. The World Meeting of Families this week is dedicated to the theme of love: “Love is the Mission of the Family.” It is very appropriate. Love is the heart of family life, as love is the heart of the Catholic faith. A new command I give you, says our Lord, “Love one another.” (John […]
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Faith, Hope, and Common Sense
. I once attended a non-Catholic Church that was long on religious enthusiasm, but short on common sense. The Church had been swept up in a charismatic revival that emphasized vigorous displays of emotion. In that larger movement, there were outbursts that sometimes appeared quite neurotic. Folks would roll on the floor, howl like dogs, […]
Continue readingChristian Marriage: a Contemplative Vocation
There is a beautiful passage from the documents of the Second Vatican Council that teaches just this. In Gaudium et Spes, we read: . Christian spouses have a special sacrament by which they are fortified and receive a kind of consecration in the duties and dignity of their state. By virtue of this sacrament, as […]
Continue readingThe Beauty and Necessity of Christian Burial
. The month of November is an appropriate time to reflect on the important but neglected topic of care for the dead. As Catholics, we are accostomed to think of praying for the dead, especially on the Feast of All Souls. We don’t hear as much about our obligation to bury the dead, but this […]
Continue readingWhen Catholics Disagree
. The Creed teaches us that there is One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.” “One Lord,” says St. Paul, One Faith, One Baptism.” (Ephesians 4:5) In the 4th century, when the Donatists of North Africa claimed to be the one true church, St. Augustine invoked the unity and catholicity of the Church against them: “the […]
Continue reading#Recollection in the Age of Twitter: Witness of Luigi Guissani
. Fr. Luigi Guissani was the founder of the ecclesial movement known as Communion and Liberation. He was beloved by many, including the last three popes. Pope Benedict once said of him that he was “wounded by the desire for beauty.” For Guissani, the Pope added, Christianity was not simply “an intellectual system, a collection […]
Continue readingOn Protestants Becoming Catholic – The Doctrine of Justification
. Martin Luther’s doctrine of “Justification by Faith Alone” is at the heart of the Protestant rejection of Catholicism. He called it “the article on which the Church stands or falls.” Luther once said that if the Pope would only teach justification by faith, he would kiss the Pope’s feet and carry him in his […]
Continue readingHow Does God Define Success?
What a great question! How does God define success? Mother Theresa once said, “It’s not about how much you do, but how much love you put into what you do that counts.” This captures the Biblical idea of success. In answer to my friend, I referenced the story of Martha and Mary, a classic depiction […]
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