There’s a promise in the Bible so shocking that most modern preachers and homilists steer clear of it, for fear of sounding like they’re blaspheming: it’s the promise that we will be divinized. Because of our squeamishness about speaking openly and honestly about divinization, we settle for a shallow, lame view of Heaven. So first, let’s… Continue reading What Eye Has Not Seen: Divinization and the Saints
Tag: Saints
What the Canonization of John XXIII and John Paul II Means for SSPX and Traditionalists
Two days ago, on Divine Mercy Sunday, Pope Francis canonized Popes John XXIII and John Paul II. For most of us Catholics, this was a time of great rejoicing. But it was not so for everyone. Critics of JPII at both extremes of the ideological spectrum (so to speak) denounced his canonization. Both his canonization,… Continue reading What the Canonization of John XXIII and John Paul II Means for SSPX and Traditionalists
The Evangelical and Pastoral Heart of Francis de Sales
St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622) is one of the most well-rounded Saints in Church history, and he played a major role in returning tens of thousands of Calvinists to the Catholic Church. You’ll often find a Saint who was accomplished as a theologian, or as a mystic, or as an apologist, or as a devotional… Continue reading The Evangelical and Pastoral Heart of Francis de Sales
Making Sense of One of the Most Shocking Verses in Scripture
James Tissot, Jesus Found in the Temple (1890) Yesterday’s Gospel has one of the most shocking verses in the New Testament, Luke 2:51, “And he [Jesus] went down with them [Mary and Joseph] and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart.” Is there any… Continue reading Making Sense of One of the Most Shocking Verses in Scripture
The Little Flower: An Intercessor for Priests
Pope Francis recently made headlines saying that he had unexpectedly received a white rose which he took as a sign from St. Thérèse of Lisieux of her intercession. This incident reminded me yet again of an often overlooked but important side of the Little Flower: her great love for priests. Here’s a small glimpse into that hidden side… Continue reading The Little Flower: An Intercessor for Priests
“By Mercy-ing and by Choosing Him”: Pope Francis and the Feast of St. Matthew
Pope Francis has made no secret of his affinity for the calling of St. Matthew (Matthew 9:9-13). His papal motto is from a homily on the call of Matthew, and it was on the Feast of St. Matthew, sixty years ago today, that Francis had a religious experience that led him to the priesthood: [O]n the… Continue reading “By Mercy-ing and by Choosing Him”: Pope Francis and the Feast of St. Matthew
Your Heart and Soul are Made for God: Why Settle for Less?
St. Francis de Sales’ Introduction to the Devout Life, which I have been reading lately, arose out of correspondence he had with a woman who was looking for help in living out the life of a Christian amidst the secular world. If anything, the book has become only more valuable since then, as secular culture… Continue reading Your Heart and Soul are Made for God: Why Settle for Less?
It’s Time to Kill Santa
Thomas Nast, Santa Claus (1881) Today is Christmas Eve, and we’re at a turning point in the year. For Catholics, the Christmas season begins tomorrow with the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord. For secular culture, the Christmas season ends tomorrow, having begun last month around Thanksgiving. At the heart of this debate over… Continue reading It’s Time to Kill Santa
What a Priestly Heart Looks Like
St. Isaac Jogues statue,Shrine of the North American Martyrs Today is the optional memorial of the North American Martyrs: Sts. Isaac Jogues and John de Brebeuf, and their companions, a group of truly heroic Jesuit martyrs. St. Isaac Jogues was influential in my vocational discernment. I knew next to nothing about him prior to winter 2010,… Continue reading What a Priestly Heart Looks Like
The Deuterocanon and the Communion of Saints
If Catholics are right about the Books that make up the Bible, then we’re also right about the Communion of Saints. In fact, if the Second Book of Maccabees is true (whether or not the Book is inspired Scripture), then the Catholic doctrines on the Communion of the Saints are true, as well. How can… Continue reading The Deuterocanon and the Communion of Saints