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
Often, despite our pursuit for holiness, we find ourselves succumbing to our various vices; though we have the best of intentions, our worst thoughts and habits overcome us and lead us astray. It would be easy for us to give up. Either we think that we have aimed ourselves in the wrong direction, that our passions are telling us what we should embrace and so we turn to them instead of what we once pursued, or else, because we do... Read more
Traditionally, Christians used the symbolism of night and day to express the difference between the time before the incarnation and the time after it. That is, Jesus Christ, the Sun of Righteousness, brought light into the world, brought in, as it were, a new day. The light of Christ shines brightly in and through the saints. All those who are a part of the kingdom of God will have their own share of grace, their own share of the light... Read more
When reading or listening to Scripture, we often find ourselves so caught up in various details that we lose sight of the meaning which we are meant to receive from the text. We should know that there is a practical point to all Scripture, that there is something in it which can help us in our lives. This is why the spirit of the text, the intended meaning of the text, is more important than the text itself. In and... Read more
Those who engage evil present themselves as good. They embrace elements of the good, elements which, when cut off from the fullness of the good, become but dying embers of the good itself. And yet those remnants are enough for them to hide behind so as to try to appear good to others. Likewise, those following evil will present themselves as followers of the truth, using elements of the truth itself; while what they say will be false, it will... Read more
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