The greatest problem any one of us human beings has is sin. Sin can make our lives miserable on earth, and, if it is unrepented and unforgiven, it can result in everlasting misery. When the priest-prophet Zechariah foretold the ministry of … [Read more...]
Prayer as the Key to Forgiveness
March 26, 2017 by Carolyn Humphreys, OCDS
At times, the word "unforgiven" can be terrifying, especially if someone does not forgive us. We do not know what to think or what to do. Evil is all around us, and within us, and can easily magnify when forgiving is not practiced. However, … [Read more...]
Lead Us Not Into Temptation
February 21, 2017 by Douglas G. Bushman, STL
“When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I gave up childish ways” (1 Cor 13:11). It is a very good thing to learn one’s faith at a young age. And it is a very good thing … [Read more...]
Gender Dysphoria in Children
January 30, 2017 by Dr. Michelle Cretella, M.D.
ABSTRACT: Gender dysphoria (GD) of childhood describes a psychological condition in which children experience a marked incongruence between their experienced gender and the gender associated with their biological sex. When this occurs in … [Read more...]
What is Christianity?
An Evangelical Catholic and Reformed View of Faith and Culture
January 20, 2017 by Eduardo Echeverria
The only strength with which Christianity can make its influence felt publicly is ultimately the strength of its intrinsic truth. This strength, though, is as indispensable today as it ever was, because man cannot survive without truth. … [Read more...]
Law and Freedom—“Do I Have to Go to Church Today, Mom!?”
January 20, 2017 by Deacon Peter Trahan, MATh
I don’t do apologetics. I can do apologetics, I have a background in theology, from seminary formation, as well as Catholic graduate education. I do catechesis, I teach and do theology, my understanding of the New Evangelization is what the … [Read more...]
Spiritual Communion: Freed from the Dust of Centuries
December 20, 2016 by Cardinal Paul Cordes
On the Pastoral Milieu: Extreme Alternatives to Approaching the Lord’s Table From hearsay: The vigil of All Saints’ Day in the early 20th century. A small farm in Westphalia, Germany. Tomorrow’s Mass is one of the few times in the year in w … [Read more...]
Taking a Quiet Time with God
The Necessity of Spiritual Retreat for Spiritual Leaders
December 20, 2016 by Mark C. McCann
One thing that can be said for certain about a life of pastoral ministry is that it is a busy one. It seems nowadays that those of us in ministry—particularly pastors—are facing greater demands for our time. There is more and more to do, and … [Read more...]
Sifting Interior Movements of the Heart
November 21, 2016 by Fr. James Rafferty, S.T.D.
I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice, and cleaving … [Read more...]
Self-esteem: Biblical or Distracting?
November 21, 2016 by Juliana Weber
Self-esteem is a relatively modern concept that has been elevated to the point of an all-important virtue by pop psychology, perhaps the virtue in which all others can be found. Christians need to make sense of the word from their own … [Read more...]
Simony in Spiritual Direction?
November 4, 2016 by Fr. Kenneth G. Davis, OFM Conv.
When I mentioned this thesis to my classmate, he deemed it “peculiar.” I had to apologize after shouting, “My thesis isn’t peculiar, what’s going on is peculiar!” My thesis is that direct, monetary payment to a spiritual director from his/he … [Read more...]
Mercy is a Serious Matter
October 13, 2016 by Fr. Regis Scanlon, OFMCap
Pope Francis announced a "Holy Year of Mercy" which began on Dec. 8, 2015, and will end on Nov. 20, 2016. Many imagine that a year of mercy means that people can lift their arms up to the heavens, crying out for God's mercy, and a … [Read more...]
The Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order: A Short Meditation on the Call to Penance
October 13, 2016 by Benjamin J. Vail, OFS
Today there is a new international discussion about Secular Franciscan identity, and the future direction of the Order. The General Chapter of 2014 asked for a “period of serious reflection, involving all members of the Order,” on the fut … [Read more...]
Writing that Connects with Parishioners
September 27, 2016 by Msgr. Mike Heher
In an essay about his father, William Buckley, Christopher Buckley wrote that he noticed that the parts that sounded most characteristic of his father were actually added to the drafts late in his process of writing. His father, a famously … [Read more...]
A Pastoral Approach to Bullying
September 13, 2016 by Deacon W. Patrick Cunningham
In a little over a two-month period, two men in our city killed themselves because of what can only be called “bullying.” Shortly after the New Year, a student, attending a high school I had attended and taught at decades before, ended his l … [Read more...]
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