The Papacy: The Person Versus The Office

What draws the secular media to the Vatican ... (for now) is the man who is able to translate these truths into action, and to proclaim our doctrine with personal conviction.     It is one of those few moments forever emblazoned on my mind … [Read more...]

Where is Prayer for Christian Unity in Our Parishes?

Every post-conciliar Pope has emphasized, with Vatican II, that ecumenism is a necessary aspect of the Church's mission, and one involving the effort of all the faithful, clergy, and laity alike.    It was once quite common for many C … [Read more...]

The Person of Jesus Unites Himself with the Unborn

I began to meditate on the awesome truth that Almighty God, became fully human, feeding on nutrients and oxygen within the blood of his Blessed Mother, as is every human fetus fed by his or her natural mother. ...Jesus teaches, by his … [Read more...]

Understanding Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation, “Evangelii Gaudium”

Evangelii Gaudium is ostensibly the Pope’s response to the Synod last October ... but it is much more than a simple reporting on what happened there.  It is the outlining of the key themes Pope Francis hopes will constitute his po … [Read more...]

“It Belongs to the Wise Man to Order”: James Schall on Politics and Revelation

The wise man not only has the right order in his mind, but in his soul as well; he not only knows how he ought to live, but, more importantly, he does, in fact, live this way, in accord with what he is. Fr. Norris Clarke, the renowned … [Read more...]

“I Haven’t Killed Anyone!” What Serious Sins Will Exclude Us From the Kingdom of God?

Why aren’t we more concerned about how even many of our fellow Catholics are engaging in behaviors (“lifestyles”), or accepting, or even approving them, in others, that scripture says will exclude them from the kingdom? Right after Va … [Read more...]

The Sign of the Dying Body: How the Theology of the Body Helps Us to Die in Love

Dying—undergoing it, or helping one who is dying—is a privileged space where we see and encounter God himself ... the ensouled body serves as a sign of gift and giving, yielding one’s life to the embrace of God ... a sign that well- … [Read more...]

The Priesthood as Consecration

Looking at the priesthood in the modern world, particularly through the lens of consecration, requires an initial reexamination of terms.  Through time and the development of thought, concepts such as "the sacred" and "consecration" can … [Read more...]

The Dumb Ox on Evolution

Thomism offers a valuable service to mankind by guiding the scientific discussions only in the direction of those theories that have a solid metaphysical foundation. In a 1996 address to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, Pope John … [Read more...]

“La Petite Voie” of Thérése of Lisieux

Here was one of the most brilliant popes the Church has ever seen declaring that little Thérése Martin was to be studied and analyzed alongside the great Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, and Robert Bellarmine!  St. Therese of Lisieux: as a ch … [Read more...]

The Formation of Priests: Knowledge and Sanctity

Though there has yet to be published a history of the formation of priests, the historic concern for good priests assumes that the Church has needed, and continues to need, effective seminaries and programs of formation Christ, the Good … [Read more...]

Knowing Enough History to Defend It: Catholic History and Apologetics

The Church is distinctive among institutions in the history of mankind: it is human and yet divine; perfect, yet in need of reform; holy, yet made up of sinners; infallible, yet led by fallen, fallible humans. While many seem to … [Read more...]

On Addressing the Dignity of Man and Masculinity

Editorial for September 2013

How would men today be more able to live out their own unique discipleship and role in both the world, and in the Church, if we were able to articulate how men embody the Christian vocation to holiness in exclusive and particular … [Read more...]