Christian Antidotes for Drudgery
A reflection on the Sunday readings for February 7, 2021 — the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time If there ever is a time when I want to reflect on the book of Job, this isn’t that week. Job experiences make him...
Tagged: Mercy
Invalid Sacraments: Can you be damned on a technicality?
In light of the recent news from Detroit about a Catholic priest who discovered his baptism as an infant was invalid, Adam Rasmussen and DW Lafferty join me to discuss the Church’s approach to sacramental validity, scrupulosity, and confidence in...
What is meant by “Catholic Lite”?
It was perhaps foolish for my wife and me to attempt effective social-distancing with three children under six on a summer evening in a neighbor’s backyard. So we contracted COVID-19 on the Fourth of July. Our symptoms were relatively mild,...
Mercy for me, but not for thee
“At times one gets the impression that our society needs to have at least one group to which no tolerance may be shown; which one can easily attack and hate. And should someone dare to approach them—in this case the...
We will be judged on this
I was in prison and you visited me. — Matthew 25:36 In Victor Hugo’s masterpiece Les Miserables, the protagonist Jean Valjean is released on parole and given a yellow identification paper that said to all he met that he was...
New Episode! Divine Mercy, Doubting Thomas, & Culture Wars
In this week’s episode of Peter’s Field Hospital, Dan Amiri and Paul Fahey join me for a discussion about Divine Mercy, Saint Thomas, and Catholic Social Teaching. Next, I talk to DW Lafferty about Catholicism, Liberalism, and the Culture Wars....
Grasping at the Common Good
What will our world look like when this experiment in liberalism comes to an end? I am not asking this hypothetically. The reality is that once-democratic societies around the globe are increasingly eschewing the principles of liberalism in order to...
The Plans of St. Thomas
The Gospel reading for the second Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday, tells the story of “Doubting Thomas.” I was grateful for the reminder that Saint Thomas was late to the game (so to speak) not just by a day...
Who Knows?
Those who work in the world of finance and investments are very familiar with this disclaimer that appears on countless documents and presentations: “Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.” Investment professionals have an ethical obligation to ensure...
Urbi et Orbi: Meeting the real Pope Francis
Last Friday’s extraordinary Urbi et Orbi blessing received a very positive reception. Most Catholics on social media, even many who are usually critical of Pope Francis, praised the ceremony as a much-needed beacon of hope in the midst of the...
Who we know God is
Recently I’ve been struck by a verse in chapter seventeen of John’s Gospel. Jesus is with his apostles during the last supper, offering a long prayer, and at one point he says to his Heavenly Father, “Now this is eternal...
Love, even when it’s difficult
On the day he found out he had an aggressive form of leukemia, my father received the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time in 53 years. Many faith traditions place an emphasis on atoning for wrong done. In the...
Popular Posts