In light of the recent abuse and cover-up crisis, Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, wrote a letter to the “Pilgrim People of God in Chile.” He acknowledges the grievous sins of certain members of the Church, encourages Christians to hope … Continue reading
The Church
My Mother’s Keeper
The Church is a Mother. We are her children. As with our earthly mothers, some of us stay near and devoted to our Mother, the Church. Others keep their distance. For those Catholics struggling to love the Church as their … Continue reading
I Have Called You Friends
The only apostle who died before the Resurrection of Jesus was the one who betrayed him, Judas Iscariot. The mission of Judas’ apostolic office went unfulfilled, and the number of apostles fell to eleven. After Christ’s Ascension into heaven, however, … Continue reading
The Saintly Father of Lima
In the Soul of the Apostolate, Trappist monk Jean-Baptiste Chautard quotes this saying: “A holy priest makes a fervent people; a fervent priest a pious people; a pious priest a fairly good people; a fairly good priest, a godless people.” … Continue reading
Just Keep Your Eyes on Me
By your counsel you will guide me,and then you will lead me to glory.What else have I in heaven but you?Apart from you, I want nothing on earth. (Psalm 73:24-25) The rails clacked and the din of passengers subsided to … Continue reading
Ite Ad Joseph
Ite Ad Joseph. “Go to Joseph.” These were the words of Pharaoh to the people of Egypt during the years of famine (Gen 41:55). These are the words inscribed at the base of the statue of St. Joseph in front … Continue reading
Where Are the Poor?
There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linenand dined sumptuously each day.And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scrapsthat fell … Continue reading
Rock Solid
Today is the feast of the Chair of St. Peter, a celebration of the teaching authority of the Vicar of Christ. We don’t usually think of authority as a blessing, but instead as a cost worth paying for the security … Continue reading
Morality in an Age of Disbelief
In the twentieth century, many thinkers became disillusioned with traditional morality. It seemed to be a cold and impersonal list of rules. For something supposedly based on a transcendent God, it was surprisingly powerless to resist changing social conventions. Many … Continue reading
Salvation is from the Jews
About four thousand years ago, God made a promise to Abraham, saying, “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing” (Gen 12:2). … Continue reading
The Big Plan
A few days ago, I heard a talk Bishop Robert Barron gave to the seminarians of Philadelphia. He told the graced story of the Word on Fire apostolate and gleaned from it some guiding principles for proclaiming the Gospel through … Continue reading
A Seamless Garment
At His crucifixion, Jesus was stripped of His clothing, and the soldiers divided it among themselves. His tunic, however, “was seamless, woven in one piece from the top down” (Jn 19:23), so the soldiers instead cast lots for it. Because … Continue reading
Finding a Friend in the Folio
Until recently, I thought that I was the only person to have written a quirky, pious, ukulele song for St. Isidore the Farmer. Perhaps I still am. However, while searching through some medieval manuscripts I found that even in this, … Continue reading