Earlier today, I wrote about the move by the German bishops to re-examine Church teaching on human sexuality — particularly pertaining to the questions of homosexual acts and contraception. In that same analysis, I mentioned some early reporting on a 300-page study commissioned by Pope Francis and published by the Pontifical Biblical Commission (PBC) on…
As I sit down to write this today, I feel my brain grasping to make sense of what I’m seeing. I literally don’t know how to process or adequately explain what appears to be a full court press to push acceptance of homosexuality by the hierarchy of the Catholic Church herself. But I would be…
We continue our series on the Four Last Things. See the first two parts on death and judgment. Hell Is Proof of Man’s Exalted Dignity The Offertory prayers speak of how God “wondrously endowed dignity to human nature” [1]. The eternity of Hell manifests the proof of this exalted dignity in two ways. The first…
On this episode of the 1P5 Minute, we cover a lot of ground, beginning with an explanation of Advent Embertide, which starts today. Pope Francis has removed the pontifical secret that kept all information pertaining to clerical sexual abuse cases under wraps; we discuss whether our expectations should change on transparency regarding abuse. ALSO: Archbishop…
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). So many are the excellent insights in this book that I will undoubtedly return to…
I hope you read the title of this post to the tune of Silver Bells. The Bing Crosby version, naturally. Have you ever heard about the Ember days, observed for most of the history of the Church prior to the late 20th century? If you haven’t, don’t feel bad. Like many traditional practices in the Church laden…
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 sufferings, and on the heroic pains He endured for us. Thus, St. Louis Marie de…
I will never forget what it was like to watch the Lord of the Rings films for the first time, when I was eleven or so. I had always devoured books, but the story of Frodo and the ring was in another class than anything I had yet experienced in my young life. I remember…
For years, a friend of mine wrestled with his vocation. Should I be a priest? Should I get married? Which one, Lord, are you calling me to? One roadblock stood in his way. Surprisingly, celibacy was not holding him back; rather, it was the Church’s teaching on the superiority of celibacy over marriage. Like my…
I really like some of Elton John’s music. I remember listening to his album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road when I was about eight years old. I remember being amazed at the fact that it was almost as good as the Beatles albums my older siblings played. Even though I have never been fond of the…
On my daughter’s birthday, it is always dark when I wake up. I hear her feet, tiny and soft, outside the bedroom door. I know it is she, and not our son, because I can tell her footsteps from his, even through the walls, and even through the clinging weariness. The pull to rest is strong. The pull…
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