The church is full of the spiritually sick and infirm, that is, sinners. As Pope Francis explained, it can be and should be seen as a field hospital. We are its patients. The church, with the graces given to it, has the spiritual draught that not only can heal us, but give us strength to become better than before. However, our sickness is not just our own. When we are sick, we can infect others with our spiritual disease. It... Read more
Tolkien, like his friend C.S. Lewis, contemplated the notion of “unfallen” beings living in a fallen universe. He thought that if they existed, even though they were not tainted by sin, they would still be affected by the fall. It was with this understanding that wrote concerning the Quendi, the Elves, in his writings: The Quendi never “fell” in the sense that Men did. Being “tainted” with the Shadow (as perhaps even the Valar in some degree were, with all... Read more
When we are filled with grace, we must engage it, cooperate with it, live it out by embracing the dictates of Christ, the dictates of love. That is, we should, as Paul said, live our life in such a way as to show ourselves worthy of the calling which we have been given: I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all lowliness and... Read more
When Jesus’ disciples complained about the way he had been anointed by a woman with expensive ointment, Jesus said that the woman who had done so had done a good thing. “For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me “(Matt. 26:11 RSV). Jesus, of course, was talking about the way he was being prepared for death, and the woman had done a good thing because it was as if she had prepared his... Read more
In the Gospels, we read of the way many of the apostles were upset when they learned that there were others exorcising demons in Jesus’ name. John wanted to forbid them because he thought they were ignoring the apostles and their role in delegating the activities of the faithful. Jesus, however, said that John was wrong; Jesus indicated that John, the apostles, and therefore, the church should not be so controlling, but rather, they should welcome the good work of... Read more
St. Thomas Aquinas, understanding that God is the beginning and the end of every particular good, that is, God is the source and summit of every good, nonetheless stated that there are many ways in which we could engage the good, and each way is of value. Thus, when talking about the good proper to humanity, he said: But the proper good of man must be considered in various ways, according as man is understood under various aspects. The proper... Read more
Sin divides, and it does so in order to conquer and destroy. It often attaches itself to legitimate distinctions but turns them into fracture lines in order to break things up. Distinctions, of course, can be and often are good, because they prevent a monistic reduction of all things, but all distinctions must be held together by an overriding harmony which unites them together as one. This harmony is important, for it is what makes sure such distinctions do not... Read more
Servant of God, Archbishop Hélder Pessoa Câmara OFS, famously said: “When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why they are poor, they call me a communist.” In doing this, he shows us what happens to those who work for justice. They get called all kinds of names. They are accused of being things they are not. They are given such labels by their critics so that their critics will only have to... Read more
Faith and reason are both important; the two complement and correct each other, so that when properly working together, they make sure we are not led astray. Reason helps us purify our understanding of the faith, while faith provides various principles which reason can never provide for itself. Reason can only direct us forward, it can never establish anything in and of itself. It can only develop what has been given to it; it cannot create. If what is given... Read more
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matt. 5:6 RSV). We should desire righteousness, not of course, the false righteousness performed by those who like to glorify themselves and receive accolades for what they have done on an external basis, but true righteousness, a righteousness which is borne out of love and seeks the good for all. We must desire a righteousness which not only gives us the appearance of holiness, but rather,... Read more
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