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…
Epistle: Philippians 4:4-7 Gospel: John 1:19-28 Incline Thine ear to our prayers we beseech Thee, O Lord; and enlighten the darkness of our minds by the grace of Thy visitation. – From the Collect for the Third Sunday of Advent This Sunday, the Third Sunday of Advent, is “Gaudete Sunday.” Taking its name from the…
In this episode, Steve talks to Tomas Fuerte, Instructor at the Denver Catholic Biblical School and an old college friend and roommate, about the adventures and lessons learned during their shared pilgrimage roadtrip from Steubenville, Ohio to Mexico City for the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. [powerpress] RELATED LINKS: “Is She Not Our Mother?”…
In these times of “politically correct” religious and moral bewilderment, in which Christmas carols are purged of Christian references, when they are not replaced with other songs, times in which Nativity scenes are rejected in the name of a misunderstood religious neutrality and a misrepresented secularity, the call, found in the pope’s recent apostolic letter…
Read the Gospels. You will see a constant theme of our Lord’s preaching: the Four Last Things. Last week, we covered death. Now we take up the subject of judgment. The Imitation: To many the saying, “Deny thyself, take up thy cross and follow Me,” seems hard, but it will be much harder to hear…
This week on the 1P5 Minute, Steve talks about the new examination of conscience for “Eco Sins” being pushed by the Bishops of England & Wales. AND: A new report out this week indicates that the Vatican engaged in “covert & deceptive” methods in the diversion of 50 million euros away from a children’s hospital…
At the suggestion of Father Dave Nix, I recently read the short work by Joel Peters entitled “Scripture Alone? 21 Reasons to Reject Sola Scriptura.” It is a fast read and probably the most crushing blow to Protestantism I have ever read. You simply cannot argue with Peters’s logic and the historical facts he presents…
