Pope Paul VI was just canonized a saint. Our reflections on Humanae Vitae have been building to its ultimate purpose, the one to which Pope St. Paul VI has been directing us. Almost all of the ink spilled on this…
Reflections on Humanae Vitae Part V: Life in Christ
Curing the Rot of the Clergy Scandal
A few years ago I broke my back. I spent a month in the hospital recovering, learning to perform basic actions like walking again. Getting out and getting home was one of the greatest reliefs of my life. About a…
Reflections on Humanae Vitae Part IV: The Fruits of Contraceptive
In our last article in this series, we focused on the ills that Pope Paul VI predicted would happen if contraceptives became widely adopted. And it turns out that Paul was a prophet to our generation, one who has been…
How to Respond to Church Scandal
I have much, much more to say about this new round of scandals in our clergy that is causing so much turmoil among the faithful. But before I delve deep into my own personal feelings, I thought first about my…
Reflections on Humanae Vitae Part III: Paul’s Prophecy
There are many reasons that Paul VI, the author of the papal encyclical Humanae Vitae, will soon be canonized as a saint. For today’s article, I would like to focus on one particular element that may have been a factor:…
Reflections on Humanae Vitae Part II: What Went Wrong
The pope is the head of the Catholic Church. Every Catholic knows that we are called to listen to him as the Vicar of Christ on Earth. But when Blessed Pope Paul VI issued Humanae Vitae in 1968, an enormous…
Reflections on Humanae Vitae Part I – What it Says
The Church is about to celebrate the 50th anniversary of one of its most famous encyclicals in the modern world: Humanae Vitae. Of course if you have read most of the press coverage, the word “celebrate” may seem a bit…
Not Changed, But Perfected
We live in strange times. I’m sure people of every age feel this way. There is a constant tension between the past and the future. New ideas and ways of thinking are scrutinized against a long tradition. But the last…
Immigration and the Catholic Church
There has been a lot of talk in the news and online about immigration to the United States, particularly illegal immigration along the southern border. Images of detention facilities from the previous and current presidential administrations have stirred up passions…
God of the Old Testament, God of the New Testament
A common attack that believers receive from antagonistic atheists is one that involves the Old Testament. The challenger will often quote some law from Leviticus or Deuteronomy like not touching women during menstruation (Leviticus 15:19). Or they will point out…