The Life of Virtue

The St. John Lateran Basilica has been dedicated to Our Lord's honor and memory for 1685 years. It is, without a doubt, one of the oldest legal Christian worship structures in the Western world. Further, it is among the most revered by the faithful because it is the arch-basilica of the Latin Rite Catholic Church; it is the Holy Father's cathedral for his post as Bishop of Rome. Each year on November 9, the Latin Rite Church celebrates the dedication of this cathedral with its own liturgical feast. In the liturgy of the day, faithful Catholics receive a fuller understanding of the Church as a living, breathing organism; a body that is life-giving rather than simply and institution marked by brick and mortar. Scripture readings are combined with prayers in order to produce an image of the New Jerusalem, the City of God, being built of "living stones" (i.e., "chosen people"). It is a powerful experience, for several reasons, to approach and enter this basilic...

Last night, the citizens of the state of Maine repealed a state law that would have allowed homosexual couples to "get married" within that state. News reports have popped up across the media throughout the morning, and they can be found on any news website (Associated Press report available here ; other reports here and here ). Common pieces of information will be available from nearly every source, but it is also important to recognize that correcting misconceptions will be necessary. This article is specifically meant to examine this scenario from a new viewpoint: the Catholic perspective. The first misnomer that must be corrected is the idea that marriage is an "institution." Marriage, according to Catholic teaching, is a covenant, which is much different than an institution. An institution is a thing that is erected for some particular end. A university is an institution erected for the "end" of educating students and granting academic diplomas...

Yesterday marked the Solemnity of All Saints, the celebration during the liturgical year that points the Church Militant toward the example of the Church Triumphant. Yes, the holy men and women of ages past are held up as models for those of us who are still here on earth and working out our own salvation "with fear and trembling" (Phil. 2:12). Yet, the value of the solemnity is not only in examining the faithful witness provided by generations past, because the liturgical celebration itself bears lessons and brings clarity to our lives. In a special way, the lectionary readings for this solemnity paint a very clear picture of the path toward Eternity as well as a foreshadowing of our eternal destiny. Let us begin, then, with the Responsorial Psalm, which recognizes that humanity is seeking a fulfilling reward; is seeking to "ascend the mountain of the Lord;" continually "seeks the face of the God of Jacob" (Ps. 3-6). Every human soul is created with ...