Perspective
Of a Lesser-Known Gospel Story that is Pretty “Cool”
Recently I was talking to a group of young adult Catholics and mentioned a gospel passage that they said they had never heard. It is the Gospel of the temple […]
Perspective
Love and Lament Alike – A Brief Reflection for All Who Care About the Church
As a priest and pastor, I work very closely with others: clergy, religious, laity who work for the Church, and laity who volunteer. We all work for the Church because […]
Perspective
Stages of Persecution
With the recent article in The Atlantic linking the rosary to extremist gun culture, we see a gross misunderstanding in the nature of spiritual warfare and its true target, Satan. The rosary […]
Perspective
Thoughts on the miracle of life, as we march
I want to consider today the extraordinary miracle of human life. It has been like a dagger in my heart that sixty-three million children have died in this country as a […]
Perspective
A meditation on honor
Back in 2014, I celebrated one of the most remarkable funerals of my 30-plus years as a priest. With the body present, I sang a Requiem Mass for a man […]
Perspective
Your life is not about you, as illustrated in a biblical story
The Acts of the Apostles sets forth an event that amounts to a tale of one Church in two cities or regions. It illustrates well a couple of points: that […]
Perspective
Do you fear the right thing?
In the wake of the COVID-19 explosion of fear, we do well to begin reflecting on fear. Fear is a complex passion. On the one hand, there are things that […]
Perspective
Why did Christ’s glorified body still have wounds?
Several of the Resurrection accounts stress that Jesus showed the disciples His wounds. On one level, we can understand that He was trying to make clear to them that the […]
Perspective
A more awful thing: Jesus’ lament on the culture of death
In the Stations of the Cross, Jesus says a rather extraordinary thing. He addresses it to the women who have gathered to lament Him: “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep […]
Perspective
Lenten assignment: Be grateful
True gratitude is a grace, or gift, from God. It proceeds from a humble and transformed heart. We do not render thanks merely because it is polite or expected or […]
Perspective
On the lost art of “pairing ‘em up” and its effects on marriage today
One of the more common concerns that young adults express to me is the difficulty in meeting and dating. Once adulthood is reached, of course, the purpose of dating is […]
Perspective
How does idealism and perfectionism negatively affect marriage?
The Church chose the week leading up to Valentine’s Day to focus on and honor marriage. I hope to produce a series of articles on that topic. We begin with some […]