Archives for 2013

Attacking the Roots of Abortion

What is really required ... is to address the thought processes and motivations that prompt people to seek abortion as a solution to a personal problem that should not have occurred in the first place. Catholics, and our counterparts in … [Read more...]

The New Evangelization: The Holiness of the Church

The New Evangelization is our cooperation with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the 21st century ... an evangelization foreshadowed by Vatican II, according to Popes John XXIII and Paul VI ... an evangelization whose importance became m … [Read more...]

Fifty Years Later–Vatican II’s Unfinished Business

Today, 50 years after the opening of Vatican II, the misinterpretation of one of its most salient documents, Lumen Gentium, continues to drive a number of Catholics in the United States into one of two camps, the “right” or the “le … [Read more...]

True freedom is interior

Interior freedom is gained by loving God and one’s neighbor, and by not being inordinately attached to any created thing.               Alexander Solzhenitsyn and St. Therese of Lisieux Freedom is what makes man to be man.  Freedom is wh … [Read more...]

Encouragement vs. Cynicism: An Easter Reflection

“The community of believers was of one heart and mind” (Acts 4:32)   Icon of St. Barnabas and ancient mosaic of the "Procession of Early Christian Martyrs" It has become commonplace today to spread about the faults of priests. One deve … [Read more...]

The Septuagint in the Theology of Joseph Ratzinger / Pope Benedict XVI

In ascribing to the Septuagint a theological relevance reaching above and beyond the literal content of its Hebrew source, making it an “independent textual witness,” Benedict is drawing upon the theology of revelation that he began to dev … [Read more...]

Glorious Wounds—Christ’s and Ours

You could say that Christ’s glorious wounds are our wounds. He took our humanity to himself in the Incarnation ... Christ’s humanity is completely ours.   Central to the mystery of the Christian faith is Jesus Christ’s suffering, death, an … [Read more...]

Hand to the Plow

The religious sister’s separation from family and friends means that ... in order to “put one’s hand to the plow” (Lk 9:59-60) one may not look back ... in order to attend to the “one thing necessary.” Introduction One of the distinctiv … [Read more...]

Thank God for Pope Francis

If my assessment of Pope Francis is correct, then I believe that the Conclave of Cardinals could not have been other than divinely inspired. As I reflect upon the election of the new Pope, I cannot help but believe that it was in every … [Read more...]

April 2013 Homilies

For Sunday Liturgies and Feasts Homilies for April 2013 Jesus Risen by Carravagio;  Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations by Harry Anderson; They hear his voice. 2nd Sunday of Easter—April 7, 2013 Something Greater Here than Sol … [Read more...]

The Virtue of Fidelity

My thoughts turn to the importance and need of fidelity precisely at this time when the Church is being tested, both from within and from without.    Fidelity to one’s word, to one’s promises, and to one’s vows to God is not something that … [Read more...]

Helping to Heal the Pain in the Pew: The Preachers Role

This sex abuse scandal is, perhaps, the first time our listeners in the pews truly understand the pervasiveness of sin. ... The preacher speaks of its toll on our hearts, while ...reminding us that grace is more … [Read more...]

On Giving: What goes around…

When we are reunited with God fully in the Heavenly City, how should we explain what we have done with the entirely unmerited gifts that have been given us? Parable of the Talents  by Willem de Poorter; English martyr, Robert … [Read more...]

Darkness, the Theological Virtues, and Finding the Inflection Point

... the downward inflection consists of distrust in God, and a focus on the importance of self. The upward inflection involves abandonment to divine providence, and a focus on reflecting the light of Christ. According to many Catholic … [Read more...]

Welcome, Holy Father Francis!

Like Francis of Assisi, our Holy Father is calling us back to the great saint who “rebuilt Christ's Church” by living a life of sheer simplicity and charity.    St. Francis of Assisi, Pope Francis: "Rebuild my House" Let us take this oppo … [Read more...]