God not only calls us to worship him with praise and Scripture, but also to worship him with sacrifice (as we saw the last two weeks). God also establishes sacred covenant signs that unite the individual to God and to his holy people—his family—just as a wedding ring or the marital embrace unites spouses, renewing...Continue reading→

I thought it would be worthwhile to return to Pope Francis’ wonderful Apostolic Exhortation On the Call to Holiness in Today’s World—Gaudete et Exsultate, because this should be the goal of each one of us, as well as for the whole Church: holiness means the happiness that comes from union with God that reaches its...Continue reading→

August 15 marks one of the most important Marian feast day of the year: The Assumption. This day commemorates when Mary was assumed into Heaven, body and soul. In 1950, Pope Pius XII made it a dogma of the Church, an unquestionable teaching that verified this undeniable truth. While the New Testament makes no explicit...Continue reading→

Blessed are the Merciful… and Peacemakers. Learning to forgive is key to happiness and holiness in relationships because it is key to peace. We best learn this very Christian response, which is never easy, in the family. As Pope Francis reminds us: When we have been offended or let down, forgiveness is possible and desirable,...Continue reading→

We honor our parents not because they give us what we want but because they represent our merciful God who gives us his loving and life-giving Spirit: What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will...Continue reading→

Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice’ sake for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 5:10). Pope Francis notes: Unless we wish to sink into an obscure mediocrity, let us not long for an easy life, for “whoever would save his life will lose it” (Matthew 16:25). In living the Gospel, we cannot...Continue reading→

In his famous discourse on love, St. Paul says that love “does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right” (1 Corinthians 13:6). Pope Francis comments on this: The expression chaírei epì te adikía has to do with a negativity lurking deep within a person’s heart. It is the toxic attitude of those who...Continue reading→

Pope Francis reminds us that true love—essential for peace—“is not irritable” or easily provoked. [In St. Paul, irritable] refers to a violent reaction within, a hidden irritation that sets us on edge where others are concerned, as if they were troublesome or threatening and thus to be avoided. To nurture such interior hostility helps no...Continue reading→