Blessed Are Those Who Mourn?
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (Matthew 5: 3-4) The second Beatitude that Jesus proclaims in the Sermon on the Mount may sound odd to us when we first hear it. And it should. All through the... Continue reading→
Using Technology as a Catholic
How often do you check your phone every day? How often do you look at it, touch it, or think about it? Do you even know? According to studies, on average, Americans check their phones around 350 times a day and touch their phone around 2600 times a day. “Like it or not, personal technology... Continue reading→
Criteria of Christian Morality
Christ summarizes the goal of Christian morality at the end of the Sermon of the Mount: “Not every one who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did... Continue reading→
How to Be an Authentic Catholic
What does that mean? What does it mean to be truly, genuinely, sincerely Catholic? Does it mean making sure you never hurt anybody’s feelings? Does it mean going to Mass on Christmas and Easter? Does it mean wearing a crucifix around your neck? Father John Gordon joined John Morales on Morning Air to discuss the... Continue reading→
How God Wants to be Worshiped: Participation in the Church’s Liturgy
This article was originally published by the late Francis Cardinal George, OMI in the newspaper The Catholic New World (now Chicago Catholic) on October 24, 2004. Given the recent announcements of the National Eucharistic Revival and Congress, we thought it fitting to revisit the insights of Cardinal George following his participation in the 2004 International... Continue reading→
Why are there so many religious orders?
Recently on Father Simon Says, a listener called in to ask about the innumerable religious orders that occupy the Catholic Church, how they came to be, and why they exist. Fr. Simon began by taking us back to the early days of the Church and explaining the hierarchical structure. “In the early days, you had... Continue reading→
Why New-Age Spiritualities Can Never Replace God
“All practices of magic or sorcery, by which one attempts to tame occult powers, so as to place them at one’s service and have a supernatural power over others – even if this were for the sake of restoring their health – are gravely contrary to the virtue of religion. These practices are even more to be condemned... Continue reading→
Should You Actually Be True To Yourself?
You might have heard it during the commencement speech at your graduation, or maybe from a mentor sending you off to the next big phase of your life. Maybe you heard it from your parents or a sibling when you headed off to college or your first big job interview: “Be true to yourself.” But... Continue reading→
Resolving Doubts and Uncertainty
Sometimes doubts, uncertainty, and fears enter our heads, and we don’t know what to do. Forming our conscience responsibly includes developing the virtue of prudence, the habit of properly exercising the conscience, knowing when we can trust its formation, and the need to act on its judgments. A prudent conscience is like well-exercised muscles that... Continue reading→
Catholics Invited to Pray an Act of Reparation on Solemnity of the Sacred Heart
US Bishops call on Catholics to pray and offer reparation on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in response to the offensive honoring of a blasphemous group by a professional baseball team. June 12, 2023 WASHINGTON – On June 16, the Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Most... Continue reading→
Forming Our Conscience in the Truth
Some say: Ignorance is bliss. But they say this because they really want to do what they want to do. Only invincible ignorance excuses a person who has no possibility of knowing the morality of an act. This is most common among children and very uneducated people. If… the ignorance is invincible, or the moral... Continue reading→
Becoming “Martyrs” to the Seven Deadly Sins
“There are six things which the LORD hates, seven which are an abomination to him” (Proverbs 6:16). The seven deadly sins (or capital vices) are “works of the flesh”—temptations or habits—that directly lead to the kind of behaviors that “those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:21). The deadly... Continue reading→
