When it comes to psychology and mental health, who can you trust?  There is no shortage of psychological approaches in our world today which are not at all consistent with our Catholic faith. Launching today, Souls and Hearts is a response to that challenge. Souls and Hearts is designed to meet the needs of practicing Catholics struggling with...

Given the huge proliferation of Christian denominations, I think we have fallen into the position of viewing the Catholic Church as simply the oldest and largest of them all. It was in Antioch that followers of the “way,” as Acts calls them, were first named Christians. It is noteworthy that Christ was the title that referred to Jesus’s ki...

“If you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” I’ve been pondering this statement lately, and although I don’t remember exactly who quoted it to me or where I heard it, the statement resonates. Yes, this phrase does sound like something a well-meaning, albeit a bit cringe-worthy, stereotypical Pro...

In order to help our non-Catholic family, friends, and acquaintances feel more welcome and comfortable in our churches, here are a few “need to know” tips you can share with them as you drive to the church. First of all, the most likely occasions for non-Catholics to be in our churches are for sacraments and funerals. But with each of these, we...

Sorry, but not sorry, for the somewhat harsh title. As the Easter season has drawn to a close, I was reflecting on penitence. During the 50 days of Easter we celebrate in the Church, we are jubilant in that our Lord has conquered death by His Resurrection. The dark days of Lent are long gone and we’ve found ourselves singing “Alleluia!” again...

By catholic, with a lower case “c,” I mean a broad experience of the Church. Catholics can tend to huddle off into one particular corner of the Catholic experience and even judge everyone else who isn’t part of their particular group. We have inappropriate dichotomies between social justice and orthodox Catholics, as well as between tradit...

The Church celebrates Advent as a time of preparation for the birth of Christ. It is not as old as Lent, the great fast to prepare for Easter and the initiation of new converts at the vigil, but arose at least by the fifth century. The logic of Advent and Lent is that major events take preparation and in this case we are preparing our souls to rece...

Having reached the end of the liturgical year, with the feast of Christ the King this last Sunday, we can ask what exactly are we celebrating? A distant and future reality or a presence that shapes our lives on a daily basis? Going through Exodus 90, the Redemption Hymn we prayed from the Book of Revelation really stood out to me in this regard. O...

People genuinely ask, “do we live in the worst time in human history?” The typical response, to diminish this thought, is summed up well by Bl. John Henry Newman, in his sermon, “The Infidelity of the Future”: “I know that all times are perilous, and that in every time serious and anxious minds, alive to the honour of God and the needs of...

In an unhappy convergence, the Reformation began on the vigil of All Saints or All Hallows Eve 500 years ago today. Not much happened that day, just a public communication of a bunch of theses. The Germans did not dress up or enjoy bobbing for apples. But, maybe a few spooks did get out of the bag. Martin Luther faced difficult choices as he fac...