Loaves that opens the sixth chapter of the Gospel according to St. John. As he has done in the past, Pope Francis made...
The Destroyer of Worlds
In 2017 Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History podcast released an episode called “The Destroyer of Worlds.” I’d recommend everybody listen to it, but don’t expect to come away feeling buoyant about humanity’s future. The title “Destroyer of Worlds” is a quote...
Traditionis Custodes: A Bitter Pill
When I heard that Pope Francis had promulgated a motu proprio reimposing restrictions on the celebration of the 1962 Missal (or the Vetus Ordo), my first thought was this was greatly needed and long overdue. My second thought was that...
Traditionis Custodes: In the Hope of Liturgical Reform
In his post yesterday, Adam Rasmussen explained the theological and ecclesiological reasons for Pope Francis’s motu proprio, Traditionis Custodes. In the midst of all the controversy, there is much hope to be found in this rather bold decision. I don’t...
Popular Posts