A priest friend of mine says very regularly, “All of us are called to holiness.”  This is a constant call of his, showing up in nearly every sermon, a preaching of a main theme of Vatican Council II.  “Great.  We get it,” I said one day.  “Now tell us what to do.” Men (male and female) are body and soul.  We have a physicality t...

In the opening chapter of Evangelii Gaudium, we read the following words of Pope Francis: God’s word is unpredictable in its power.  The Gospel speaks of a seed which, once sown, grows by itself, even as the farmer sleeps (Mk 4:26-29).  The Church has to accept this unruly freedom of the word, which accomplishes what it wills in ways that su...

At the core of Christianity is the historical reality of the Incarnation, the fact that the infinite God took on a human nature.  However, as any historian can tell you, a historical narrative is only as trustworthy as the sources from which we learn about it.  The last several centuries have seen a wave of anti-Christian historians who hold that...

“Do not resist one who is evil. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Mt 5:39). Constantly we hear about Christ as the Prince of Peace, but how often do we hear about Him as the God of Battles? We should remember that both are titles taken from the Old Testament. Today we often experience the overemphasis th...