The Life of Virtue

This post is a follow-up to last week's post, "Cramming for the 'Final Exam.'"   As I finished that post, I realized that it does little good to exhort Catholic Christians to prepare well for the forthcoming judgment if they are not provided some direction for effective preparation.  The best teachers help their students prepare well for the exams that cover the content of the courses they teach.  While it would be pretentious to count myself among the best teachers of religious and spiritual things, the method works, so I'll employ it. Our world is inundated with media outlets of all types, from television to print to billboards to new digital media such as podcasts and internet video clips, and everything in between.  When it comes to the Catholic Church, and to Catholic beliefs and lifestyle, much of the media paints an errant picture, or at least a very incomplete picture.  Rare is a newspaper article, a popular book, or a segment on any round-the-...

Yesterday was a great day! I spent the day teaching "The Virtues" to freshmen at St. Benedict at Auburndale High School. Throughout the day, I was filled with God's grace and the zeal of the Holy Spirit because I know that such a topic is vitally important. The virtues are the foundation of our moral life in Christ. Without these holy habits, we are unable to bear fruit in our own lives. Further, exhibiting virtue is the best way to evangelize and win people for Christ, for Truth! Because of the true statements above, teenagers, as well as those who teach youth, need to hear this message. It is essential to their growth in holiness, and to our ability to reclaim control of a deteriorating secular culture. Developing, or redeveloping, a sense of virtue will place individuals and our culture back on the path to true moral freedom. If any of you are interested in hearing more about this message, or bringing it to a specific group of people, please don't hesitate to...

This coming Sunday, I will begin presenting a parish/diocesan faith formation series, a Church History course entitled "Building the City of God."  The name was given to the seminar before the first time I taught it because of my deep affinity for St. Augustine; and because of the idea that our actions either build or destroy the City of God about which he wrote.  I only pray that my actions build up that city, not tear it down. The current seminar meets for eight sessions, during which I will present only the first half of the Church's 2000-year history.  I will take up the task of presenting the second half after the new year.  In the mean time, I'll be honing other Church History seminars or developing new ones.  There's always something in my brain and something in the works! It is likely that this seminar will be recorded on video, so I should be able to post clips to this website as well as send out promo videos.  I beg for your prayers, and I beg that you p...

As I promised in a recent post, here is a rough outline of the talk that I gave for my parish's catechist formation day. Keep in mind the analogy of the sailboat Sailboat needs two things to work: raised sails and wind Without one or the other, boat doesn't go anywhere Who?  You are the sailboat You, the person (universal call to holiness; definition of virtuous life by St. Gregory of Nyssa) You, the catechist (virtuous person desires to share such a gift; Evangelii Nuntiandi 41; virtuous catechist sows seeds of virtue in his/her learners) Specific examples of how this looks in a catechetical setting (e.g., PRE class or adult faith formation seminar) How?  You must work to raise the sails Create an awareness in prayer (gain deeper understanding of virtue; read and pray passages of Scripture, Catechism; Consciousness Examen; etc.) Directed/focused prayer Sacraments Action based on God's revelation Repeat the cycle (create habits that are strong ...

I'm assisting with the Catechist Formation Day at my parish today.  Specifically, I'm presenting a session entitled "The Virtuous Teacher: Who and How?"  As catechists of others who are in need of learning their faith, we must exemplify virtue.  Quite simply, my presentation is meant to "train" catechists on how they might become virtuous people and teachers. I'll let you know how it goes, and I may be able to post an outline.  If anyone is interested in bringing this presentation, and others related to it, to your parish or diocese, please don't hesitate to email me .  I pray that I might be able share this Good News around the region and the country.

[This article was written on Wednesday, May 20.  In the interim, I have shopped it for publication, but to no avail.  Here it is in its original form.] The events that took place in South Bend, Indiana on Sunday afternoon have created a state of confusion, disappointment, and even anger (to greater or lesser degrees) all across America.  In the immediate aftermath of President Obama’s visit to the University of Notre Dame, several media outlets allowed their pundits to comment.  During the two days interim, many other commentators have offered their opinions as well.  This article is a bid to offer the perspective of an intellectual Catholic who is loyal to the Church’s magisterium; to focus on a few things not yet analyzed and, hopefully, offer new and fresh insights. The thoughts contained herein were created while viewing the event on Sunday and reading a variety of perspectives during the ensuing two days.  Most importantly, the opinions e...

I am extremely passionate about catechesis.  Any time I have a chance to teach a subject to a group of people, I get as giddy as a child on Christmas morning!  Whether I teach Church History, morality, or Liturgy; whether I teach adults or teenagers, I am engaged in an important and fulfilling apostolate.  Further, and even better, I am cultivating my vocation through one of the charisms that God has given to me. Since I came into the Catholic Church nearly five years ago, I have worked in very specific ways to cultivate both the vocation and charism.  The fruit of that work resides in the courses and retreats that I have developed in recent years.  Such courses, and one retreat, are listed below. "Building the City of God: A Survey of the History of the Catholic Church" "The Second Vatican Council" "The History of the Catholic Church in America" "The Mass in Scripture and Scripture in the Mass" "We H...