Poverty, Self-Denial, and Peace – Part II
How do we learn the art of self-denial? In small steps that prepare us for the ultimate step: surrendering our soul to the Lord at death.
Poverty, Self-Denial, and Peace – Part I
The remedy for disordered desire is mortification and the longing for God, the living God, who calls us to intimate union. How different is Christian redemption from a Buddhist annihilation of self!
Lord, Deliver Me From My Persecutors
It is only a matter of time before being a Catholic at all will involve renouncing much that the world considers important and necessary. And soon there will be open persecution. Are we ready?
Liturgical Abuse and Abuse of Minors
The decades-long abuse of the sacred liturgy—and therefore, of faithful Catholics who have a right to the sacred liturgy in its fullness—constitutes the first and fundamental form of clerical abuse of the laity, of which sexual abuse is a particular and more demented moral variety.
Byzantine Splendor and Roman Sobriety
The traditional Western Mass is intent on reminding the worshiper of the death of Christ and the believer’s own sinfulness and unworthiness, while the Eastern Divine Liturgy accents the victory of Christ and the Christian’s triumph with Him in glory.
‘Medieval’ Liturgy and ‘Scholastic’ Theology
The prejudice against the ancient (or, in many respects, medieval) Roman Rite is quite similar to the long-fashionable prejudice against scholastic philosophy.
Prayer and Action
If we want our apostolate or our daily round of duties to be fruitful, we need to begin and end with the continually burning fire of adoring union with God.
General and Particular Examen
Many saintly authors recommend a “particular and general examination of conscience,” but seldom explain what is meant by this, apparently because it used to be extremely well known.
Recovering the Greatness of the Roman Rite
Why did we suppress the most precious, most beautiful gift the Lord had given to us? What were we thinking? A child’s perspective brings out the importance of the solemn sung liturgy.
Spiritual Reading
Do you have a plan about which spiritual book you will be reading this Advent?
Is the Mass “Just” the Mass?
It is too easy to fall into the trap of thinking that nothing else matters in the liturgy besides “Jesus is present.” This is a superficial and relativistic way of thinking that has to be challenged and corrected, if the Real Presence is to be of any benefit to us—indeed, if our faith in the Real Presence is even going to survive.
A Sober Assessment of Liturgical Reform
The official statements always sing the praises of reform, but the people in the pews know better. They are the ones who have suffered the most.
The Fear of the Lord
Do we rightly fear the Lord?
Incarnation and Divinization
Why did the Son of God become man? “God became man, that men might become gods” (St. Athanasius).
On Aweful Ambos and Lilliputian Lecterns
Why can’t churches have grand furnishings and fixtures—like the lofty pulpits you see in older churches? And why aren’t those pulpits, where they exist, still being used today?