There are several teachings in the New Testament which are absolutely puzzling unless you have a view of the Church as simultaneously being the Mystical Body of Christ, and a polity, based upon that fact, with the authority to pass…
At this summer’s greatly anticipated meeting of the USCCB, the topic of “Eucharistic Coherence” gained center stage. In reading the National Catholic Register’s reporting of the meeting, I was struck by a comment that Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego…
The Prelude One of the surprises of the past three years was how popular a post I did on the theological language and style of the alt-pop band Twenty One Pilots. It’s been a slow burn, but it consistently gets…
With sincere sadness, I read Steve Skojec of OnePeterFive‘s essay Against Crippled Religion. I had heard that the piece was making the rounds all over the Catholic web, and so I finally got around to reading it. It is evident…
Institutions form the backbone of any stable and long lasting civilization. In law, education, religion, science, government and more, institutions are the product of the accumulated experience and practice of millions of human beings. They are the sentinels of law…
Most people when it comes to conflict may be divided into two categories: the conflict-seeking, and the conflict-adverse. Both have their strengths and weaknesses. A person who is naturally pugnacious can be a good person to take the “bull by…
Almost a year ago, just prior to the lockdowns which were imposed upon much of the United States, a pathogen of largely unknown virulence arrived on these shores. In those days, faced with so many questions regarding the lethality and…
It feels like just yesterday when, after taking my Canonical Retreat, I felt called to begin this blog. That year, I had fasted on only tea and water during the duration of the retreat, and had celebrated several Votive Masses…
I have always had a particular fondness for the Saints of the Counter Reformation, I suppose because they were such exemplars of apostolic zeal in a time of great social upheaval. They were men and women of admirable enterprise, often…
Sometimes very important turning points in history have a knack for falling on important Feast Days on the Church’s calendar. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 comes to mind, with the subsequent declaration of war on…