Yesterday was the feast of the Epiphany. This is the story about how the magi came and adored the Child Jesus. Matthew’s account of the story is very sparse. The word “magi” is a very difficult word to translate as…
The 5 Kings at Christmas
Assorted Reflections on Christmas
We are once again approaching the hour and moment when the Son of God was born. I don’t think that I have anything too terribly original to say about this great event and I’m sure wiser and holier people could…
Faith in the Future
It is easy to believe when times are good. It is also easy to believe when we know what to expect. When we are in a reasonable routine and we make plans for tomorrow and those plans come to pass,…
Another Reason for an All-Male Priesthood
In my last article, I wrote about 7 reasons for an all-male priesthood. The teaching is very clear, but there are still many people, perhaps even with firm commitments to the spirit of fairness, that do not understand or accept…
7 Reasons for an All-Male Priesthood
Recently, I had a former student ask me why the Catholic Church only ordains men to the priesthood. Below is my admittedly long-winded answer. I know that this is a stumbling block for many. As a young Catholic, I did…
A Brief Response to Stephen Hawking
Stephen Hawking passed in early 2018, but one of his books is being published posthumously. This book is getting a great deal of press because it expresses Hawkings’ atheistic beliefs of a universe that is explainable without God. Seeing as…
Reflections on Humanae Vitae Part V: Life in Christ
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…
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…