A Sin is a Sin: St. Thomas and Conscience

In other words, a sin is a sin is a sin, and whatever we may think, it’s still a sin. As Catholics, we have ample means of knowing the Moral Law, and therefore have no excuse for disobeying it.
Human Trafficking, Love & St. Vitalis

Human Trafficking, Love & St. Vitalis 11 Jan 2023 When a man dies, his life is revealed. Call no man happy before his death, for by how he ends a man is known. (Sirach 11:27-28) Human Trafficking Prostitution sometimes hides under the phrase “the world’s oldest profession.” There’s some truth in that expression, in that the […]
A Loving Mother: Alma Redemptoris Mater

Loving Mother of Our Redeemer Who doesn’t want a loving mother? Or, if we need to win the favor of a powerful person (a King, for instance), how could we pass up the opportunity of having his Mother put in a good word for us? That’s the dual promise of the Alma Redemptoris Mater. The first […]
Feed My Sheep: Love, Forgiveness, and Grace

God is always the initiator, inviting us to share His Grace. And He’s always willing to move a little closer, if it will bring us closer to Him . . . even to the point of becoming one of us.
Let’s Keep the Confessional Open

The Seal of the Confessional? What’s wrong with the picture above? At first glance it looks like a confessional of the sort you used to be able to find in any Catholic church. A closer look reveals that the doors through which the penitents were accustomed to enter have been replaced by plain panels. There’s no way […]
Cons or Coeds? Sin, Suffering, and the Mystery of the Cross

Who would you expect to be more open to conversion, prison inmates, or students at a Catholic college? “It’s not even close,” was the priest’s reply.
The Presentation: Suffering and Joy

How would you like to be pierced by sword? That sounds like a pretty painful image, does it not? And yet, despite that, the Presentation, which is today’s feast day and the occasion of the exchange above, is included in the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary. How can that make sense? Yes, the Presentation of the Lord […]
A Sin is a Sin: St. Thomas and Conscience

“What is truth?” I seem to remember someone raising the question somewhere. For the idealogue, “truth” is whatever promotes the ideology, and if it happens to correspond with reality that’s fine; if it doesn’t, no problem, we’ll make something up. Followers of Him who is “The Way, The Truth, and The Life” (John 14:6) know better . . […]
Eucharistic Adoration: Sitting at the Feet of the Lord

Most of us can probably identify with Martha: always “worried about many things”, and too distracted to notice the Lord. Adoration is a great opportunity to give our “inner Martha” a rest and, like Mary, choose “the better part”. After all, what is Eucharistic Adoration, if not watching and listening at the feet of Jesus?
A Brief Visit to Hell

Who wants to talk about Hell? Just about nobody, and we can hardly blame them – why dwell on something as, well, hellish, as eternal torment? Many people, both inside and outside the Church, only mention the Abode of the Damned at all in order to discount it. At the same time, we don’t have the luxury of […]