What is the Roman Missal? The Roman Missal is (mostly) the big red book that the priest uses at the altar and at his chair when celebrating Mass. I say “mostly” because the Lectionary (which contains the readings) and the liturgical books containing the rites for the...
There is a lot to say and a tremendous amount of apologetic materials to discuss the issue of abortion. However, the gravity of today requires some comment. The Supreme Court has Aborted Roe v. Wade Today, June 24, 2022 is the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus....
An examination of conscience is a tool that is used when preparing for making a good Confession. This tool can also be used at any time of day, but can be especially fruitful at nighttime, looking back over the day. The father is the priest of his domestic Church. He...
What is Trinity Sunday? The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, called “Trinity Sunday,” is celebrated one week after Pentecost. This feast was made universal in 1911. Prior to 1911, there were private devotions, certain liturgical prayers and prefaces, and hymns in...
Struggling to Believe in the Eucharist? If you are Catholic and struggling to believe in the Church’s teaching on the Eucharist, you are not alone. A Pew Research Center survey suggests: “… nearly seven-in-ten Catholics (69%) say they personally believe that during...
Abortion is Offensive to Human Dignity The worst offense against human dignity today is the scourge of abortion. It leaves at least five victims, in various senses of the word: the mother, the father, the child, and the...
Once upon a time, there was a horrible dragon who lived in a pond near a village called Silene. The dragon was terribly large with a pointed head and a flickering forked tongue like a snake. He had sharp curved claws bigger and sharper than any sword. Deadly, though...
Are Faith and Reason Compatible? A friend recently asked me a great question. Should decisions we make be made on faith alone or should we have faith and use reasoning. Put another way, could the Holy Spirit point us in a direction which seems like a logically poor...
The Sabbath Day Sunday, the seventh day of the week is the sabbath, a day of solemn rest, that is set aside for the Lord. This goes all the way back to the dawn of creation when God made everything in six days and then rested on the seventh. The Sabbath day also marks...
What is Good Friday? Good Friday is the second day of the Sacred Triduum, in between Holy Thursday and Easter Vigil. Good Friday is the commemoration of the passion and death of Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary. It is always three days before Easter, which marks...
"Be perfect, therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect." - Matthew 5:48 Be Perfect Jesus tells us to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect. For the person struggling with scrupulosity, this passage is taken out of context, magnified, and becomes a daily...
Giving to the Church There is one topic that no one wants to hear about in church: money. From my experience speaking to priests, they do not want to talk about it either. Ideally, the Parish would have enough money to cover expenses, expand programs, and provide for...
Thirst and Perfection God thirsts for you. He desires you and He loves you. This thirst is universal and extends to every beloved created person. The Church shows forth this love of God for us and beckons us to be like Him. Regardless of our own state in life, our...
This beautiful spoken-word piece titled “A Crucifixion Type Love” was written and performed by Brent Rice and, although (disclaimer) we don't know much about Mr. Rice and his personal religious beliefs, there is no doubt that his poetry is stunning, passionate, and a...
Candlemas Day Candlemas is the colloquial name for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord which is celebrated on February 2. In the new calendar (1970), the Christmas season ends with the Baptism of the Lord in early January. However, traditionally, Candlemas was...
What is the Bible? What is the Bible? Where did it come from? The Bible is not one book. It is a library. It is 73 books consisting of various literary genres. There is history, romance, poetry, inspiration, drama, and so much more. In every single page, we believe...
St. Francis de Sales Francis de Sales was the Bishop of Geneva in Switzerland. Francis was born two months premature to a noble family in a castle: the Château de Sales. His father was the Lord of the castle, and his mother was a noblewoman, the daughter of a...
What is Scrupulosity? Scrupulosity is a disorder in which someone is pathologically obsessed with moral or religious issues, and it makes them act in a compulsive and often distressing way. Someone suffering from scrupulosity has obsessions, feels compulsions, has...
Tradition – The Handing on of Faith St. Paul wrote in his letter to the Corinthians: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the...
Candles are Practical The word candle comes from the Latin “to burn.” Candles have been used since human beings have been able to start fire. Rudimentary wicks were encased in wax or animal fat and burned for light in the dark hours of the day. Oil candles were also...
The Virtue of Thankfulness: Simply Justice or Piety? The act of gratitude or being thankful is something which is seen as important both in the Church and in the broader human family. Gratitude is universally important for human relationships to flourish. Who wants to...
Who Is Albertus Magnus? One of the greatest saints in the History of the intellectual tradition of the Church is St. Thomas Aquinas. The Angelic Doctor, however, did not arise from a vacuum. Even the greatest teachers once had great teachers. The most famous teacher...
Who is St. Charles Borromeo? Carlo Borromeo was born in Arona, Italy near Milan in 1538. He became a cardinal archbishop and was active in the Catholic Counter-Reformation (after the Protestant Reformation) in Italy. St. Charles Borromeo died at the age of 46 in 1584...
Love and Song Over fifty percent of popular songs are about love, whether in the classical era or today. Paul McCartney’s song Silly Love Songs makes this observation when he says, “You’d think that people would’ve had enough of...
Called to Conversion We are all called to conversion. This was a fundamental part of the proclamation of the kingdom of God and the Gospel. The first call to Christ and His Gospel leads us to Baptism in which we receive “the...