The priest is not an angel sent from heaven. He is a man, a member of the Church, a Christian. Remaining man and Christian, he begins to speak to you the word of God. This word is not his own. No, he comes to you because God has told him to proclaim God’s...
In 1971, Frank Sheed published a book entitled What Difference Does Jesus Make? In chapter one, “The Dimming of Christ,” he writes, “Christ is in eclipse for many Christians in many Churches.” He then goes on to say, “I was talking to several hundred first- and second-year boys and girls from the Catholic...
In his 1986 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, the late Elie Wiesel, reflecting on the Holocaust, and his personal experience of it – being in the same World War II Nazi concentration camps where his mother, father and sister were murdered, and coming very close to being executed himself – voiced these...
“The path to peace does not mean making society blandly uniform, but getting people to work together, side-by-side, in pursuing goals that benefit everyone. … The path to social unity always entails acknowledging the possibility that others have, at least in part, a legitimate point of view, something worthwhile to contribute” (Pope Francis,...
I first connected with Sara Larson last summer. She reached out to me after listening to the interview we had with Dr. Marcus Mescher about moral injury and clerical sexual abuse. Since then we’ve had several conversations, and every time I walk away feeling understood and with a little more hope. Sara is the...
A reflection on the readings for Sunday, February 25, 2024 — The Second Sunday of Lent A saying gets passed around among pastors often to remind them of the purpose of their work—“feed the sheep, don’t count them.” We have to remind one another of this maxim every so often because, even for...
Moreover we may rightly and deservedly hope that our time also can contribute something towards the deeper and more accurate interpretation of Sacred Scripture. For not a few things, especially in matters pertaining to history, were scarcely at all or not fully explained by the commentators of past ages, since they lacked almost...
Here’s a quick Friday-night post. I wanted to share a short documentary on a religious movement I’ve followed with great curiosity for well over a decade: the Palmarian Christian Church, which has operated in El Palmar de Troya, Andalusia, Spain, since the 1970s. As we see many of our Catholic figures today grow...
How does the Church’s understanding of Revelation grow? How does doctrine develop, and who develops it? Dei Verbum is the key text for engaging with these questions. It affirms that Tradition develops with and through the whole Church: from the prayers and lives of laypeople, to the study of theologians, and, ultimately, the teaching...
Michael Lofton from Reason and Theology interviewed Pedro Gabriel about his new book “Heresy Disguised as Tradition” During the course of this interview, Michael and Pedro talked about how heresy often seems to seem more traditional than the magisterial interpretation, and how true tradition can sometimes be confused with innovation. They also talked about...
I returned late Monday from a ten-day trip to Rome, which began less than two weeks after a short trip to Lourdes. I used most of my Tuesday morning sleeping off jetlag, and then I dedicated the late afternoon and evening to spending time with my wife and kids, whom I’d begun to...
Are you wondering what to fast from this Lent – sweets? alcohol, or just simply eating less? This kind of fasting has its place, but if you truly want to discover what fasting is especially meant to achieve, that is, to fast in a way that will bring about a holy change for...
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