Archives for 2014

He is Risen!

Easter Sequence Victimæ paschali laudes Christians, to the Paschal Victim Offer your thankful praises! A Lamb the sheep redeems; Christ, who only is sinless, Reconciles sinners to the Father. Death and life have contended in that … [Read more...]

Carrying the Cross with Simon of Cyrene

We can be sure that Jesus was grateful to Simon for providing some relief during the Passion, but also for helping him reach his goal of redeeming humanity (see Jn 12:27 and Acts 2:23) by his suffering and death. “He summoned the c … [Read more...]

“Ex Corde Ecclesiae” and the Importance of a Catholic Education

Editorial for April 2014

Ex Corde ... is not a document that stifles academic research or expression; it is a document that simply wants to allow Catholic schools to be, well, Catholic. Was it not William F. Buckley who famously quipped that he would rather be … [Read more...]

‘Til Death Do Thee Part

The necessary manifestations of love, to include self-sacrifice and self-giving, and an ongoing readiness to forgive, could only continue to be present in a marriage fueled by God’s graces. By the basic principles of neurology, we know t … [Read more...]

Preaching the Truth in Love and Wisdom: Pope Francis’ 2013 Apostolic Exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium”

...conversion occurs when the Gospel speaks to the deepest yearnings of our hearts, and the desires present within us are filled by a supernatural grace that comes from God. “The joy of the Gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who e … [Read more...]

Prayer as Turning Point Toward Christ

The good news is that even though we sin, God loves us and wants us to return to him. With God’s grace, bad habits can be unlearned. Ecclesia semper reformanda: The Church forever in need of reform. Because we are the Church, we are the o … [Read more...]

On Catholic History

The Catholic sacramental perspective continues (consciously or not) to inspire the works of historians who recognize the importance of material reality—of politics, society, economics, the arts, and all the habits and institutions of human c … [Read more...]

A Priest by Any Other Name

The nature of Holy Orders is both collegial and personal.  Collegially, all priests are addressed as “Father” because all share in the one priesthood of Jesus, icon of the Father. Personally, each priest retains his own individuality, his ow … [Read more...]

The Latest Book Reviews

 Early Spring Reading for April 2014   Aprender a Amar: 30 preguntas para no equivocarse en la aventura más importante en la vida. By Pontificio Instituto Juan Pablo II (Ignatius: San Francisco, 2011) 62 pp. (Reviewed by Francisco Gavr … [Read more...]

Homilies for April 2014

For Sunday Liturgies and Feasts Homilies for April 2014 Fifth Sunday of Lent – April 6, 2014 Martha’s Grief and True Hope Purpose:  The Lenten readings summon us to experience a foretaste of Christian hope in the raising of Lazar … [Read more...]

Searching for Clarity in Vocational Discernment

... The call of the Lord usually comes to us in a more subtle and indirect manner ... left up to us, with the assistance of divine grace, to discern whether we are being called to the priesthood or consecrated life. Christ calling Peter … [Read more...]

The Holy Cross: A real life “Mockingjay” for Catholics

To me, the idea that ties the religious significance of this story together best is the “mockingjay.”  I find in the image of the mockingjay a clear and resounding symbol of the Cross of Jesus Christ.    The popular trilogy of novels turne … [Read more...]

The Side Effects of the Pill: Why the Church Has So Much to Say about Contraception

The Church pays special attention to the issue of contraception ... because so many of the modern errors in moral theology converge in this particular question of conjugal morality. There is an impression out there–in the world and even w … [Read more...]

Finding Jesus in the Catholic Church

Our mission (as Church) is to bring about that meeting that can change lives, that can make disciples.  Then, as a loving mother Church, we are to nurture and guide those disciples into fruitful holiness in Christ. Christ Healing the B … [Read more...]