We’re angry because this is sin, and sin always hurts people.
Now maybe once again we can understand why God hates sin. He doesn’t hate sin because he’s big and nasty and judgmental. He hates sin because it breaks hearts, breaks lives, breaks families, breaks the church and breaks true love.
So bring on the righteous anger, and let’s think again about sin and why its wrong.
Read MoreToday marks exactly half a century since the publication of Humanae vitae, Bl. Paul VI’s prescient missive to the Church in response to the modern world’s views on sexuality and the human person. Reading it now through the warped lens of the 21st century’s concept of sex, it seems extraordinary that there was once a time the world was not arguing over the existence of multiple choice genders and contraception as a fundamental human right.
Progress, eh?
Read MoreThis year marks the 50th anniversary of Pope Paul VI’s deeply controversial encyclical letter “Humanae vitae.” But I would like to draw particular attention to a remarkable passage in this encyclical, namely section 17, in which Paul VI plays the prophet and lays out, clearly and succinctly, what he foresees as consequences of turning away from the Church’s classic teaching on sex.
Read MoreI have a friend who once told me that, at one point in her life, she suffered from severe anxiety, indigestion, and insomnia.
“Then,” she said, “I made a single change in my life that cured all of that. What was it? I quit leading youth ministry at church.”
Read More....Christ came to earth and died on the cross, not so that we could avoid death and suffering, but so that he could transform the inevitability of death and suffering from the inside out. By communion with him, by participation in his cross, we could receive eternal life.
Read MoreFr. Mike Schmitz, in this 6 min. video, talks on suffering as sharing in a "sliver of the cross".
Read MoreHow many times as a parent have we wished that we could alleviate our child’s suffering? Our
God-given nature to love and protect our child kicks in to high gear when he or she faces trials.
Pray without ceasing. . . what does this mean? Can we really pray constantly as St. Paul tells us to do in this verse? Most of us are not cloistered―we live in this very busy world―a world full of high expectations and productivity ―a world in which we run from activity to activity―a world in which we are bombarded with constant media. I know that I easily get caught up in filling my day to overflowing.
Read MoreSt. Francis de Sales once said, “Every one of us needs half an hour of prayer a day, except when we are busy – then we need an hour.” Sounds impossible but with a little thought this makes sense. The more responsibilities we have, the busier we are, the more we need our Heavenly Father’s assistance and guidance.
Read MoreJoin the Family Rosary Pledge.
Read MoreOne of the most pernicious lies of the modern world is that life is supposed to be easy and comfortable. There is even a sense in which moderns believe they are entitled to this comfort and ease—that it is some sort of fundamental human right.
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When we speak of politeness we may think of something that can be easily learned from reading an etiquette book. Such may be the case with simple, isolated behaviors like selecting the proper fork or keeping one's elbows off the table. But true politeness requires more. For it is the mirror of a person's heart and soul – it is an outward expression of inner virtue. And inner virtue is best learned through constant practice and examples
Read MoreOne year, Hal Urban put up a sign in his high school classroom: "No one ever went wrong by being polite." He had always enjoyed a good rapport with his students, who were college-bound and typically from affluent families. But he was troubled by what he saw as a decline of basic courtesy.
Read MoreMost of us would do anything for our kids, right? We give birth after hours of labor, sometimes without pain medication just so those kids will have “the best” start. We struggle through those early, sleepless weeks, tending to our babies’ every need, checking on the them five times a night putting our fingers by their noses or our hands on their little chests just so see if they are breathing.
Read MorePrayer changes us and changes circumstances. Just read about the miraculous Battle of Lepanto when the war against the Moslems was won against all odds with the recitation of the Rosary. We too, can change our country and our world by praying the Rosary. As Saint Padre Pio said, “The Rosary is the ‘weapon’ for these times.”
WOULD YOU LIKE TO START A ROSARY GROUP? EMAIL US
Read MoreThere are no easy answers to the choices we face in this upcoming election which will affect our nation for a long time to come. We offer resources and wisdom from some of our shepherds of the Church. And above all, we invite you to pray, be informed and share these resources with family and friends.
Read MorePhiladelphia, Pa., Aug 15, 2016 CNA.- In his latest column for the Philly Catholic Archdiocesan paper, Archbishop Chaput shared some of his personal thoughts on the upcoming presidential election, and implored Catholics to take the time to pray and form their consciences before voting.
Read MoreThese are the words that echo through my mind as I reflect upon my week with the Missionaries of Charity. At the beginning of July, I travelled with twelve of my students to spend a week helping the sisters put on a day camp for neighborhood kids. The camp was an afternoon event every weekday, consisting of food, catechesis, play time and more food.
Read More1. There Is Only "One Thing Necessary." The first happened when I was about six or seven, I think. It was the first important conscious discovery I ever made, and I don't think I have ever had a more mature or wiser thought than that one. I remember to this day exactly where I was when it hit me: riding north on Haledon Avenue between Sixth and Seventh Streets in Paterson, New Jersey after Sunday morning church with my parents.
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