I don’t know about you, but I am constantly confronted by my own failure on this journey of faith. Sometimes it even feels like all of my efforts to holiness end in failure. Looking back on my life, there are…
Failure on the Faith Journey
Secular Arguments for Traditional Marriage
“That religion should be relegated to solitude in such an age is, then, paradoxical. But it is also dangerous for two reasons. In the first place, when the modern world says to us aloud, ‘You may be religious when you…
The Tenth Leper Lenten Challenge
I apologize in advance if someone wiser than I has already come up with this idea and in my ignorance I have now aped someone’s originality. But a number of years ago, I was introduced to an activity called…
Love Being Hated
I remember waiting for an elevator at a store. When it opened, there was a woman waiting to get off. I was lost in some random thought, so I rudely went in before letting her out. I realized my error…
Philanthropy vs. Sainthood
What does it mean to be a saint? In ancient times, this could mean anyone who is a part of the Christian community. Today when we speak of saints, we are talking about those people of heroic grace and virtue…
Catholic Pop Culture 2014
As I did last year, I shall recall any good things from the popular culture that are harmonious or helpful to Catholic culture. And as I wrote last year, it is not necessary to indulge a fascination with pop culture…
Plans of Man, Plans of God
Christmas is upon us. And there is no better time to remember how wonderfully unexpected it all was. To be sure, the Israelites were desperately waiting and expecting the coming of the Messiah. But God has a funny way of…
Love As If You Have No Hope
Ours is a faith of paradoxes. If you want to live, you have to die. God’s most powerful deed was becoming small. And when it comes to bring people to Christ, sometimes the best way to do this is to…
The Church Uses Live Ammo
I’ve observed a general feeling in much of the world today that looks at the Catholic Church as an outdated group with quaint, if not retrograde, beliefs that just can’t leave well enough alone. “Who cares if people of the…
Infectious Sin
We had an Ebola scare in my region of the country. Before all of the facts were out, there was a lot of confusion and nervous laughter as people joked about the disease all the while masking their fear. I…