In my last piece on this topic a few people pointed out to me a glaring omission. Here I will attempt to remedy this and briefly discuss a few crucial distinctions that we must keep in mind. Suggestion to Sin In the last piece, we discussed sources of scrupulosity in pride. While it is true…
Prayer is man’s richest boon. It is his light, his nourishment, and his very life, for it brings him into communication with God, who is light , nourishment, and life. But of ourselves we know not what we should pray for as we ought; we must needs, therefore, address ourselves to Jesus Christ, and say…
Epistle: Apocalypse 1:1-15 Gospel: Matthew 18:1-10 O God, Who assign according to a wondrous order the duties of Angels and men, mercifully grant that our life on earth be guarded by those who continually stand in Your presence and minister to You in heaven. – From the Collect for the Dedication of St. Michael the…
Imagine the following three scenes from history: Scene 1: You are an English peasant living in 1187. Your life revolves around the Church calendar. You participate in her feasts and fasts. Holidays are the Holy Days, in which you can escape from the daily grind and celebrate the life of a saint or some event…
Earlier this month, I wrote a commentary on an alleged conflict between the Vatican and the German Church over their proposed “binding synodal process” on issues “arising from the clerical abuse crisis: clerical celibacy, the Church’s teaching on sexual morality, and a reduction of clerical power.” It was reported by CNA in early September that the…
The matchless and mighty name of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ works countless wonders whenever it is invoked with living faith; deep devotion; genuine reverence; and, above all, deepest love. The Great Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ means “God our Savior.” First Point: The Holy Name of Jesus obtains a treasury of graces…
Who could imagine that the faithful Catholic would now be carrying this cross — a cross certainly no heavier than that of our beloved martyrs before us, yet a cross so seemingly unique in all salvation history? There is a de facto schism, a schism that has been going on for years, a schism brought…
Epistle: Galatians 5:25-26; 6:1-10 Gospel: Luke 7:11-16 Let Thy continual pity cleanse and defend Thy Church, we beseech Thee, O Lord; and because it cannot continue in safety without Thee, govern it evermore by Thy help. – From the Collect for the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost Sunday’s readings remind us of the importance of compassion,…
It all started with a solid homily. To be more specific: Fr. Matthew Mary Bartow walked to the pulpit during a televised Mass on EWTN, and preached a homily critical of the Amazon synod and supportive of a campaign to pray and do penance for a positive outcome. But yesterday, Dawn Eden Goldstein, a formerly-popular…
We’ve been hearing it a lot: “Should I just quit paying attention to the apparent collapse of the Catholic institution and become Orthodox?” I’d like to start with the unequivocal assertion that this is a temptation to the grave sin of schism. Don’t do it. Also, as we will see below, it’s a bit of…
On September 12, we celebrated the Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary. The mysteries and marvels of the sacred name of Maria are so vast an ocean that the field of Mariology will never finish contemplating them, even through all the days of eternity. For the Name of Maria means and denotes, among…
