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Spirituality
Modernism’s Effect on the Eucharistic Prayer
What is the longest prayer prayed by Christ in the gospels? It is the High Priestly Prayer of Christ in the 17th chapter of John, which is one long conversation between Christ and His Father. Centuries before, Moses petitioned God on behalf of his stiff-necked people: If I find favor with you, O Lor...
Spirituality
Reaping the Whirlwind of the Contraceptive Mentality
“John Paul II taught that the body has a ‘spousal meaning.’ It is made to express love as a free, total, faithful, and fruitful gift.” I graduated from high school in May of 1968. With my whole adult life ahead of me and college on the horizon, I wasn’t paying much attention to what was happening in...
Spirituality
Hosts in the Sewer: A Nun’s Dream and the Silent Desecration of Our Time
A few years ago, a religious sister shared a dream that has remained with me ever since. Her life is devoted to caring for those with severe mental and physical disabilities in Mumbai. In the dream she saw ordinary city streets. Open drains and sewers brimmed with filthy water and refuse. Floating a...
Spirituality
Remembering the Lesson of the Good Samaritan
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...
Spirituality
From Gift to Product: The Logic of IVF, Abortion, Eugenics, and Transhumanism
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...
Spirituality
We Have the Holy Spirit—Why Do We Need the Eucharist?
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...
Spirituality
Eucharistic Miracles and the Ordinarily Miraculous
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...
Spirituality
The Eucharist is Truly Jesus—Does This Shock You?
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...
World News
God and robots, the end of a synod, and a recipe for joy
Paid Pillar subscribers can listen to Ed read this Pillar Post here: The Pillar TL;DRHappy Friday friends,I am looking forward to the long weekend, as I am sure most of you are.Monday is likely to prove a working holiday for us here at The Pillar, given that it sees the formal presentation of Pope L...
World News
What’s France’s new assembly on catechumens?
The staggering increase in adult baptisms in France will be the topic of a major gathering at the end of May.Bishop Raymond Centène welcomes a catechumen at the Rite of Election in the Diocese of Vannes, northwestern France, on Feb. 22, 2026. Credit: Screenshot from @diocesevannes YouTube channel.An...
World News
Come Sheen with us!
Hey everybody,As Pillar readers know, Venerable Fulton Sheen — America’s favorite TV bishop — will be beatified September 24, at a Mass in St. Louis, presided over by Cardinal Luis Tagle.Ed and I will be there for the Mass, for a Pillar Podcast live show, for the full SheenFest experience, and for a...