The heart hardens with a kind of moral crust that excludes compassion for others and prevents communication with others, especially God. Habits of sin, especially the seven deadly sins, keep us focused on our own pleasure, honor, and … [Read more...]
Archives for 2014
Catholic Ecumenism: Towards an Integration of Faith, Hope, and Charity
July 26, 2014 by Dr. Christopher J. Malloy
The purpose of this one Church is to bring about the supernatural communion of all humanity together in the Spirit, under Christ as head, giving praise to the Father. Popes Pius XI, Pius XII, John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Pope F … [Read more...]
Teaching the Faith: Contributions from Thomas Aquinas
July 11, 2014 by Br. Michael Weibley, OP
God's love, mediated through the articles of faith, is a communication of God's love speaking to us. Those who hear, and cling to the merciful speech of God, in faith, are the ones who attain this saving knowledge. "But when the Son of M … [Read more...]
Time to Abandon the Genesis Story?
July 10, 2014 by Dennis Bonnette, PhD
Legitimate science can never assert that Adam and Eve are impossible. It might claim that they are improbable, but never impossible. God’s omnipotence can always make short work of long odds. Is the Genesis story of a literal Adam and Ev … [Read more...]
The Glory of the Mass
July 10, 2014 by Rev. Thomas G. Morrow
Obviously, the Mass is a glorious thing. It is the way God continues to feed his people; it is the way Jesus Christ—God made flesh—keeps his promise never to leave us orphans. Those who attend daily Mass have been given an unmatchable gra … [Read more...]
Home and School in American Catholic Life
July 10, 2014 by Joseph T. Stuart
This essay argues that understanding the historical reasons why Catholic schools and homeschooling arose can help one to see how both may contribute to the revitalization of a Catholic subculture and American society in complementary w … [Read more...]
The Problem with “A Personal Relationship with Jesus”
July 10, 2014 by Dr. Jay Boyd, PhD
... a baptized, confirmed Catholic who faithfully partakes of the sacraments of reconciliation and Holy Communion in the manner prescribed by the Church certainly has a “personal relationship” with Jesus, whether or not he or she uses that p … [Read more...]
Shakespeare and the Franciscan Order
July 10, 2014 by Ken Colston
Shakespeare’s most famous Franciscan character is Friar Laurence in Romeo and Juliet. ... Friar Laurence indirectly relates tragic paradox to divine power; grace so fills the world that evil can be brought out of good, yet, good can also d … [Read more...]
Questions Answered
July 2014
July 10, 2014 by Fr. Brian Mullady, OP
Is socialized medicine ethical? When the Pope recently washed the feet of women on Holy Thursday, does that mean that the liturgical law is changed which prescribes that only men should have their feet washed? Question: Is so … [Read more...]
Homilies for July 2014
June 26, 2014 by Fr. Brian W. Harrison, OS, STD
Homilies For Sunday Liturgies and Holy Days, July 2014 14th Sunday of Ordinary Time—July 6, 2014 Jesus, meek and humble of heart Purpose: Today’s readings provide one of the most wonderful opportunities, in the three-year Sunday cy … [Read more...]
A God of Created Desires
Editorial for June 2014
June 26, 2014 by David Vincent Meconi
The Lord has given us desires, and wants to fulfill them, with his care, and with his peace; he wants us to flourish in knowing him, and directing all endeavors and expectations to him. St. Ignatius of Loyola knew, better than most, of … [Read more...]
Decoding Vatican II’s Marian Paradigm Shift
June 26, 2014 by Fr. Timothy J. Sauppe, STL
This Vatican II Mariological paradigmatic shift reverberated into all areas of ecclesial theology and liturgy, through a new hermeneutic or interpretation that went beyond the council’s purview and became what is described as a new ethos, t … [Read more...]
The “Inhumanity” of the Homosexual Lifestyle
June 26, 2014 by Fr. Paul Conner, OP
To love as a person is freely to wish goodness for someone ... Love always wants to affirm, and to better, one’s friend. Through the power of free choice, true love makes the friend, not the self, the beneficiary. Can there be a more … [Read more...]
The Giver and the Gift
June 26, 2014 by Fr. Charles Kestermeier, SJ
God is himself the first, and absolutely the most important gift that God gives to us, which implies a second gift: God gives us our very selves. One thing that people seem to do in all cultures is to give gifts, and this is always … [Read more...]
The Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help for Priests
June 26, 2014 by Rev. Edward Lee Looney, STB, MDiv
The message the Queen of Heaven gave to Adele Brise in 1859 was mission-oriented and provides a focus to the Church’s efforts of evangelization. The conversation between Adele and Our Lady is quite telling, emphasizing a two-fold dimension: … [Read more...]
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