Sandro Botticelli, The Last Communion of St. Jerome (1495) (detail) Imagine a kid who has a severe peanut allergy, but wants a peanut butter cookie. Peanut allergy is one of the worst of the food allergies, since it can be triggered by even trace amounts of peanuts (even 1/1000th of a peanut), and it can… Continue reading The Peril of False Mercy: Divorce, Remarriage, and Holy Communion
Author: Joe Heschmeyer
Celebrating Lepanto in the Age of ISIS
Paolo Veronese, The Battle of Lepanto (1572) On Sunday, I stumbled upon a group of Venetian nationalists commemorating the Battle of Lepanto, which occurred 443 years ago today, October 7, 1571. I spoke to one of the men, who explained that they wanted to remind people of the battle (and of Venice’s contributions to the… Continue reading Celebrating Lepanto in the Age of ISIS
Small Ball and the Little Way
Christian Colon scores the winning run and celebrates with the team. I don’t normally talk about baseball on this blog, but I couldn’t help seeing a connection between the performance of my Kansas City Royals and the spirituality of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, whose feast day is today. Bear with me for a moment, even if… Continue reading Small Ball and the Little Way
Pray to Saints? Why Not Go Directly to God?
I get some variation of the above question frequently from Protestants. This objection supposes that we have two options: go to the Saints, or go to God. From a Catholic perspective, this is a false choice. Of course we should go directly to God. As Hebrews 4:16 says, “let us then with confidence draw near… Continue reading Pray to Saints? Why Not Go Directly to God?
What Should You Wear to Mass?
I’m on a silent retreat this week (this is being auto-posted), so it seemed like a good idea to post a nice, non-controversial post since I won’t be around to respond to the comments for a few days. Instead, I wrote this one on wearing proper attire to Mass. Let’s start with Scripture, Matthew 22:1-14:… Continue reading What Should You Wear to Mass?
How Your Online Tone Could Send You to Hell
The before-and-after photos used by Rorate Caeli.After the Soviet Union had Nikolai Yezhov executed,his image was carefully purged from official photographs. A few weeks ago, Msgr. Charles Pope wrote a blog post on his blog (which is on the Archdiocese of Washington’s website). It quickly disappeared, leading the traditionalist blog Rorate Caeli to decry “the… Continue reading How Your Online Tone Could Send You to Hell
The Gospel of St. Peter’s: Jesus Doesn’t Need You.
St. Peter’s Square St. Peter’s Basilica is one of the largest, most famous, and most beautiful churches in the world. Rightly has it been called “the greatest of all churches of Christendom.” Although the pope’s cathedral is actually St. John Lateran, St. Peter’s Basilica is the church typically associated with the papacy. After all, it’s… Continue reading The Gospel of St. Peter’s: Jesus Doesn’t Need You.
My Vocation Story (Plus Two More!)
Laurent Okitakatshi, Archbishop Joseph Naumann,Daniel Koko Oleko, and yours truly. Several people have asked for my vocation story, but I haven’t written much on the subject. So let me share a bit about how I got to be where I am now. This is from a radio show that I did with my bishop, Archbishop… Continue reading My Vocation Story (Plus Two More!)
Why Are Catholics So “Into” Mary?
Aureliano Milani, Expulsion of Adam and Eve (18th c.) Today’s post is for those Protestants who view the Church’s teachings on Mary as unnecessary and odd, rather than evil. There are a lot of you out there, and for good reason. Let’s be honest. If you’re not Catholic, or even if you’re a Catholic who… Continue reading Why Are Catholics So “Into” Mary?
Joel Osteen, Judas Iscariot, and the Heretical “Prosperity Gospel”
Lakewood Church(Joel and Victoria Osteen’s megachurch) The recent controversy over Joel and Victoria Osteen has put these megachurch preachers back in the spotlight. This time, it was because Victoria said: I just want to encourage every one of us to realize when we obey God, we’re not doing it for God—I mean, that’s one way… Continue reading Joel Osteen, Judas Iscariot, and the Heretical “Prosperity Gospel”