The Gas Pump Preacher

[T]o speak of a ‘new evangelization’ does not in fact mean that a single formula should be developed that would hold the same for all circumstances. ~ Pope Benedict XVI He came up to me with a question about Aquinas. He … Continue reading

Good Deeds

In today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we learn of the aftermath of Peter and John’s healing of the cripple in the Temple. Presumably for years, the cripple had been begging in the Temple, and finally Peter … Continue reading

The Tongue of the Wise

Sticks and stones may break bones, but words wound hearts. A well chosen insult cuts to the core, searching out secret soft spots so that the fresh wound festers more than the former. How cleverly cruel we can be, delighting … Continue reading

Stony Souls

Saul stood by with a heart harder than the stones striking Stephen. Unconvinced by Stephen’s eloquent preaching, unmoved by his miracles, blind to his angelic countenance, blinder still to his burning love, the eyes of Saul’s soul, sealed shut by … Continue reading

Why Doesn’t God Give Everyone Faith?

Those who do not believe the Christian faith fit into two categories: those who have heard the faith and rejected it and those who have never heard the faith. The former group was offered the gift of faith but did … Continue reading

Apostle to the American Frontier

When the going gets tough, the tough get going, or so goes the saying. In these turbulent times of ecclesial crisis, a flashback to the early days of the Catholic Church in America—days in which plenty of tough folks faced … Continue reading

The Martyr-Prophet of Reform

Girolamo Savonarola was born in Northern Italy in 1452 to a well-to-do merchant family. Growing up, he was taught a love for the moral life and a hatred for decadence by his fervently religious grandfather. At the age of twenty-three, … Continue reading

Preacher, Theologian, Contemplative

In Blessed Humbert of Romans’ important work, “On the Beginnings of the Order of Preachers,” he calls St. Augustine “the distinguished Preacher.” This way of identifying Augustine stands in splendid relief to St. Thomas Aquinas’ way of identifying him over … Continue reading

The Preacher of the Incarnation

Christianity is no mere ideology, a set of human goals with no power to save. Nor is it a natural religion, the aggregate wisdom of the sages who through long experience learned to get along in the world. It is … Continue reading

Salt of the Earth

Have you ever wondered how Jesus chose the images he used in his parables? What thoughts and feelings would the expression “salt of the earth” have for the people of the ancient world? Salt was one of the most useful … Continue reading

In Defence of “Thoughts and Prayers”

After a tragedy, politicians take to Twitter and TV and offer their “thoughts and prayers” to victims and families. For some it seems to be an automatic response to terrible suffering. In the last two months there has been a … Continue reading

Preaching the Word, without Words

Editor’s note: This is the ninth post in our newest series, reflecting on the Hillbilly Thomists’ recent, self-titled album. The series will run each Tuesday and Thursday throughout the Easter season. Read the whole series here. This post concerns the … Continue reading

I’m A Dog

Editor’s note: This is the seventh post in our newest series, reflecting on the Hillbilly Thomists’ recent, self-titled album. The series will run each Tuesday and Thursday throughout the Easter season. Read the whole series here. This post concerns the … Continue reading

St. Agnes and the Women’s March

“Jesus Christ was recklessly charitable,” a wise friar told me after hundreds of people lined up to use the restroom at a Dominican priory. There were not enough restrooms set up for the Women’s March that took place in Washington, … Continue reading

Known By Your Fruits

Today the Church celebrates the feast day of a Dominican saint and doctor of the Church, St. Albert the Great. The list of his contributions to Western thought is staggering. He was one of the first to comment on many … Continue reading

Should We Preach to the Choir?

We don’t know how to agree with people we agree with. We are reminded daily that our country is riven by disagreements and that we have little hope of crossing the many cultural, political, moral, and religious divides. It’s perhaps … Continue reading

The Visceral Reality of God’s Love

I once heard a preacher tell his congregation that Catholics have a peculiar fascination with the gruesomeness of the crucifixion and that this sick fixation on “gore” was behind the death and darkness now celebrated on Halloween. “They love their … Continue reading

Godly Speech

It was said of our Holy Father Dominic that he always spoke either with God or about God. Likewise, Blessed Jordan of Saxony tells us that “he dedicated the day to his neighbor, but gave the night to God.” Now, … Continue reading