Offer It Up
Offer It Up From the depths of our own sinfulness, we are granted the dignity to take up the Passion of Christ with freedom and courage. “Whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me.” https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/offer-it-up/ From childhood, Catholics are taught to ‘offer up’ their sufferings in union with Jesus on the Cross, for the sanctification of souls and remission of punishment due to sin. While the phrase can sometime
Silently Sharing the Same Fears
Silently Sharing the Same Fears We honor God when we turn to Him and acknowledge His supremacy. Yet it is more common to disengage from God and complain apart from faith . https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/silently-sharing-same-fears/ During the 1960s age of existentialist folk tunes, a popular song was titled “Old Friends.” It was hauntingly beautiful, yet lacked the hope of resurrection. The poetry described two old friends, sitting on a park bench like booke
Our Quest to Live Forever
Our Quest to Live Forever When we separate the desire for eternal life from sacrificial love, we lose our way, set adrift in constant anxiety. None of us is immune. https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/our-quest-to-live-forever/ “Behold, I will open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you home into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves.” (Ezekiel 37:
The Monster in the Room
The Monster in the Room Deconstructing large organizations, where possible, tends to restore personal responsibility. Organizations cannot repent; people can. Breaking down unwieldy structures returns accountability where it belongs. https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/ In 1510, Dominican friars arrived in Santo Domingo and refused absolution to colonists who would not repent of their exploitation of the Indians. The refusal was not cruelty; it was spiritual me
Confronting the Ideology of Inevitability
Confronting the Ideology of Inevitability Dispensationalists teach that Christianity did not fulfill Israel. Rather, biblical promises to ethnic Israel remain to be fulfilled in a future earthly kingdom. Events in Jerusalem are not merely political developments, but rather necessary steps in a prophetic timeline. https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/confronting-ideology-inevitability/ Politics is the art of the possible, requiring the careful application of endu
Rejoicing in God’s Grace
Rejoicing in God’s Grace Confession removes the guilt of, say, the sin of adultery. But a sincere penitent must pick up the pieces of his life according to his wits, strengthened and guided by God’s continuing actual graces. Forgiveness obliterates guilt; grace strengthens the wounded will. Confession removes the guilt of, say, the sin of adultery. But a sincere penitent must pick up the pieces of his life according to his wits, strengthened and guided by God’s continuing
Rejoicing in God’s Grace
Rejoicing in God’s Grace Among the most serious spiritual problems in the world today is the failure to delight in God’s grace. https://www.wobblefriends.com/products/your-child-s-new-best-friend-meet-the-pet-of-the-future?variant=56721503781237 We live in an age that speaks constantly of self-esteem and self-expression, yet rarely of sanctifying grace—the only source of enduring joy. The Transfiguration of the Lord on Mount Tabor reveals Jesus as the beloved Son of G
Conspiracy Theories
Conspiracy Theories Ironically, conspiracy theories thrive when “fact checkers” dismiss reported facts with unsubstantiated assertions such as “widely debunked.” https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/conspiracy-theories/ Among the most entertaining modern phenomena is the proliferation of “conspiracy theories.” The phrase was popularized after the assassination of JFK and has occupied every corner of the culture since then. Conspiracy theories even extend to the institut
News items
News items This Lent, make fidelity your headline—by quietly living the Commandments. https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/news-items/ Jesus says, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.” (Matthew 5:17-18) Now the headlines.
Sleep and the Beatitudes
Sleep and the Beatitudes Purified of evil, sleep is more than a biological necessity. It is a sign of peace, a daily surrender, and an expression of the beatitude of heaven, where all who sleep in Christ will awaken into eternal life. https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/sleep-and-beatitudes/ Since we spend a quarter to a third of our lives asleep, one would think that Scriptures would help us understand the mystery of sleep. It does. The beatitudes are virtues
