“Understanding Pain: Pastoral approaches to help those who suffer,” by Fr. John Love, The Priest, March 2024. ©OSV. Used by permission. No other use of this material is authorized. “If you feel pain, you’re alive. If you feel other people’s … [Read more...]
Failure in the Christian Life
Pastoral Lessons from Dostoevsky’s Idiot and Endo’s Silence
April 26, 2024 by Adam G. Cooper
Recent years have witnessed a burgeoning range of books, articles, and online publications dedicated to the problem of failure. Much of the material is aimed at helping leaders and professional groups deal with failure by using strategies … [Read more...]
Theology of Suffering and the New Evangelization
November 24, 2023 by Cole DeSantis
In August of 2022, Bishop Robert Barron took part in an interview with the actor Shia LaBeouf to discuss his conversion to the Catholic faith. LaBeouf’s conversion was influenced in part by his being cast to portray Padre Pio in a movie by A … [Read more...]
Mary, Our Mother of Mercy
October 27, 2023 by Rev. John P. Cush, STD
My mother died in July 2020. I was blessed to be home from my then-assignment in Rome for the event; as it happened, I was the only one there with her. In a manner that was like a reverse Pieta, she died in my arms, breathing her last … [Read more...]
A Christmas Reflection
December 22, 2022 by Alissa Thorell
Praying with the liturgical calendar can bear much fruit. Taking the time to ponder the purposes and mysteries behind the historical events of the Nativity and all that followed gives us a chance to consider anew how our own lives are … [Read more...]
The Will of God
March 26, 2022 by Carolyn Humphreys, OCDS
A story is told about a man who lived a long life. When he died, the Lord said, “Come, I will show you hell.” The man was taken to a room where a group of people sat around a round table. At the center of the table was a huge pot of stew. Ea … [Read more...]
Christian Joy and Human Sadness
January 27, 2022 by S. E. Greydanus
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice” (Philippians 4:4). This and other exhortations in Scripture have shaped Christian tradition with the understanding that joy is meant to be part of our life. It’s traditionally counted a … [Read more...]
A New Approach for Pastoral Ministry
Incorporating Biblical Creation Imagery and Apocalyptic Metaphors into Pastoral Care and Ministry
January 27, 2022 by Fr. Moses Mary Apreku
Biblical theology of creation is applicable in pastoral ministry, because of its rich cornucopia of imagery and metaphors of myth and apocalypse, imagination and paradoxes employed in demonstrating God’s omnipotence, omniscience, and o … [Read more...]
God Is Not Ineffective Against Evil
June 30, 2021 by Eric Manuel Torres
The problem of evil is a profound enigma. Even for people who believe in God, the presence of evil can be overwhelming. Many ask, “How could God be so silent or inactive?” A look at history reveals countless evils, including wars and gen … [Read more...]
The Mystery of Miscarriage
Mary, Joseph, and the Theology of Pre-Natal Life
June 3, 2021 by Julia Hejduk
The deepest truth about the human person is contained in the words “Our Father.” Enfolded in this sublime opening to the Lord’s Prayer is God’s loving provision for and delight in each one of us; our connection to Jesus and to one another as … [Read more...]
Pentecostal Suffering and Our Growth in Holiness
June 3, 2021 by Fr. Kenneth G. Davis, OFM Conv.
The seasons of Lent and Easter help us understand the priesthood if we begin at the end. Easter season ends with Pentecost, so that’s where we’ll begin. Recall the story of Pentecost: Everyone from various countries all understood the same l … [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 Month of the Priesthood
November 25, 2020 by Fr. Nathaniel Dreyer
One of the relatively minor and nonetheless frustrating consequences of COVID’s rude invasion into society can be observed in diaconal and priestly ordinations. These typically large-scale celebrations have been reduced to minute g … [Read more...]
The Hidden Cloister of Suffering
Open to All
June 24, 2020 by Dr. Wanda Skowronska, PhD
One of the great omissions in contemporary psychology is its failure to account for suffering. Yet people ask why, and continue to ask why they suffer, and will do so till the end of time. Yes, of course, psychologists try to alleviate … [Read more...]
Psychopathy
A Deeper Reality Revealed Through Catholicism
March 30, 2018 by Brent Withers
It is my hope that through the lens of the wisdom of the Church’s tradition, I am able to reveal the deeper reality that remains hidden behind the label of psychopathy. By its very nature, an exploration into the world of the psychopath s … [Read more...]
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