A reflection on the readings for Sunday, February 4, 2024 — The Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Several years ago, while living at the seminary in Providence, I got hit with a horrible flu. I’ve never felt so sick. Some of you may have had this experience. One night, as I lay in...
“We hear the word of God many times, yet it enters into one ear and goes out the other: why? Perhaps because, as those witnesses make clear, we need to stop being ‘deaf’ to God’s word. This is a risk for all of us: overwhelmed by a barrage of words, we let the...
This is the second article in the series “The Once and Future Lord.” The first was “Uniting Treasures Both Old and New.” Recently, the Washington Times posted a pair of articles on mental health and mental strength. The question had been raised in the summer of 2021 when the gymnast Simone Biles, after...
The Holy Father’s recent series of General Audience addresses has covered virtues and vices, during which he has spoken about many topics, including the importance of forgiveness, guarding against nurturing anger, and resolving conflict in families. The Church has given us numerous examples of Christians who have been graced with the ability of...
I have returned to the US, following several days in Lourdes. While there, I participated in the 27th annual St. Francis de Sales International Congress, along with around 250 other Catholic journalists and communications professionals, hailing from 30 countries (although most of the participants were from France). I enjoyed the opportunity to meet...
To celebrate my new book “Heresy Disguised as Tradition“, I gave a three-part interview to Dominic de Souza of Smart Catholics. Here is the first installment: In this interview, we covered the following key points: 1. The precise definition of heresy: I explain how heresy is not simply disagreeing with the Church...
Last Sunday, Pope Francis officially opened the Year of Prayer, in preparation for the 2025 Jubilee. During the Angelus, the Holy Father announced that this year will be “dedicated to rediscovering the great value and absolute need for prayer in personal life, in the life of the Church, and in the world.”...
Editor’s note: We present this past weekend’s homily from Father Alex Roche a day late due to technical difficulties. In 1554, St. Teresa of Avila began experiencing visions that would continue in some form throughout her life–visions of Christ, her soul, and angels, among other things. Initially and under her spiritual directors’ advice,...
This is the first article in the series “The Once and Future Lord.” I am not a fan of jigsaw puzzles. When I gaze at hundreds of small bits of cardboard daubed with variegated colors, my vision soon blurs, and my mind grows numb. However, during the Christmas days, it often happens that...
Brother Charles thus reminds us that the first step in evangelizing is to have Jesus inside one’s heart; it is to “fall head over heels” for him. If this does not happen, we can hardly show it with our lives. Instead, we risk talking about ourselves, the group to which we belong (…)...
What does it mean to walk the path of Christ as a flawed person? We see over and over that God calls flawed humans to enact His word. What kind of perfection can God create with flawed servants such as us? What does it mean that we are part of God’s plan, that...
Editor’s note: This is a long-form essay in five parts, all published simultaneously below. The word count is around 12,400. Part 1 The liturgical path of the Church after Vatican II Introduction The Second Vatican Council, a watershed in the life of the Catholic Church, famously generated a number of significant reforms, particularly...
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