“The measure of our prayer life is not the feeling we have when we pray, but the way we live our lives.” My pastor used to lead our youth group in prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament, having us repeat after him: “Jesus, I love you. Help me to love you more.” Help me to love you more. It’s […]
Faith
Beauty of the Soul
“Let us go forth to see ourselves in Thy beauty.” Yes, a little tiny human embryo has an immortal soul, infused into it by God at conception. Of all the wonders of the world, of all that is pleasing to the eye, of all that the ear can hear, there is nothing , one as beautiful as the soul of […]
Uncomfortable Christianity
“It’s time to recognize that Christianity is not a comfortable religion. The doctrines we profess are stumbling blocks, and the demands are uncomfortable.” We have gotten too comfortable. Walking around as baptized Christians, we probably don’t often think about what that means. Christianity is radical. If we really profess what Christianity professes and live what Christianity demands, we will not […]
Who do we say that the Eucharist is?
In Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked who people said he was, and his two polls showed that only one person said he believed Jesus was who he truly was, the Messiah and Son of God (Mt 16:13-20). This article originally appeared in The Anchor, the weekly newspaper of the Diocese of Fall River, Mass, on August 23, 2019 and appears here with […]
The Church needs Tentmakers
“As a tentmaker, you have a unique role to play in the Church – that of evangelist, of disciple, in the nitty gritty of life, in the ‘temporal order.’” In his memoir, A Severe Mercy, Sheldon Vanauken details his conversion to Christianity, a journey in which the writings of C.S. Lewis played a part. After readings the works of Lewis, […]
A Broken and Contrite Heart O God
Recently I was reminded of a wonderful movie of faith, courage and redemption. It was the story from the book “Unbroken,” about the life of Louie Zamperini, an American who ran the 5,000 meter in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Louie was later drafted as a gunner aboard B-24 Bombers during World War II. He was shot down in the Pacific and […]
Remembering What’s Important
“In the end, a life that radiates His truth, His love, and His glory is going to do far more to spread the kingdom than an argument on Twitter.” A friend emailed me recently, after finding out that his friend had left the Church. I look forward to his emails – they’re strikingly perceptive and usually make me either laugh […]
The Winning Strategy
Editor’s Note: Dr. Kreeft’s classic essay on successfully winning the culture wars is timeless. For more information, see his book, How to Win the Culture War. To win any war, the three most necessary things to know are: (1) that you are at war, (2) who your enemy is, and (3) what weapons or strategies can defeat him. You cannot […]
Pray Always?
“Seriously? Pray always?” That is not an uncommon reaction to St. Paul’s admonition to pray always without ceasing. Does he know what we’re up against, the demands on our time and energy, the pace of our modern world, not to mention the fragility and inconsistency of our human nature? He can’t possibly mean always, as in, all the time and […]
The Struggle to Trust God
“It’s hard to believe in our hearts that He can be trusted because we have been hurt when we trusted others.” Happy the one who trusts in the Lord… It’s a phrase repeated throughout the Scriptures- in Psalms and Proverbs and Jeremiah. But perhaps at times it’s hard to believe and practice. Can I really trust the Lord? When asked […]