In the cult of relics we venerate the corporeal remains of holy people because we recognize a certain unity of body and soul. Because the saints are holy, their bodies are holy, too, and therefore worthy of our veneration. Jesus’ Sacred Heart, which we celebrate in today’s solemnity, is supremely…

Homily for Pentecost — Lectionary Readings We celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, but we never celebrate the ascent of the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit is still here. …

May is a month especially dedicated to the Blessed Mother. Mary’s role in the life of the Church is a point on which many of our Protestant brethren are confused. …

With the news coming out this week of a leaked draft of a Supreme Court decision that would overturn Roe v. Wade, now is a good time to remind ourselves of just what the Catholic Church teaches about the sanctity of human life and the legality of abortion. Roe v…

Homily for the 3rd Sunday of Easter — Lectionary Readings It’s very easy, after encountering Christ, to return to our usual routine and live our lives as if nothing has changed. Like Peter and the other Apostles, we sometimes need a reminder of our calling, or our mission. What is the mission of a Christian? …

When most of us hear the word “hell,” we think of the place of the damned, what the Catechism defines as the “state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed” (CCC 1033). So it might be a bit confusing, if not outright shocking, to find in the…

A homily for Easter Sunday — Lectionary Readings The universe can’t create itself. It has a Creator. And that means you have a Creator. And that means you are intentional. You have a purpose. The good news of this world view is that you are wanted and loved. …

Good Friday leaves us at the tomb, where Jesus is laid to rest. It is the day of preparation before the sabbath. All that can be done has been done. Christ, like a seed, has been planted in the ground. We must wait for the bud of new life to…

A reflection for Friday of the 5th week of Lent — There is a trend today among secularists to deny that Jesus ever claimed to be divine. They applaud Jesus’ moral teachings, at least the ones about caring for the poor and needy and healing the sick. They like his style when it comes to calling religious authorities out on their…