I was born an old man. Cantankerous and curmudgeonly, I came to believe that miracles were possible — after a great deal of Thomistic tinkering. Still, I didn’t want to believe in them. I was a Catholic, but a bad one. …
Category: Prayer
Against Forced Detachment: What Do We Need?
This seems to be an easy question to answer, at least for us: we need God. We need other things, yes, but those needs become negotiable if our relationship with God is at risk. Sometimes they fall away for a …
The Office of Workers and Fighters: Praying Prime
For many years, as a Catholic praying Pope Paul VI’s Liturgy of the Hours, I had no idea that a liturgical office called Prime — or, for that matter, a liturgical book called the Roman Martyrology — even existed. As …
Can a Catholic Have Faith without Reason?
Today, many of us would be skeptical of an arranged marriage. This is because people instinctively know they cannot love a person they do not know, and without loving such a person, they are doubtful of the idea of entering …
Here’s How the Devil Plans to Ruin Your Resolutions
The Catholic life is filled with resolutions. Confession is not valid without a good resolution to avoid sin [1]. Every morning offering is a new resolution, and every new year is an occasion for resolutions. Why is the Devil so successful …
Reading the Whole Bible in a Year
I had never read the Bible, which is to say, the whole Bible. The extent of my Bible reading had been the passages read during Sunday Mass and the occasional daily Mass. So when I learned about Dr. Taylor Marshall’s …
Repetition Is the Mother of a Great Many Things
Readers may already know about the delightful book The Gentle Traditionalist: A Catholic Fairy-Tale from Ireland by Roger Buck (Angelico Press, 2015). Buck is back with an equally dashing although more earnest sequel: The Gentle Traditionalist Returns (Angelico Press, 2019). …
The Benefits of Meditation on the Holy Face of Jesus
The great saintly mystics and masters of the spiritual life tell us that one of the surest means to advance virtually by light years is by frequent meditation on the passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, on His love and …
The World Fears Death, but Catholics Must Remember It
There is perhaps no truth today more shunned, suppressed, and vehemently ignored than the reality of death. The modern man is consumed with indulging his slavery to his passions, proclaiming himself free, and absolutely banishing the thought that he will …
Cdl. Sarah Rebukes the Clergy: Without Prayer, Your Works Are in Vain
The Day Is Now Far Spent Cdl. Robert Sarah with Nicolas Diat Ignatius Press 385 pages $16.96 paperback, $12.97 e-book The new book by Cardinal Robert Sarah with Nicholas Diat, The Day Is Now Far Spent, brims with wisdom and …