“As hard and rough as a nutmeg grater” It took Ann Mattingly six agonizing minutes to swallow the Holy Eucharist given her by Father Stephen L. Dubuisson at her home in Washington, D C. It was March 10, 1824, and Mattingly had been suffering from breast cancer for six years. Her condition had steadily worsened […]
Darren Aronofsky’s film mother! starts out well enough, making masterful use of its setting and cinematography and centring on stellar performances from Jennifer Lawrence as Mother and Javier Bardem as her husband Him, a writer. And then it falls apart, climaxing with a woefully trite parody of the Mass, particularly as it is connected to […]
It had been some time since the three of us, my two non-Catholic co-workers and I, had gone to coffee together. Josh and I had held several conversations about Catholicism, the Holy Eucharist and its similarity or not to a variety of Protestant denominations. Then, over the passage of time, we were joined by Steve […]
Many people perceive Christianity as something institutional — rather than as an encounter with Christ — which explains why they don’t see it as a source of joy. Pope Benedict XVI When Catholics venture beyond the walls of their parish church into the marketplace to evangelize, it is important that they remember the spiritual life […]
The Importance of a Sacramental Outlook
No one recognizes the power of a symbol like the Catholic Church. Catholic theology itself is imbued with the law that the physical order is a reflection of the spiritual order. It is a theology that is deeply tied to the Philosophy of the Human Person which understands man as a composite of body and […]
A Tale of Two Cooks and Two Meals
We understand the adage “too many cooks spoil the broth” to mean that splitting a task in too many directions can be counterproductive. Certainly, having five people with equal authority directing a play or project is a prescription for trouble. Invariably, there will be disagreements and power plays which will sabotage the group’s efforts to […]
Moral Relativism vs. Reasonable Judgement
I grew up in a Catholic family and attended Catholic school through high school. One of the many teachings involved in this upbringing was the aphorism my Mom frequently cited – “Never judge another until you’ve walked a mile in his moccasins.” I took this to mean that we should not sit in judgment of […]
A Call to Compassion in the Catholic Online Community
Online Catholics I’ve recently been discouraged by a number of responses to Catholics asking advice on the internet. Usually, a sincere Catholic posts a question on a group page, or on a column, asking for some support or guidance on a matter related to faith. These people are hoping for encouragement, support, and guidance on […]
Pope Francis Is A Canary in the Coal Mine
Pope Francis is like a canary in the coal mine, identifying toxic trends in our society, then, offering hope as he suggests Christian solutions to current issues. The expression, a canary in the coal mine, is a saying which refers to caged canaries miners would bring with them into mine tunnels. These birds were used […]
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