History cannot be changed by purifying the past of its impurities. Trying to do it is a violation of the historical truth, something like crying over spilled milk.
Guest Columnists
From Christendom Times to Apostolic Times
Thirty years ago, on January 22, 1991, Pope John Paul II’s eighth encyclical, Redemptoris Missio (The Mission of the Redeemer), was published. In a pontificate so rich in ideas that its teaching has only begun to be digested, Redemptoris Missio stands out as a blueprint for the Catholic future.
The Challenge of Eucharistic Coherence
In his encyclical, “Ecclesia de Eucharistia,” Pope St. John Paul II invited Catholics to “rekindle” our sense of “Eucharistic amazement,” for “the Church draws her life from the Eucharist,” which “recapitulates the heart of the mystery of the Church” — Christ’s glorified, abiding presence with, in, and through his people, fulfilling his promise to remain with us “to the close of the age” (Matthew 28:20).
A Father and Son’s Journey to the East During The Year of St. Joseph
Like most American 12 year-olds, my youngest son Joseph is obsessed with all things Catholic. (Yes, that was sarcasm.) He is fascinated with theology and Church structures. Recently, Joseph discovered something that rekindled my love and interest in the Eastern Church.
The Holy See and Thug Regimes
The list of grave issues that must be addressed during a future papal interregnum, and by the cardinal-electors in a conclave, continues to grow.
President Biden and a Catholic Inflection Point
Catholics who take this apostolic teaching seriously will understand that our first obligation toward President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., is to be in Christian solidarity with him through prayer.
What Is the Proper Term: Degradation, Defrocking, Laicization, Dismissal?
Once a priest is ordained, he is a priest “forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (Heb 7:17). Hence, under no circumstance can a priest be “un-ordained” or, at least, there is no known way to undo what was validly done.
A Life Changed by Saint John Paul II
A wretched year came to a sorrowful end when Father Maciej Zięba, OP, died in his native Wrocław, Poland, on Dec. 31. The birthplace of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Wrocław was also the home of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, who grew up there as Edith Stein when the city was known as Breslau.
A Man Touched My Shoes
When I thought I was alone during a downtime in the church, a man came in and knelt to pray. After praying, he approached me and asked for my blessing. I gave him what he was asking for with the sign of the cross. Then the unexpected happened.
Thoughts on a Pro-Life Picket Line
One of Dr. LeRoy Carhart’s “Clinics for Abortion & Reproductive Excellence” — named to yield the Orwellian acronym CARE — is located about a mile away from my parish in Bethesda, Maryland. Earlier this year, 40 Days for Life prayed daily outside Carhart’s abortuary, which specializes in late-term “terminations.” Parishioners from a number of local churches participated in the 40 Days program, hoping to save some innocent lives and to help women in crisis pregnancies find genuine care.