Among some Catholics, there is outright opposition to the upcoming Synod on Synodality. On EWTN, for instance, Robert Royal described the synod by saying “I think that basically, it’s going to come down to a committee appointed by the pope who are going to write a document or make recommendations that we can...
Imagine three expressions written above the doorway… The expressions are: “may I?”, “thank you”, and “pardon me”. Indeed, these expressions open up the way to living well in your family, to living in peace. They are simple expressions, but not so simple to put into practice! They hold much power: the power to...
There has not been much progress since last Christmas in healing the injustice and suffering in our Church and our society. That is sad, but the difference this year—for me personally, anyway—is that I’m no longer surprised by the scandal, the darkness, the duplicity, the dishonesty in our Church and in our country....
Because my parents live in lovely southern California, I have regular access to that land of ultimate commercial happiness: Disneyland. Unlike other theme parks, Disneyland is all about the story, the stepping into a world of what could be—which also means stepping out of the world that is. I’ve been to Disneyland easily...
Editor’s note: This is the eighth and final article in “Combat For Contemplative Life,” a series about the responses — inside and outside the cloister — to Pope Francis’s reforms for women religious in contemplative communities. Part one, by Mike Lewis, “A Praying Heart: How Pope Francis intends to save the cloistered life,”...
Some of Pope Francis’ critics seem scandalized by his takes on imperfection. For them, imperfection gets in the way of holiness. But Francis shows us that reality is more messy than what we think–and this should not scandalize us. Reality is deeply sacramental, but at the same time, deeply fallen. Though these two...
This is a reflection for the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, December 26, 2021 When we come together to celebrate Mass during the Christmas season, we see the entire Church on full display in a manner distinct from any other time of year. At Christmas, we encounter the...
This morning, Pope Francis offered the customary Christmas Urbi et Orbi address (“to the city and the world”), offering prayers for peace, healing, and reconciliation for the people of countries facing crises and hardships throughout the world. Reporting for Catholic News Service, Cindy Wooden reports: “Jesus came into the world “like a whisper, like...
“Yet what do those words – for us – really mean? They mean that the Son of God, the one who is holy by nature, came to make us, as God’s children, holy by grace. Yes, God came into the world as a child to make us children of God. What a magnificent gift! ...
Pope Francis has said some penetrating and at times disarming words on the infant Jesus this week, in the days leading up to Christmas. A theme that he has returned to repeatedly is the humility of the Savior of the World at the very beginning of his earthly life. What is more humbling...
“I often find myself longing for a presence, but more than that something tangible. No matter how many times I read the bible, pray, and go to Sunday school I still feel unconnected and lost. Sometimes I get the feeling that it is my fault.” One of my high school freshmen students at...
Following the publication of Traditionis Custodes, and now even more with the publication of the new guidelines for its implementation, Pope Francis has been accused of attacking “tradition.” For instance, Eric Sammons concluded a recent article in Crisis with the following line: “All Catholics of good will must pray and fast that our...
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