Back in April I began a series on What's Killing American Catholicism. Events and other commitments kept me from completing the series at that time. The first post was on Cultural Catholicism and I argued that this was countered by Comprehensive Catholicism--a Catholic faith that is truly universal and transcends all cultures and ethnicities. The second installment [...]
Remembering that the New Testament is hidden in the old and the old is made manifest in the New, yesterday's feast provides three powerful images from the past that converge at Pentecost: Wind, Fire and Witness. The mighty rushing wind connects back to the first day of creation where in the first verses of the Bible [...]
I'm continuing a series on things that are destroying American Catholicism. They all begin with the letter 'C'--as does the solution to the problem. You can use the 'Categories' tool to pull up the whole series as they are written. Here is a link to the first article in the series on Cultural Catholicism If you [...]
In a nearby convent there was a nun who had taken to levitating during mystical prayer. The people were, of course, stupefied by this astounding miracle and were flocking to see the flying nun. The novices in Thomas' friary were just as excited as the others and dragged the great philosopher off to see the [...]
I remember as a young priest I was visiting an older woman we'll call Veronica whose life was in chaos. She was grieving over a broken marriage. Her children were a disappointment. She had health problems and money worries. She had emotional and relational difficulties. In addition to this she talked too much. The poor soul [...]
In reading Frank Viola and Leonard Sweet's Jesus A Theography I enjoyed the second chapter the most. Frank and Leonard aim to show how Jesus Christ is echoed and reflected in every part of the Scriptures. They build up a full picture of Christ the Lord--not just by trying to reconstruct the "historical Jesus" (that exercise usually [...]
Sin is monotonous. Sanctity is totally original. Underneath this observation lurks a deeper truth--that sin is boring. We believe in original sin, but there is nothing original about sin. This is because evil is derivative. Satan cannot create anything, all he can do is twist or destroy or distort what is good. Take any sin at [...]
St Therese dressed as Joan of Arc "Sanctity! It must be won at the point of a sword!" said the little warrior St Therese. If anyone has read her Story of a Soul and gave it up as a sentimental exercise in French bad taste they should pick up The Last Conversations. The first book [...]
St Therese of Lisieux C.S. Lewis once observed, ‘How monotonously alike all the great tyrants and conquerors have been: how gloriously different are the saints.’ In his little biographies of Thomas Aquinas and Saint Francis of Assisi, G.K.Chesterton revelled in the sparkling individuality of both saints. Aquinas was the greatest philosopher of his time [...]
Remember the old joke about the man who says to the priest, "I never go to your church Father. The place is full of hypocrites!" Priest answers, "Well come along anyway. We can always make room for one more." In today's gospel Jesus heals a woman on the Sabbath and the Pharisees pick him up on [...]