Game 5 of the NBA Finals 2024 seemed more like a coronation ceremony for the Boston Celtics than a competition. It was not hard to believe. During the whole season, the team has put up incredible numbers and had taken the first three games in a row from the Dallas Mavericks. After the game, I watched the trophy ceremony and was impressed by the humility of the individuals involved. Each one was quick to thank God. They were quick to... Read more
Jesus wants us to understand the Kingdom of God. He knows that it is hard for us to establish a personal relationship with God as Father. This task which has become even harder in our modern world. We are driven to think about ourselves as independent and can tend towards God being an afterthought in our lives. Jesus knows that all good in our souls originates from having a personal relationship with our Father in Heaven. He himself has an... Read more
Mortal sin is deadly sin. When we look at what sin is, we recognize that it is a transgression against God’s law. Sin damages relationships between people. It affects our relationship with the natural world. It affects our relationship with God negatively. Ultimately, sin leads to death as it is a rebellion against God. In Catholic moral theology, we distinguish between venial and mortal sin. While venial sin weakens our relationship to God, deadly sin kills this relationship. Mortal sin... Read more
Division is rampant in our world. When I read today’s Gospel, I feel that it speaks about a reality that we all face every day. The cultural and moral divisions that we experience in our daily lives give witness to the words of Jesus that a house divided cannot stand. We face division in our world, in our families, and within ourselves. A house divided against itself cannot stand, and if we are going to survive, we must learn how... Read more
There is a certain amount of “sunk cost” in any relationship that has turned sour. This leads us to stay in longer than we should, not wanting to “lose” what we perceive to have already invested. However, it is important to know when to cut and run. We have to at least take a step back and survey the situation more fully. Why should two people think twice about getting married? Society Infatuated With Love As a society, we love... Read more
My dad was a fastpitch softball pitcher and growing up, I spent many weekends accompanying him on trips throughout Southern California to various tournaments. I learned to keep score and to make my own lunch. One time, he made us peanut butter and butter sandwiches. From then on, I made sure to pack for myself. Often, the softball fields were far from civilization and the local snack bar was the only opportunity to buy something. For one larger tournament, however,... Read more
Concern about artificial intelligence and its potential ramifications for society shape much of the current cultural debate. Can a science fiction writer aid Pope Francis’ reflection on artificial intelligence? 70 years before the current debate about artificial intelligence, science fiction writer Isaac Asimov was reflecting on how to deal humanely with futuristic technology such as robots. His reflection on robots translates well to our world’s pressing reflections about how to deal with the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) technology. In... Read more
Where do you look for a theologian to write about prayer? Pope John Paul II had tasked Cardinal Ratzinger to create the new Catechism. The Cardinal wanted a representative of Eastern theology. Amid the ruins of war, he stumbled upon Fr. Jean Corbon, a French priest living and working in Beirut, Lebanon. This priest wrote the fourth part while sheltering from the bombs of war. This fourth part focuses on Christian prayer. He recognized the Trinitarian dimension of Christian prayer,... Read more
Secularism has made great inroads in American society, to the point that when a Catholic sports figure praises traditional values at a small Catholic college commencement, he somehow becomes the center of a media firestorm. The great risk is that dialogue will be the ultimate victim. Benedictine College is a small Catholic college known to have students who espouse traditional values, so it makes sense that the invited commencement speaker would share those same values. The secular media has focused... Read more
Augustine began to really change his mind about Christianity upon hearing the discourses of St. Ambrose in Milan. However, he was not ready for a moral conversion. He was living with a concubine and did not want to give up his sinful lifestyle. His prayer at the time is famous: “give me chastity, but not yet.” He went on to have a deep conversion and his writings have fed Western Christianity for over 1500 years. He gives us a good... Read more
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