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,...
“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...
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...
So, Lent is here. Which means that many of us have prepped 50+ impossible commitments because we want to be holy. After all, Lent is about sacrifice. And sacrifice makes us more like Jesus. Which in turn makes us holy and helps us save souls. But is making so many...
"I want to stick to my resolution. I know it's for the better. I want to persevere, but it's so hard, and, if I'm being honest...I'm scared." It's a phrase all too familiar with people who are struggling to get out of a bad habit or better themselves with a long-term...
Do you remember your childhood days when your mom would guide you in moderating your helpings for a meal or dessert? “Only two pieces of candy.” “Only one helping of spaghetti.” “Only two helpings of ice cream.” (How good that two helpings of ice cream were allowed!)...
Last week while giving a retreat to middle school students, I had them bring a notepad and pencil into the chapel. After some quiet and prayer, I asked them to notice everything in the chapel and to draw it, be it candles, stained glass, air conditioning vent, pews,...
“Remember, you will die.” Better known perhaps in Latin, “memento mori” is the catchy phrase that the Church has inherited from centuries of tradition. It’s never been a particular favorite of mine - it’s a bit of a downer, very pithy, and therefore to my mind rather...
My favorite day in Lent is March 25. No, it’s not my favorite since I can eat dessert because it is a solemnity (though that’s a bonus)! Rather, it is the day that “the body entered theology…through the main door” (TOB 23:4). What does Pope John Paul mean? And how...
Lent is back. As Catholics, we are accustomed during this season to hear various exhortations to further conversion in our lives, especially through practicing the three traditional Lenten practices of prayer, asceticism, and almsgiving. It seems to me that most of us...