Spirituality

[We must] rebuild the first society. The family is the first city; strong marriages and prayerful homes form tomorrow’s citizens before any vote is cast. – Dr. Scott Hahn The Napa Institute recently held its 16th Annual Summer Conference in California. Once again, it was an extraordinary gathering f...

Last year, shortly after my father died, I opened up his copy of the autobiography of St. Teresa of Avila that he had given to me years ago. I chuckled as I looked at the blue pen underlining various passages in the text. Unlike my father, I dislike writing in books in pen or using highlighters. I u...

In a conversation with Peter and the apostles, Jesus declares His intention to build His Church on a human being.  Whatever was He thinking? Gospel (Read Mt. 16:13-20) This Sunday’s Gospel is so familiar to Catholics that the potential for missing the punch it packs is inordinately high.  If ever we...

And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. (Acts 2:2) After the ascension of Our Lord, the Eleven Apostles, along with some others, gather for ten days, cozied up in a room together “for fear of the Jews” (Jn. 20:19). T...

I wonder what a person who was completely ignorant of Christianity would make of Christian words and worship when first exposed to it. Let’s face it, although Christian language is increasingly warm and fuzzy, there remains some genuinely strange and quite frankly bizarre and disturbing elements to...

Q&A WITH MYSTIC ALICJA LENCZEWSKA, PART 4 Following the summer break—at least in the Northern Hemisphere, where July and August naturally bring a pause—we return to Alicja Lenczewska. Since the previous installment in the series, A Visitor from Heaven, Apparitions in Northern Italy, was devoted to t...

Animal Organs, Human Dignity, and the Limits of Technique In March 2024, Richard “Rick” Slayman, a 62-year-old man suffering from end-stage kidney disease, became the first living patient to receive a genetically modified pig kidney at Massachusetts General Hospital. He died nearly two months later,...

Gossip. It is everywhere in our culture. From 24/7 news to social media to our own conversations, we are inundated with temptations to gossip. It is in our fallen human nature, especially of women, to talk about other people. There are entire friend groups formed around gossip. We often engage in go...

This Sunday, as Jesus travels away from Jerusalem toward the region of the Gentiles, He meets a Canaanite woman who desperately needs His help.  Why did He give her the cold shoulder? Gospel (Read Mt. 15:21-28) To best understand this Gospel episode, we need to know that it follows a description of...

Every year the Church obliges Catholics to attend Mass on August 15th, in the middle of summer, to honor the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The belief pertaining to Mary’s Assumption, while celebrated for centuries (many saints have homilies on the Assumption), was elevated to the status of...

When we look upon a crucifix, we see a sterilized version of Our Lord’s physical condition at the moment of His death. Generally, what is depicted are His five wounds and a crown of thorns. This depiction is devoid of His Precious Blood strewn over His Body, along with His torn and mutilated Flesh....

For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Mt. 18:20) Why does Jesus tell His disciples that He needs a minimum of “two or three” people to “agree” on a petition in order for Him to grant it? Does this mean that if I pray alone for a particular need, m...