The Supernatural Vision of Fr. Kolbe
August 14, 2018I believe it was sometime in June when I signed up to write the reflection on this particular day. To be honest, I wasn’t really paying attention to what the readings were or the feast day, I just picked a day that worked with my schedule. So I was surprised when I realized after the fact that it was the feast of Saint Maximilian Kolbe. Though I shouldn’t have been surprised, it’s not the first time Fr. Kolbe’s feast day has caught me off guard. As a kid I remember finding an old comic book about Maximilian Kolbe on my…
The Foolish Mercy of Accompaniment
For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling-block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom…
Transgenderism – An Apology
I want to apologize. Back in 2015 I attended a conference hosted by Courage, a Catholic apostolate for persons with same-sex attraction and their families. One of the talks during that conference was by Deacon Patrick Lappert, MD, a plastic surgeon,…
Hear this, you who trample upon the poor!
The first reading today, from the prophet Amos, is a pointed exhortation against the oppression of the poor and economic injustice: “Hear this, you who trample upon the needy and destroy the poor of the land! ‘When will the new…
I was on a podcast!
Back in January, I was invited by Mary Ashley Burton to talk about NFP on her podcast Fishers of Men. That episode was published today so I wanted to share it. You can listen to it here: Now, podcasting doesn’t lend itself to…
What about the right to control our borders?
The section of the Catechism that speaks about immigration (section 2241) is divided into two paragraphs that seem to be in tension with one another. Both are equally true, and to dismiss one of them in favor of the other…
I was a Stranger, and You Took My Children
I’m excited to share an article by a friend of mine who is an attorney for migrant farmworkers (and who used to be a theology teacher). Ben O’Hearn has a better grasp than most on the nuances of these recent immigration…
Judging the Insignificant, Domesticating the Mystery
One of the advantages of working at a parish is that I rarely have a good excuse for not making it to Mass once or twice during the week. This morning the visiting priest reflected on the first reading during his homily…
Everyone’s a Little Bit Gnostic
Have you ever thought that you could convince someone to become Christian or Catholic? Have you ever thought that if you could articulate the best argument for something that people would just have to believe you? Have you ever thought…
St Paul’s Letter Against Pelagianism
Pope Francis appears to to be pretty concerned with something called “Pelagianism.” He has made multiple references to it throughout his pontificate, including his new Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate, and recently the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith released a…
Humanae Vitae: truth, accompaniment, and culpability
Therefore, it must be emphasized once more that the pastoral intervention of the Church in support of the family is a matter of urgency. Every effort should be made to strengthen and develop pastoral care for the family, which should…
