I recently watched a movie about the life of St. Joseph of Cupertino, the Franciscan friar and mystic famed for levitating while praying or offering mass. This incredible saint could be a poster child for what sainthood truly means. Through the power and graces of the Holy Spirit, he transformed from a clumsy, inept simpleton […]
Your soul is the ship, the Holy Spirit is the wind; he blows into your will and your soul goes forward… —Fr. Francis Libermann, cofounder of the order C.S.Sp (Congregation of the Holy Spirit–Spiritans*). Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. —Psalm 51 (KJV) Which things also […]
Heaven: Open! Jesus gives everyone what they need to find Him. The Magi, St. Dismas, and St. Thomas the Apostle all looked for Jesus in different ways, but they all found Him. He gave the Magi the Star Of Bethlehem. He gave St. Dismas not only a front-row seat at the crucifixion but let him […]
Brother Taurus was a man with the best of intentions but with a terrible temper that made him impossible to live with. After he fell out with his family he went to Tarsus to be apprenticed to a tailor. When he frightened away half the customers the tailor sent him away before he lost the […]
Life’s circumstances are full of episodes that allow us to encounter divine Love. Some of these we recognize, but many just pass us by. Suppose that one time, God literally comes by you wherever you may be, and finds you doing whatever it is you are doing; and simply tells you, “Follow me.” What would […]
In the last installment of this series, we reviewed a central argument for the partial immateriality of human nature. Specifically, we saw how the mind, in particular, must be immaterial given its power to understand the nature of material things without itself becoming those things. This, however, raises a great many questions – one of […]
By Father John Catoir JCD The thing I remember most about St. Mother Teresa was her joy. I met her three times in my life. Once when we were giving talks on the same program; once at a Vatican Seminar on Family Life, and once when she asked me to give a week-long retreat to her […]
My husband and I were in the Nashville area recently, closing on our new home. We attended Mass at a church where we have previously worshipped. This particular Sunday, though, we were looking through different eyes. Would this be the parish we soon joined? These might be the priest and deacon who will guide us spiritually; […]
I keep having the same exchange with my seriously Catholic friends whenever Pope Francis comes up in conversation. It goes something like this: we were enthused about the initial days of the election (he was saying things about evangelization that needed saying, he encouraged us to get out of “mindset ruts” and bring the gospel […]
Recently, a local priest delivered a compelling homily on the miracles of Jesus. Before his homily was over, he had challenged every person to seek the miracle that their life needs. Unpacking the gospel from that day, he explained that every miracle starts with “something”. He noted that the healing of the Centurion’s daughter […]
The Church is God’s temple on earth, and believers are the living stones that form that holy house. We have been called to follow our Father’s divine blueprint for our lives: building on the sturdy foundation of Christ the cornerstone, living in holy fellowship with one another, being an open door to the lost world, […]
A life without goals risks losing its meaning and purpose. If we do not have something we are aiming for, then life can easily become like a broken compass that just spins without direction. We may find our self in stagnation, boredom or complacency. Lacking goals, we can be tempted to make decisions based merely […]
Who is to say that God does not put you or me, and no other, specifically at a scene for the very purpose of saying a prayer which will make a difference in a life? Prayer is the conduit of goodness and grace in the world. Prayer is humanity’s awesome duty to God and to each […]
Many people argue that the rescript issued on August 2, which changed Paragraph 2267 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church to call the death penalty “inadmissible,” was a change of doctrine. In fact, some have gone so far as to treat it as a heresy on a level with denying the divinity of Christ. […]
“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” —Proverbs 22:6 Introduction—Duhigg’s Book about Habits As part of an alumni book club at my alma mater, George Washington University, we read Charles Duhigg’s New York Times Bestseller, The Power of Habit, Why We […]
I’m angry. I’m disgusted. And I don’t like being played for a sucker. The Requirements I Must Meet As a Catholic school teacher, I’ve been required to take several “safe touching” classes. I’ve had to sign document after document in which I agree to abide by Church teaching. I am prohibited from being in a […]
Everywhere we turn it seems that the Church is in turmoil or some sort of disagreement. Both celebrated and emphasized by the news media, this turmoil can seem overwhelming and even despairing at time, making one think another great schism is about to happen. Disagreements abound. Immoral clergy are being called out and held up […]
I did not know yet how far they were from the human heritage I ascribed to them. —H.G. Welles, The Island of Dr. Moreau INTRODUCTION Some time ago I read in my favorite source of science news, the Drudge Report, this headline from the Sunday Express: “Human-pig HYBRID? Scientists hoping to create part man, part pig […]
In Revelation chapter 12, John sees a mysterious vision of “a woman clothed with the sun” (Revelation 12:1). This woman gives birth to the Messiah (Revelation 12:5; cf. Psalm 2:8-9, a messianic psalm), so Catholics believe her to be Mary, the mother of Jesus. Consequently, we often see this passage as strong biblical evidence for […]
Lili Loofbourow wishes ‘we lived in a world that encouraged women to attend to their bodies’ pain signals instead of powering through like endurance champs. It would be grand if women (and men) were taught to consider a woman’s pain abnormal,’ But a woman’s pain is normal. The Church is the first to teach us that ‘no […]
I have come to realize Christians can develop an intimate, rather than just a personal relationship with Jesus. Well-meaning evangelical Christians challenge us to have a ‘personal relationship’ with Jesus but the word ‘personal’ is not found anywhere in the Bible. The question protestant Christians pose can make us feel as if we are missing […]
The Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary always reminds me of Pope John Paul II’s visit to World Youth Day in Denver in the summer of 1993. The culmination of the event was an outdoor Mass with 400,000 kids in Cherry Creek State Park. Because of the dry heat that day, it felt like we […]
I have not done a word-by-word analysis. I have not counted the occurrences. I have not spent the time necessary to validate the following statement, but, it occurs to me that the simple word “hope” must appear a couple of hundred times in the Bible. The Reason for Our Hope Always be ready to give […]
“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and […]
Ask Tony: Did the CCC 2267 Rescript Change Catholic Doctrine?
Many people argue that the rescript issued on August 2, which changed Paragraph 2267 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church to call the death penalty “inadmissible,” was a change of doctrine. In fact, some have gone so far as to treat it as a heresy on a level with denying the divinity of Christ. […]
I’m angry. I’m disgusted. And I don’t like being played for a sucker. The Requirements I Must Meet As a Catholic school teacher, I’ve been required to take several “safe touching” classes. I’ve had to sign document after document in which I agree to abide by Church teaching. I am prohibited from being in a […]
Wisdom from an Existential Jewish Mystic
I don’t think Mr. Hogg would have been employed in the first place had his predecessor not suddenly dropped dead on his way to school. Mr. Hogg was what was called in those days a ‘hippy’ and would not, in the normal way of things have been accepted as a suitable candidate to teach English […]
Mt. Tabor Moments- It Is Good That We Are Here!
After roughly three years of public ministry, Jesus took Peter, James, and John up a mountain and revealed His glory to them. They had spent day after day with Jesus as He walked from town to town, preaching the Gospel and calling sinners to repent. He told them many stories, spoke numerous parables, and worked […]
Dr. Taylor Marshall had a recent post on the state of the priesthood by the numbers. The “priest to Catholics” ratio (taken from the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown) indicates that in 1950 there was one priest to every 652 Catholics in the United States. In 2016 that ratio had dropped […]
CURRENT RECRUITMENT STATUS: Thank you for your interest in Catholic Stand. However, at this time, we are not accepting inquiries for columnist positions. Who are we? Catholic Stand, an online publication presenting essays, offering substantive resources with thoughtful ...read more.
Connect
Connect with us on the following social media platforms.