The Life of Virtue

I was perusing the lectionary readings for the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King this morning. As my eyes scanned the final sentences from the Gospel passage (Luke 23:35-43), I became keenly aware of my need to beg the mercy of my Lord. So many times in my life, I have fallen into patterns of sin and deserve to be "condemned justly;" to be given a sentence that corresponds to my crimes (cf. Romans 6:23). As this liturgical year comes to a close and we prepare for the advent of Our Lord, let us all take stock of our sinfulness. After that honest evaluation, let us all exclaim, as the good thief did, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Let us receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation and have hope in the infinite mercy of our God! ...This will be my final post before Thanksgiving, so I pray that all of you are blessed and well-fed! Enjoy the holiday, and give someone else a reason to be thankful! And...Pope Benedict XVI gave an Angelus...

The idea of "the end" is not something that is easily pondered or explained because it is many-faceted. It includes our preparations for "the end" and eternity; it includes death (which is never an easy topic to discuss); it includes the transient (Purgatory) and final destinations (Heaven or Hell) after death. Nonetheless, it is a concept that must be dealt with, and it is a subject that has been front-and-center in my spiritual life throughout the past week. Several circumstances have created and sustained the recent focus: conversations with my wife, philosophical reading, and the current stage of the Church's liturgical cycle (which encompasses Mass readings and the Office of Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours). Every day, God has revealed to me new things about Himself, about me, and about what He expects of me. Thus, the acute presence of such subjects and the revelations from God have created a need for me to write. When it comes to this subject, se...

Fr. Tom Euteneuer is an amazing witness (and lightning rod) in the midst of our present culture war (see book review below). This week's Spirit and Life Newsletter proves just that. Fr. Tom is willing to stand for Truth in the face of mediocrity and malformed consciences. He deserves our applause and appreciation. More importantly, though, he needs our prayers as he attempts to preach the Gospel to many who are unwilling to hear it and change their lives. God Bless.

In 2002, Peter Kreeft wrote a book entitled How to Win the Culture War: A Christian Battle Plan for a Society in Crisis . After having completed the book in a span of about four-and-a-half hours, this reviewer was quite surprised that this book has not received more acclaim among Christians (or maybe it has and he was oblivious). The author's premise was insightful; his arguments were sound; and his writing style was crisp and clean. In the introduction, Kreeft put aside all labels and claimed, "There is one this that almost everybody in America agrees about." That one thing, he said, was that our country, our society, our culture, "is in...'deep doo-doo.'" Thus, most of the text, which encompassed a total of 120 pages, was devoted to explaining the "doo-doo," and clarifying the reasons for its existence. Through six chapters, Kreeft argued that there is indeed a culture war, who the enemy is in such a war, and what the enemy's battle p...

The Saginaw Seminarians have produced several videos meant to inform people about the benefits of Natural Family Planning while revealing more of the hidden dangers of artificial contraceptives. Click here to view the first video (then watch the others afterward). Great job guys! I pray that God will speak through you to a Church and a nation much damaged by the lies about contraception. God Bless.

Today, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of All Saints. It is a wonderful solemnity on which we get to celebrate the lives of the non-canonized saints of the Church, the people who are in Heaven without any official recognition. These saints, though acclaimed less than the likes of St. Augustine, St. Thomas, St. Francis, or Mother Teresa, are not less holy or less a part of the Eternal Celebration. Indeed, they have reached the same final glory to which all of us aspire! So let us celebrate their holy lives! God Bless.