Imagine this: You stand outside your teen’s bedroom door. You knock a few times and there’s no answer. A few moments pass by and you knock again. All is quiet. You make an executive decision to enter the room. As the door opens, you find your teenager sitting down...
Chances are, if you are a modern day Catholic and at all serious about saving your soul, you may have encountered administrative elements of the Church who may not prioritize your situation as seriously as you do. To illustrate this further, take for instance the...
As Lent draws near, we turn our hearts to Christ’s call to holiness in the Gospels: “You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48). Although our life as Catholics demands that we strive day after day and year after year for this...
Fans of courtroom dramas might enjoy a new film, The Burial, released October 13 on Amazon Prime and is based on a true story of a legal battle between a hometown funeral director and a corporate funeral mogul. Jerry O’Keefe inherited the family chain of funeral...
What are some practical spiritual methods Catholics can use to combat the temptation to consume pornography? Go To War First, a key tool in the evil one’s toolbox is luring us into a false sense of isolation. Temptation to consume pornography only grows without...
What is Sin? “Sin” is an old archery term in Greek which means “to miss the mark.” All sin and fall short of the glory of God, as St. Paul says. When we sin, we are committing an offense against “reason, truth, and right conscience (CCC 1849).” Sin is never private....
Gospel of Luke 20:27-38 Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection,came forward and put this question to Jesus, saying,"Teacher, Moses wrote for us,If someone's brother dies leaving a wife but no child,his brother must take the wifeand raise up...
“Yes, now’s the moment; I’m looking at this thing on the mantlepiece, and I understand that I am in hell.”— Jean-Paul Sartre, No Exit, 1944 As most theologians point out, once we lose belief in God, it’s a short leap to the belief that there is no moral absolute, no...
An examination of conscience is a tool that is used when preparing for making a good Confession. This tool can also be used at any time of day, but can be especially fruitful at nighttime, looking back over the day. The father is the priest of his domestic Church. He...
The word Purgatory comes from the Greek root πῦρ (“pur”) which means both “fire” and “pure.” This is a fitting description, as the fires of Purgatory, rather than destroying like the fires of Hell, instead purify. Purgatory is where we expiate for the pain due to...
Even if you didn't watch the Oscars, you've likely seen all over social media what occurred between Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Will Smith. An offensive joke was told at the expense of Jada Pinkett Smith and her husband retaliated by walking on stage to slap...
Called to Conversion We are all called to conversion. This was a fundamental part of the proclamation of the kingdom of God and the Gospel. The first call to Christ and His Gospel leads us to Baptism in which we receive “the...
Everyone struggles with something. A root sin, a set of bad habits, some sort of fear, something that causes undue anxiety, etc. Many (most?) of us struggle with many such things. So what does a person do? Drew Taylor and I sat down recently to discuss this topic, and...
An Illustrated Guide To Make An Examination Of Conscience 1. Open Yourself Up to God’s Presence Practical tip: find a quiet corner in your home or in a chapel. Having a sacred image in front of you is ideal. Light a candle. Take a few moments to breathe and relax....
This week on the Podcast we talk about temptations. Specifically the first temptation of Adam and Eve and the temptations of Christ in the desert. Most of our sins fall into the three categories of sin, our base passions, our vanity and our pride. We discuss fasting...
This week we talk about how to respond to division in the Church. Do not let others' actions drag you into sin. Focus on contemplation, be prepared even for distractions, so you will not be disturbed in those moments. When you have control over your own passions and...
Catholics are to take advantage of the sacrament of Penance at least once a year--if you’re Catholic, you should remember that from your CCD or RCIA class. Advent is a particularly good time to do this. If, like most of us, you hurry to clean your homes in preparation...
Join is this week for the discussion of the Sunday readings. Due to a technical difficulty we had to restart the stream and jump into the second reading right away. We still talk about part of the first reading about The Lord our Justice. Father Ian talks about how we...
Many Catholics are blessed to have a priest friend. Or, even if they’re not someone you consider your friend, you still may have that priest who you look up to. You know, the one you talk to every Sunday either before or after Mass. The one who has known you for years...
Be Courageous! How to Overcome Your Addiction to Sin https://youtu.be/S4giNDdC-hA Overcome your bad habits and sin by claiming authority as a child of God 1. Stop cowering in fear or acceptance of your weakness as if it's "just the way it is, I'm stuck." 2. Name and...
Saint Pope John Paul II once made this memorable comment on Pornography, "the problem with pornography is not that it shows too much of the person, but that it shows far too little." We live in society where sex sells. Models, showing too much sex appeal and wearing...
As Catholics, we are required to go to Confession once a year, but why stop there? We know Confession can be daunting or difficult, and there might be many reasons why you don’t want to go. However, regular Confession, whether it be monthly, every two weeks, or...
Talking about sin is not exactly a surefire way to win a popularity contest. Good thing the path to holiness is not a popularity contest! In fact, He promised that it wouldn't be, both in word (especially in the Beatitudes) and indeed (at His Crucifixion). But isn't...
This is a matter we seldom talk about with clarity, I don’t know exactly why. My impression is that we talk a lot about sin in an abstract way, or using an academic-theological terminology that the common Christian doesn’t always understand. Nevertheless, we are...
Have you ever heard someone say, “My sin is too big for God to forgive”? Or, maybe you yourself even feel this way at times? This is a lie that the devil would like us to believe, but the truth is no one’s sin is bigger than God’s love, mercy, and forgiveness. He has...