The Life of Virtue

Among several wonderful and applicable themes to be recognized during the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, one rises to prominence above all the others.  It is a theme that is clearly articulated throughout Salvation and Church History.  Yet, it is a theme that is overlooked, or even shunned, by modern humans.  Authority is the name by which it is known. The alternative Opening Prayer for this Sunday's Mass reminds worshipers: "from the days of Abraham and Moses...you [God] have formed a people in the image of your Son."  Such a statement implies authority of the former over the people who has been formed.  It is much like the authority had by a teacher over her classroom because she has formed it; like the authority of the owner over a corporation because he has built it through his own effort.  The Almighty has great authority over mankind because He has created and nurtured it.  And, because of His great creation and deeds, we must sub...

What to write?  What to write?  Varied and deep are the topics that could be covered: recent decisions of the country's chief executive that amount to complicity with pure evil; saints' feast days; the place of bishops in the Church and her culture; great teachers of the true faith.  The Lord, however, has unique and not-so-subtle ways of directing thoughts and musings to less obvious, but equally important, areas of focus.   So it is today. Without the promptings of the Holy Spirit, our Christian life would be a jumbled mess, something like "the blind leading the blind."  Fortunately, such is not the case; we do have the Spirit to guide us "into all truth" (Jn. 16:13).  Yet, we are always in danger of slipping back into prideful blindness very quickly if we ignore or shut out the promptings of the Third Person of the Trinity.  A personal example should suffice to make the point. As the Holy Spirit moved in my life, b...

In a change of pace from my recent posts... (Borrowed from Tennessee Right to Life website ) I feel the need to share the grave remorse that I feel for our nation and our culture as I watch the National March for Life, which is currently happening in Washington, D.C.  As I watch live coverage, there are times during which I am on the verge of weeping. Quite simply, I am grieved that people in our country could ever support and justify the killing of innocent lives.  Moreover, I am astonished that our government(s), which have been founded upon the primary responsibility of protecting the rights of every person , could sanction such killing. There is no excuse, no justification for the atrocities that have been perpetrated over the past 36 years.  And, because some ideologues still try to make excuses and justifications, my heart breaks.  Yes, my heart is broken: for those children who will never experience life; for those parents who may never know the joy of ...

This week contains much history.  It contains both commemorations of important events from the past and current events that will, one day, be mentioned as some of the most momentous events of this era.  We celebrate the life and work of a man who fought until his death for the equal treatment of people of every race; we welcome the first days of the first black president in our nation's history; and we recall the single most heinous judicial ruling of America's Supreme Court.  Moreover, this is a week during which America's faithful, orthodox Catholic population can offer prayers and blessings for the months and years ahead, as well as penance for a culture's destruction of human life. Earlier today, every American received a new chief executive officer when Barack Obama was sworn in as the forty-fourth President of the United States.  Without a doubt, many barriers were shattered today that lasted for many previous generations.  Without a doubt...

Yes, this post is late by an entire day.  Yes, it was somewhat intentional.  However, the reason for the delay should be clear based on the topic of this post. During a day that offered the final opportunity for rest for several more weeks, God sent a phrase into this author's brain, and it became repetitive. "The value of rest," He revealed.  "The value of rest."  So, work (primary job, second job, or even thoughts about jobs) fell by the wayside.  Instead, the order of the day was light housework and errands, watching a classic Humphrey Bogart movie, and reading a few chapters of Mere Christianity , by C.S. Lewis. God's revelation became all the more acute when a phrase leaped off of one of the pages penned by that scintillating writer and thinker.  In the midst of writing about virtue, he commented that a Christian life is "something which is going to take the whole of you brains and all" ( Mere Christianity , p. 7...

[Please note the change in the title of this column.  The column that will be written on Mondays will now be a combination of two previous columns.  Given that topics often overlap, and that the author's time is precious, the combination makes much sense.  Look for new columns each week on Mondays and Fridays.] North American Catholics are in the midst of days during which they could receive some wonderful inspiration and intercession.  Such is the case because today (January 5) marks the Memorial of St. John Neumann, and tomorrow (January 6) marks the Memorial of Blessed Andre Bessette.  In the  vast geographic expanse of America, both men must be remembered for their sincere faith, which was most often shown through humble action. Neumann was born in Bohemia (a province in central Europe) in 1811.  By the time he was 20 years old, he knew that his vocation was to the priesthood.  He went immediately to study in a diocesan seminary (Budweis...