The Holy Spirit and the Four Marks of the Church

In the creed which we profess at Mass, we declare the Church to be one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. In the past, particularly in counter-reformation apologetics, it was not uncommon for these four marks to serve as a kind of litmus test … [Read more...]

Questions Answered – February 2020

Purgatory and Filthy Lucre Question: I teach RCIA and a catechumen in my class said he was taught that Catholics dreamed up Purgatory as a way to get money from people. I know Purgatory is referred to in Maccabees and responded that … [Read more...]

“How Shall This Be?”

A Call to Humility for a New Pentecost

Consider, O Brethren, this great marvel. God is on high: reach up to Him, and He flees from you; Lower yourself before Him, and He comes down to you. — St. Augustine There has been an almost-constant stream of news concerning sexual a … [Read more...]

Sacramental Fruitfulness and the Power of Pentecost

It has become quite evident that there is something like a “sacramental crisis” occurring in the Church today, that Sr. Sara, in her opening remarks, referred to as “this extraordinarily critical moment.” I would like to briefly explore thre … [Read more...]

Pentecost, the New Babel

One of the most beautiful and profound parallels of our dear Catholic faith is the notion of types and analogies. This means that many things in the Old Testament are foreshadowing of things in the New, or that certain things that were … [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...]

Come, Holy Spirit!

Feast of Pentecost

Sequence for Pentecost Veni, Sancte Spiritus, et emitte caelitus lucis tuae radium. Pentecost  by Titian   Come, Holy Ghost, send down those beams, which sweetly flow in silent streams from Thy bright throne … [Read more...]