Fans of courtroom dramas might enjoy a new film, The Burial, released October 13 on Amazon Prime and is based on a true story of a legal battle between a hometown funeral director and a corporate funeral mogul. Jerry O’Keefe inherited the family chain of funeral...
Is there something wrong with your life? Maybe something is missing. Maybe you’re depressed. Maybe you’re overwhelmed. Maybe you’re trapped by compulsive behavior. Maybe there’s a particular sin you haven’t been able to overcome no matter how hard you’ve tried? Maybe...
Dating is easy today, right? Hardly. It’s never been easy; but especially in a social media world—and after the pandemic, nothing can be taken for granted. This is literally uncharted territory. And yet, human nature remains fundamentally the same in so many...
What are some practical spiritual methods Catholics can use to combat the temptation to consume pornography? Go To War First, a key tool in the evil one’s toolbox is luring us into a false sense of isolation. Temptation to consume pornography only grows without...
What is Sin? “Sin” is an old archery term in Greek which means “to miss the mark.” All sin and fall short of the glory of God, as St. Paul says. When we sin, we are committing an offense against “reason, truth, and right conscience (CCC 1849).” Sin is never private....
Parents often wonder when they should begin teaching the Theology of the Body (TOB) to their children…the answer is: In the womb! Yes, that means talking to your unborn child who begins to hear and recognize voices—your body matters to the unborn child. “The Body...
Saint Teresa of Calcutta was known for spending countless hours attending to the dying, the sick, and the poor. This flowed from her rich prayer life: Daily Mass and a daily holy hour. Where did Mother Teresa learn to sacrifice herself for others? Her first teacher in...
Gospel of Luke 20:27-38 Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection,came forward and put this question to Jesus, saying,"Teacher, Moses wrote for us,If someone's brother dies leaving a wife but no child,his brother must take the wifeand raise up...
Humility is, as it were, a disposition to man’s untrammeled access to spiritual and divine goods.St. Thomas Aquinas (Summa Theologica, II-II Q. 161. a. 5) St. Thomas Aquinas tells us that pride (superbia in the Latin), “is so-called because a man thereby aims higher...
Gospel of Luke 14:1, 7-14 On a sabbath Jesus went to dineat the home of one of the leading Pharisees,and the people there were observing him carefully.He told a parable to those who had been invited,noticing how they were choosing the places of honor at the...
“Yes, now’s the moment; I’m looking at this thing on the mantlepiece, and I understand that I am in hell.”— Jean-Paul Sartre, No Exit, 1944 As most theologians point out, once we lose belief in God, it’s a short leap to the belief that there is no moral absolute, no...
As you may know, many couples use fertility-awareness methods like Natural Family Planning (NFP) to try to become pregnant, but NFP can also help couples carrying the cross of infertility. Learning about the body’s signs and signals of fertility can often reveal...
Natural Family Planning (NFP) is a beautiful and effective way for married couples to remain open to life while also following Church teaching against contraception. For many couples, NFP can be a way for them to grow closer to each other and as a couple grow closer...
Need some help learning or relearning Natural Family Planning (NFP), Fertility Awareness Method (FAM), the Marquette Method, Boston Cross Check™, or the Billings Ovulation Method®? Here is a list of providers that offer virtual courses so that you can learn these...
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...
The word Purgatory comes from the Greek root πῦρ (“pur”) which means both “fire” and “pure.” This is a fitting description, as the fires of Purgatory, rather than destroying like the fires of Hell, instead purify. Purgatory is where we expiate for the pain due to...
PRO-LIFERS WANT TO IMPOSE THEIR MORALITY ON EVERYONE ELSE. THEY’RE JUST INTOLERANT. WE ARE ALL ENTITLED TO OUR OWN MORAL BELIEF SYSTEMS. REBUTTAL That’s nonsense. We all believe in imposing morality, and we do it every day. On...
Even if you didn't watch the Oscars, you've likely seen all over social media what occurred between Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Will Smith. An offensive joke was told at the expense of Jada Pinkett Smith and her husband retaliated by walking on stage to slap...
Looking at the two creation stories (Genesis 1:1–2:4 and Genesis 2:4–3:24) together reveals a number of distinct senses in which men and women may be said to be complementary. Both accounts of creation offer strong affirmations of the basic equality of the sexes in...
He’s such a great guy, Ash – but I don’t know how to talk to him about, about. She paused searching carefully for her words. About, huff, you know! Ah, I told my sister, searching everywhere in that airtight moment for some wise words, which of course weren’t mine to...
One of the best things about the Catholic Church (which of course, there are many, many things) is the communion of saints. The wisdom and holiness of the men and women who have gone before us can guide us toward the light that is Christ. There are few areas of our...
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...
Ideals of gentlemanly behavior have undergone quite a revival lately – in articles, videos, and guidebooks, which continue to issue forth from the presses and Internet. Much of the advice is obvious. A gentleman should be respectful and courteous but also...
It doesn’t take long when first discovering the world of natural family planning to realize that most couples have a love/hate relationship with NFP. The reasons to love it are obvious and the reasons to hate it are obvious. It is a strange mix of sweet...
Open to life. We’ve all heard it, and for the most part, think we know what it means. For those who are outside the Church, or perhaps those Catholics who have done little more than get their feet wet in this beautiful thing we call Catholicism, the...