I’ve had a constant headache for approximately two weeks now. My mind is churning at full gear in discernment. The headache started when a deacon friend of mine texted me wanting to know if I had heard about a new diocesan policy asking our...
Part 1 explained how the meaning of Charity has changed, and ended with these questions: Why did the hierarchy embrace the non-biblical view that the poor have a right to charity? Did they not realize that it paved the way to the Socialism denounced...
Charitable giving is not always virtuous. If I give my own money or goods to someone in need out of love of neighbor, in the great majority of cases I am acting virtuously. However, if I give what I hold in trust for someone without...
In his message for this year’s Lent Pope Francis said: “It is good to contemplate more deeply the paschal mystery through which God’s mercy has been bestowed upon us. Indeed, the experience of mercy is only possible in a ‘face to face’ relationship...
On Tuesday 28 January 2020, as the Church celebrated the liturgical memorial of the Angelic Doctor, Saint Thomas Aquinas, I was drawn to words written by Pope Benedict XVI: “Aquinas reminds us with his very life, that it is always illumined by...
The longest-serving Pope in the Church’s almost 2000-year history was Pius IX, who reigned for almost 32 years, from 1846-1878. It was he who solemnly defined the dogma of the Immaculate Conception: namely, that Mary was conceived in her mother’s...
In the Gospel of Matthew (16:21-27), Jesus rebukes Peter saying, “Get behind me Satan!” The New American Bible translates that line as “Get out of my sight, you Satan!” This is one of the strongest rebukes by Jesus found in the New Testament. And I...
In evaluating political candidates, it is helpful to determine how closely their actions match their words. In the matter of overcoming poverty, for example, Democrats believe governmental programs are necessary whereas Republicans believe private...
