Pope Francis has called for 2024 to be honored as a “Year of Prayer.” What does this mean? The special character of this year is based on the year following, 2025, which is a jubilee year for the Church. The custom of the jubilee year has … [Read more...]
Same Sex Attraction in Catholic Women who Desire to Live Chastely
January 26, 2024 by Fr. James McTavish
Abstract A growing number of Catholic women with same sex attraction (SSA) are interested to know the Catholic Church teaching on this issue. Thus far there are no specific Magisterial documents solely dedicated to women with same sex … [Read more...]
Book Reviews – January 2023
December 22, 2022 by Book Reviews
Theology as Prayer: A Primer for the Diocesan Priest. By Msgr. Walter R. Oxley and Fr. John P. Cush. Reviewed by Fr. Ryan A. Muldoon. (skip to review) Theology and Science in the Thought of Ian Barbour: A Thomistic Evaluation for the … [Read more...]
On Prayer: Mine and Yours
A Reflection and a Poem
October 28, 2021 by David B. Wester
St. Luke doesn’t tell us who asked the question.[1. St. Luke 11:1.] I take that to mean that it could have been any one of Jesus’ followers that day in Judea. “Teach us to pray” — that was the question. Just as a follower follows, this disci … [Read more...]
Becoming Members of the Suffering Servant
“For This Shall Every Good Man Pray”
September 24, 2021 by Mark Drogin
The final Gospel ends with Jesus teaching us to fish for human souls. The three synoptic Gospels report Jesus saying, “I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19; Mark 1:17; Luke 5:10); the conclusion of the final Gospel describes Jesus i … [Read more...]
Prayer as the Gateway to Mystery
August 30, 2021 by Carolyn Humphreys, OCDS
For a Christian, mystery is reverenced as that hidden dimension in things, people, situations and life which is beyond time, place or physical description. We may understand aspects of this esoteric reality beyond us and we can appreciate … [Read more...]
Called to the Reverent Stillness at Mass
July 29, 2021 by Christina M. Sorrentino
Why as Catholics should we keep silence when we go to Mass? Because the King of Kings, the Lord of Hosts, Who is God Almighty, is present, truly present with us. We are entering into a “sacred space” set aside for prayer and worship, where w … [Read more...]
Finding God in Our Secular Age: Ignatian Insights
June 3, 2021 by Deacon Edward McCormack, PhD
Ministry in Our Secular Age Any person who preaches regularly, and who is engaged in pastoral ministry in the Western world, does so under the invisible but all-pervasive influence of our secular age. The secular age is the … [Read more...]
Some Reflections on the Spiritual Life for the Lockdown
With much of our ordinary life still affected by the lockdown, it can be harder than ever to keep our heart fixed on the Lord and his divine providence. Rather than prayer, spiritual reading, contemplation and encouraging others, we may … [Read more...]
Addictions: A Pastoral Approach for the Catholic Spiritual Director and Confessor
March 12, 2021 by Fr. Anthony J. Pinizzotto
Saint Paul refers to a thorn in his flesh, a messenger of Satan that is his constant reminder of the need for God’s grace.[1. 2 Corinthians 12:6–7, New American Bible (Washington, DC: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2002).] Al … [Read more...]
The Significance of Signs and Symbols
January 28, 2021 by Carolyn Humphreys, OCDS
Our Catholic faith is replete with beautiful signs and symbols that remind us of our heritage, teachings and traditions as followers of Jesus. A Christian sign is something that gives us direction by pointing beyond itself to a spiritual … [Read more...]
Say What You Mean; Mean What You Pray
September 22, 2020 by Rev. James Bradley, J.C.D.
In one of his characteristically rich catechetical addresses at a general audience in September 2012, Pope Benedict XVI spoke of the rule of Saint Benedict in respect of the psalms.[1. Benedict XVI, general audience, September 26 2012 … [Read more...]
How Does God Forget All the Bad News?
April 4, 2020 by Brent Withers
Isn’t it fanciful to think that a prayer somehow wins graces for other people who we don’t know? The bygone era of offering up our day and the sufferings throughout the day, isn’t it an outdated devotion that surely has little merit in our t … [Read more...]
Book Reviews – December 2019
December 28, 2019 by Book Reviews
The Girl Who Learned How to Kneel: The Story of Etty Hillesum By Patricia McCarthy. Reviewed by Magdalena Randal. (skip to review) The Bible and the Gospel: The Meaning of Scripture — From the God Who Speaks to the God Made Man By L … [Read more...]
John of the Cross and Exercising Charisms for Evangelization
A Response to Elizabeth Salas
November 25, 2019 by Fr. Mathias D. Thelen, STL
Once in a while I run into statements like: “Catholics shouldn’t seek to exercise the charisms of the Spirit because St. John of the Cross cautioned against them.” Such concerns come in different forms and are usually raised by people who si … [Read more...]
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