Spirituality

Shortly after turning 50, my late father had to leave behind two decades of practicing law to go on full-time disability. At 7 years old, he had contracted Rheumatic Fever. That was the beginning of 61 long years of suffering. He spent a year of his childhood paralyzed. He spent a year homeschooling...

A few definitions will help at the outset. By IVF, or in vitro fertilization, I mean the generation of human embryos outside the body, ordinarily in a laboratory setting, with later transfer to the womb (Donum Vitae II.B; Dignitas Personae 12–18). By abortion, I mean the deliberate termination of th...

When Jesus ascended to Heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to His followers to give them the divine life of the Trinity.  Why, then, did He also give them a meal of Bread and Wine to attain eternal life? Gospel (Read Jn. 6:51-58) Our Easter lectionary readings moved us through Christ’s Resurrection, Asc...

Eucharistic Miracles are instances where consecrated bread and wine no longer appear as bread and wine. The veil of ordinary appearances is lifted, and we see, in a way our eyes of faith already trust, the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Our Risen Lord, Jesus Christ. Though tradition assures us th...

The Holy Eucharist is a shocking teaching of the Catholic Church. Indeed, the Lord’s teaching on the Eucharist has been shocking from the beginning. Today, followers of Christ still have trouble believing in this unwavering teaching from Jesus and His Church: that He is truly present—Body, Blood, So...

What happens after we die? Someone once gave examples to help formulate an answer. His help was in the form of questions: Have you tried to describe a rainbow to a man born blind? Or a Tchaikovsky symphony like Sleeping Beauty or Swan Lake, to a person born deaf? Explain the exquisite fragrance of a...

Jesus, Scripture, and the Catholic Church teach that water baptism is necessary for our salvation. It washes away our sins, infuses our souls with grace, and puts us in communion with God and His Church. Still, many wonder why we need water for baptism. Why can’t faith in Jesus be enough? Accordingl...

About twenty years ago, I was at a Mass celebrated by Fr. Richard McAlear, OMI (frmac.org), a well-known priest with the gift and charism of healing. Fr. McAlear prayed over each person who came forward and spoke a few words with them. When it was my turn, Father held my face, looked into my eyes an...

Allow a moment for two brief definitions for the terms in the title of this reflection. They will be essential for understanding the progression of thought through this two-part series. The first term, “inheritance,” is the acquisition of a valuable possession or condition from a previous generation...

I had a very difficult situation arise in the wake of my father’s death. A person in a position of authority, who by all accounts was filled with light and joy, led us astray. I knew it was false. I battled against it alone. The difficulty for me was the seemingly radiant light and joy emanating fro...

Why Beginnings Matter for Bioethics and Moral Courage When does a human being begin to be? At first glance, the question seems simple, much as the question of when a person dies can seem simple. In reality, both stand at the center of the most urgent bioethical debates of our time. The question of h...

In our time, many Catholics are cautious about herbal medicine, fearing it may be something New Age or pagan. Or perhaps we think of it as “grandmother’s home remedies”—something people practiced when they couldn’t afford modern health care. And yet, by every measure, Americans are sicker with chron...