Historically, one of the reasons why women entered religious orders was because they believed that the religious life would give them more control over their own lives than they would have if they remained in secular society. Sadly, over time, many women given over to religious orders in order to restrict them, to keep them in solitude away from society so that their voices could not and would not be heard. What could and should have served a good purpose,... Read more
The mystery of the incarnation transcends human comprehension. Whenever we try to describe who Jesus is, it is easy for us to get something wrong, as we tend to think of the God-man, Jesus, mostly in relation to either his divinity or his humanity, losing sight of his other nature. Likewise, we might be so focused on Jesus’ two natures, we find it difficult to describe his personal unity, or else we find ourselves focusing on that unity that we... Read more
When Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, while undertaking a case concerning COVID precautions, did not wear a mask, he sent a signal indicating his hostility to and rejection of those precautions. Such vice-signaling has become quite common of late, where people act contrary to prudence and moral responsibility, unconsciously indicating their malice to society. While many of them might not know better, a Catholic Supreme Court Justice should, because Catholic teaching is clear on the moral obligations of the faith,... Read more
Ministry is important, but we must remember, there are many different ways to be ministers. All baptized and confirmed Christians are priests due to their incorporation into Christ, even if not all of them are ordained clergy. All Christians are expected to have their own particular ministry, their own way of practicing their priesthood in Christ. We must use the skills which we have, the gifts which have been given to us, not just for our own sake, but for... Read more
It would be easy to misrepresent St. Antony the Great, to portray him as a radical individualist looking to separate himself from all society so that he could attain holiness in blessed solitude. St. Antony, of course, did enjoy solitude. He went deeper and deeper into the Egyptian desert, in part, searching for such solitude. But, as is clear when one examines his life and various sayings attributed to him, he did not think this represented an ideal which all... Read more
Christians are told they are to overcome all their self-centered, selfish inclinations. They are called to die to the self so that they can truly love others, thereby following after Christ. They are told if they put into practice such self-denial, they will get a reward: And Peter said, “Lo, we have left our homes and followed you.” And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there is no man who has left house or wife or brothers... Read more
People of faith can do remarkable things. They will often do things others think are foolish if not impossible, when they obey the calling which they have been given, as can be seen in the examples of Abraham and Sarah. “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place which he was to receive as an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was to go […]. By faith Sarah herself received power... Read more
Sometimes, what is good and useful for a time must be put aside, not because it was never good, but because people have come to abuse the good, using it in a way which runs contrary to its original intention so that it no longer serves the good it once promoted. That abuse can actually turn the good thing into an idol, and those who promote it end up no longer promoting the good originally intended by it but some... Read more
Studying and learning from patristic writers can be very rewarding for the Christian, but they must make sure they do so with care. They should realize, as Abelard and others would point out, patristic authors often had divergent theological opinions, and they often manifested that disagreement in very uncharitable forms. While on particular issues, we might find, as it were, a patristic consensus, to do so often requires reading authors coming from different context, using different forms of vocabulary, and... Read more
Paul told us of the two-part journey of the God-man, Jesus. The first part of the journey was the kenotic descent of the God-man all the way down to the depths of the earth (that is, to death and the edge of being itself). The second part is found in the glorification of the God-man, where the God-man, having experienced the full range of potentiality contained within being, is raised from the dead and then ascends all the way through... Read more
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