The Shadow of the Cross

During daily Mass, I found myself contemplating the large crucifix over the altar. I gazed at the image of Jesus, taking in the particulars of his face, his posture (limp but not sagging, head bowed slightly), and the flow of the cloth around his hips. I didn't realize I was doing this until my gaze…

Soulmates: Bull or Brilliant Theology?

Welcome to February, the month of love! In honor of that time of year where everyone opines on the good, the bad, and the ugly surrounding the most complex and mysterious of human emotions, I want to jump down the rabbit hole and reflect on a particular notion associated with love: the notion of "soulmates."…

Extraordinary vs. Ordinary: A View from the Pew

As if the Church doesn't have enough to deal with, lay and clerical faithful have recently turned up the heat on a debate that the average Catholic had no idea was going on in the first place: which form of the Mass is the better one, the Extraordinary Form ("Latin Mass") or the Ordinary Form…

No Room For You

The innkeeper had no incentive to care about the exhausted and expecting couple. Caesar Augustus had called a census, and everyone within at least five miles of Bethlehem was either on their way in to be enrolled or on their way out. He was occupied with his own affairs; his inn was full. "Sorry," he…

The Way the World Ends

She knew very early on, as women sometimes do when pregnant, that she was going to have a boy. She and her husband chose a simple and strong name for him: William Joseph. On the eve of the feast of St. Nicholas, William came into this world stillborn. He had twenty-four weeks, in the womb…

Family is the Permanent Catechumenate that the Sacrament of Marriage Needs

Pope Francis, in union with the overwhelming majority of Catholic bishops, priests, deacons, and lay faithful, has a deeply pastoral concern about the current state of marriage. In a recent address to students at a marriage and family life course in Rome, the Holy Father called for a permanent catechumenate for the sacrament of marriage,…

Authentic Love and Morality Courses from the O’ahu Faith Formation Conference 2018

On June 22-23, I had the privilege of participating in my first faith formation conference as a facilitator. It was a blast! I had students from high-school age to golden years, and their thoughtful questions and comments during our time together was as humbling and informative to me as I hope my courses were for…