Hope When Hope Seems Gone—Dr. Aaron Kheriaty
Ours is an age of social disruption, isolation, and atomization. Rates of suicide among young people, rich and poor, along with instances of clinical depression are on the sharp rise since 1999. A...
View ArticleSuffering Motherhood with Mary
Like most moms, I am a compulsive worrier. Before the pandemic and riots began, my biggest fear was something hurting my daughter in a serious, even fatal, way. I tell myself in calmer moments that...
View ArticleThe Virtues: The Remedy for Our Times
Lately, the daily news is full of images of burning and looting in our cities. Prior to that, it was becoming difficult to express our thoughts on anything controversial (and it seems like everything...
View ArticleHope After Suicide—Father Chris Alar, MIC
Suicide is a pandemic today. Most people are inclined to disbelieve how bad the problem is. Father Chris Alar, MIC, can relate. He didn’t give suicide too much thought. Until his beloved grandmother...
View ArticleMan’s Innate Belief in the Resurrection
I suppose by now everybody knows I’m a big critic of the Theory of Evolution. I had the audacity on the second essay I ever posted on this website to argue that Genesis rebutted Darwin’s theory on the...
View ArticleRacism Isn’t Systemic in America – Corruption Is
There is almost nothing happening in American cities and capitals today that is honest. The claim of unrepentant, systemic racism is the spark that has lit the fire of the current social unrest. We’re...
View ArticleKeep Steady in Shaky Times
My dear friends, beware of despair! The worries and anxieties that come into our lives can certainly knock us off balance and shake us to the core with a gnawing feeling of futility as we continue to...
View ArticleSeeking Unity While Merging Churches
Churches face challenges all the time. Our local area was a hot spot in the 19th century and drew many immigrants. Over time, different groups created their own churches, and it resulted in five...
View ArticleAdvent: Giving 2020 Back to God
The end of the year is coming quickly, and with it, the season of Advent. Advent begins on Sunday, November 29, just one week from now. Advent marks the beginning of the Church’s liturgical year, and...
View ArticleCurse the Darkness or Light A Candle?
Today as I make preparation to attend a holiday celebration with my family, it is not without trepidation. Why do I feel this way? Well, there is a sense of obligation mixed with nostalgia for the way...
View ArticleBe Not Afraid
Be Not Afraid. These words have been striking me in recent days… During Advent, we hear of the angel’s appearance to Mary, and his subsequent exhortation: “Do not be afraid…” These same words were...
View ArticleUnleashing the Virtue of Hope
The unleashing of the theological virtue of hope, with deep roots in Jesus Christ, holds the true promise of the new year. No one weeps at the passing of 2020, and the turning of the calendar can be an...
View ArticleTrump’s Road to Emmaus Moment
It looks like the betrayal of our country is now complete. The (Republican) state legislatures and the (conservative) federal judges have caved. The (Republican) members of Congress have also stuck...
View ArticleSometimes Our Prayers Are Answered Quickly
One morning, walking from the parking garage to the office, I voiced in prayer an all-to-familiar complaint: “Why am I hanging around here when I seem to have done everything I was put on Earth to do?...
View ArticleWhiskey, Oreos, and the Absurdity of Hope
Well, 2021 has started out as roughly as 2020 ended. The rain that poured down around my little house on Christmas day seemed to promise such a shaky start to the new year. The old traditions are full...
View ArticleA Letter to a Tired Friend
“I am tired of praying.” This is what I heard my friend whisper tiredly, almost unwillingly. The words hung in the air, lingering as if they were just getting used to being outside rather than bumping...
View ArticleA Lesson from Easter
In the world’s broad field of battle, in the bivouac of life, be not like dumb driven cattle! Be a hero in the strife! Trust no future, however pleasant! Let the dead past bury its dead! Act, – act in...
View ArticleMissals, Mistakes, and the Mission for Souls
Here in Italy we recently changed our edition of the Roman Missal, the book that guides the priest through the celebration of the Mass. Priests were given the option to start using it in November of...
View ArticleO Faithful Stewards!
What is our reason for living? One of our duties on earth is to be faithful stewards of God’s creations. We live for a purpose greater than ourselves. Therefore, what do we need to succeed in our...
View ArticleThe Catholic and Gnostic Views of Material Reality
Simply, the Catholic and Gnostic views of materiality are, respectively, Good and Evil, which engender hope and despair. It is paradoxical that the modern adoration of materiality in the form of...
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