• 7 articles

Rising from the Ashes

As we begin this forty days’ Lenten journey – what Eastern Orthodoxy aptly calls “Forty Nights of Bright Darkness” – it is a good thing to reflect upon the meaning of those ashes placed upon our foreheads in the sign of the Cross with the words “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” It is good to recall why we mou...

03 06 2019

Advent: A Time of Preparation and Penance

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...

12 05 2017

Catholics and Fridays. What Happened?

Should we abstain from meat on Fridays? The short answer is – yes. The longer answer is – you need to practice penance on Friday and can substitute something in place of abstaining from meat. Here’s the problem. The longer answer has practically destroyed the Friday penance in the United States. Many countries still practice mandatory abst...

06 21 2017

You Must Encounter Christ Immediately

You must encounter Christ immediately, but it doesn't have to be right away. As with all things, it should happen, and can only happen, in God's timing. Make sense? If not, allow me to explain. Consider this definition of "immediately": "without intervening medium or agent; concerning or affecting directly" (Dictionary.com, 2016).  By this defi...

04 27 2017

Evangelical Suffering: The Martyrdom of Blessed Miguel Pro

Miguel Augustin Pro Juarez was ordained a Priest in Belgium on August 31, 1925.  Already by 1926, however, due to his poor health, Fr. Miguel’s superiors sent him back to his homeland of Mexico.  Thus began his story of heroic suffering for which he is known.  Less than a month after his arrival home, “an order suppressing all public worship...

04 10 2017

The Vegetable Garden and Lent

You are not an angel.  You are also not a demon.  Along with such groundbreaking facts, I’d note that you are also not a beast or a tree.  Let me explain… You have a body, which is why you are not an angel or demon – both of which are pure spirit.  You also have a rational soul, which is why you are not a beast or a tree.  As a human ...

03 02 2017

The Forgotten Solution to the Porn Problem: Part I

  Brothers, fathers, men, dudes: I cannot begin to tell you how many articles there are on fighting porn-addiction. Thankfully I probably don’t have to. If you’ve looked, you’ve seen them. Groups, Christian or otherwise, are flaring up like wildfire trying to provide aid and accountability. They offer journaling, web-filtering, ‘...

By Mr. Phelim Brady 10 18 2015

No results