It’s Time to Discover and Rediscover the Teachings of St. John Paul II
As we celebrate St. John Paul II’s first official feast day, it strikes me that a extraordinary thing about the extraordinary Synod on the Family was the near absence of any reference to the teaching...
View ArticleStalking Horses and the Next Synod
As the result of yet another brazen act of judicial fiat, Florida has become the 36th state where same-sex “marriage” is now the law of the land. The bishop of St. Petersburg, Robert Lynch, reacted [...]
View ArticleRemarriage, Repentance, and Reaching Young Adults
Having spilled some ink on the topic of civilly divorced and remarried Catholics and after closely examining the vast body of definitive Magisterial teaching on the subject, the following is clear to...
View Article“Gay” Catholics and an Adequate Anthropology
It is not without reluctance that I offer the following critique of Eve Tushnet’s Gay and Catholic: Accepting My Sexuality, Finding Community, Living My Faith (Ave Maria Press). My reluctance stems...
View ArticleA Postscript on the Virtue of Chastity
In my review of Eve Tushnet’s Gay and Catholic: Accepting My Sexuality, Finding Community, Living My Faith, I argued that she has embraced and is promoting a flawed understanding of the human person...
View Article“Beloved”: The Mystery and Meaning of Marriage, Explained
This month in Rome, the Augustine Institute released Beloved: The Mystery and Meaning of Marriage. Beloved is the latest edition of Symbolon, a faith-formation series currently being used in almost...
View ArticleTurning Youth Ministry into Apprenticeship in the Christian Life
“Our children need sure guidance in the process of growing in responsibility for themselves and others. Christian communities are called to support the educational mission of families. They do this...
View ArticleYouth ministry today: Its strengths and limitations
It’s remarkable what God can do in a young person’s life over the course of a single weekend. Some whose hearts and spirits have been broken by their sins or the sins of others experience [...]
View ArticleConvincing the tyrannized that they’re being liberated
The Supreme Court will soon issue its decision on Obergefell v. Hodges—a case that will determine whether the US Constitution requires all 50 states to redefine marriage to include same-sex couples....
View ArticleThe Bitter Fruit of the Contraceptive Mentality
The widespread acceptance of contraception leads to the widespread acceptance of same-sex marriage, whether wittingly or not. All of us who justify the use of contraception are responsible for creating...
View ArticleThe Pro-Life Thing (and the New Evangelization)
What is the Pro-Life thing? What is it about the pro-life position that distinguishes it from all the alternate positions on life issues? What is it about the pro-life position that accounts for its...
View ArticleA Rational Basis for Marriage between One Man and One Woman
It is imperative for Catholics to develop rational arguments to defend the institution of marriage in the public square. We live in a pluralistic society and, therefore, what we accept as revelation is...
View ArticleSeeing the Face of Christ at Christmas
There was a blind man named Bartimaeus who called out to Jesus: “Son of David, have pity of me” (Mk 10:46-52). In answer to his plea, Jesus responds in the most remarkable way, “What do [...]
View ArticleRedefining Marriage Will Sever the Roots of Children’s Family Trees
A couple years ago my parents finally obtained the financial means to visit Ireland. They were able to spend three weeks in the homeland of our ancestors. They travelled the country and visited all the...
View ArticleMore cold-hearted “advances” in the Culture of Death
I just read a shocking article, “IVF Baby Born Using Revolutionary Genetic-Screening Process” (July 7, 2013), published online by The Guardian. What shocked me most was the casual manner its author Ian...
View ArticleCognitive Dissonance on the Issue of Marriage and Procreation
Can you correctly identify who made the following comments on the importance of fathers for the well-being of children and the health of our communities? When fathers are absent . . . we know the [...]
View ArticleDuck Dynasty’s Patriarch: A Voice Crying in the Wilderness
[Editor’s note: The following piece specifically addresses remarks made by Phil Robertson about homosexuality and marriage. Any positive remarks about those statements should not in any way be...
View ArticleFour Suggestions For Those Following the Synod
The Extraordinary Meeting of the Synod of Bishops begins this Sunday, October 5, and will last for two weeks, concluding on Sunday, October 19 with the Solemn Concelebration of the Holy Mass and the...
View ArticleThe “Relatio” and the Rights of Children
In a previous article I suggested, “Perhaps the unique gift the Synod will give us is the grace to suffer the Cross well in order to give patient and effective witness to the truth about [...]
View Article
