A reflection on the Scripture Readings for February 19, 2023 — the Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time. Click here for the audio version. How many of you think that you are perfect? How many of you think you are holy? This question is for couples. Do you think that your spouse or partner is...
A more dangerous reductionism is that which claims to interpret and apply the laws of the Church in a manner that is detached from the teaching of the Magisterium. According to this view, only formal legislative acts and not doctrinal pronouncements would have disciplinary value. It is obvious that those operating from this...
Since the beginning of the new year, the opposition to Pope Francis has intensified in its determination to fan the flames of division in the Church. Recently, some Catholic media outlets have attempted to undermine the authority of the pope by exploiting the so-called “liturgy wars” — conjuring up accusations that Vatican Cardinal...
“A kind of cultural relativism exists today, evident in the conceptualization and defense of an ethical pluralism, which sanctions the decadence and disintegration of reason and the principles of the natural moral law. Furthermore, it is not unusual to hear the opinion expressed in the public sphere that such ethical pluralism is the...
Valentine’s Day is upon us, and stores have been overflowing with chocolate hearts, boxes of class Valentines with gummy wristbands, and stuffed teddy bears. It can be an overwhelming time for many, especially the single who long for a significant other, those grieving for lost loved ones, or even stressed mothers trying to...
I first discovered Jordan Daniel Wood a little over a year ago when I stumbled across his interview on the Particular Good podcast about his book “The Whole Mystery of Christ: Creation as Incarnation in Maximus Confessor.” I listened to this two-hour discussion while I baked Christmas cookies. I have to admit that I only...
A reflection on the Scripture Readings of February 12, 2023 — the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. (Click here for the audio.) A headline grabbed my attention enroute during my flight from India. It said, “An 85-year Harvard study found the No. 1 thing that makes us happy in life: It helps us...
If human forces alone cannot be adequate to the task before us, the help of Almighty God who has guided his Church throughout the centuries in the midst of great conflicts and opposition will certainly not desert us, this humble and most recent servant of the servants of God. Placing our hand in that...
Last night, I came across a live YouTube discussion of the prayer service that took place in October 2019. Michael Lofton invited Father Deacon Anthony Dragani, an Eastern Catholic deacon and professor of Religious Studies at Mount Aloysius College in Cresson, Pennsylvania, to join him on his Reason & Theology podcast to break...
“I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.”[1] The Catholic Church has often been criticized for promoting a religion of dos and don’ts, a religion of commandments, decrees, mandates, rubrics and directives that smother all freedom and initiative....
Having returned from his journey to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, Pope Francis dedicated his General Audience address today to reflect on the pilgrimage. We have already discussed his time in the DRC, so let’s fast forward to his reflections on his ecumenical trip to the young, war-torn nation of...
I get the sense from many Catholic preachers and pastors that they don’t understand human weakness. More than that, too often I have heard Catholic preachers downplay, or deny, the reality of mental illness, treating addiction as if it’s a bad habit, depression and anxiety as if they’re spiritual problems, or trauma as...
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