One of the beautiful things about Catholicism is the Sacraments. When we receive the Sacraments, we recognize through visible signs that a spiritual reality is being effected in us. Most of us know that the sacraments provide a unique kind of grace. Through baptism,...
Beggars Before God
“The greatest sinner is the one who has the greatest right to my mercy.” Jesus said these words to Saint Faustina in her famous diary. The greatest sinner is the one to whom Jesus’ Heart is most opened. The thief on the cross. Those who mocked Jesus. It was to these...
Lent: A Time for Spiritual or Incarnational Renewal?
Pope Benedict, in continuity with Pope St. John Paul’s Theology of the Body (TOB), speaks of three main aspects of the human person: communal, historical, and bodily. Does this mean that these two great popes don’t believe in the spiritual dimension of the person? Of...
The Eucharist Means “Thanksgiving”
Most Catholics know that the word Eucharist means “Thanksgiving.” But have we ever asked ourselves why it’s called that? After I really took this question seriously, I discovered even more deeply the profundity of the Eucharist especially, in light of how the early...
The Mind-Body Impact of Gratitude
Since the late 90's, Dr. Robert A Emmons, a psychologist and professor at the University of California, has been one of the world's leading experts on the study of gratitude and its effects on the human experience. In his many studies, he found that gratitude not only...
Given and Entrusted
“We must ourselves be a total gift, a disinterested, sincere gift in order to recognize, in every man, the gift that he is, and to thank the Giver for the gift of the human person.” -Saint John Paul the Great, Meditation on Givenness Imagine a world in which every...
Superpowers in Heaven
Theology of the Body: Uniting Catholics and Protestants
“War against the body means we must do this with a clear emphasis upon the theological importance of the body. This will not be news to some. Pope John Paul II’s rich legacy on the theology of the body is meat and drink to thoughtful Catholics, yet it is not something...
Vocation to Fight
Young people who are serious about their faith think a fair amount about the importance of finding their vocation. This seems to imply that everything before your vocation is simply a long waiting process. It’s like waiting for your ticket to be called at the DMV....
Remember Who You Are
My favorite line from the entire Catechism is at the very beginning of the section on morality. It is a quote from Pope St Gregory the Great, who in a famous homily encapsulates the great moral invitation made to every Christian. This call is: “Christian, remember...