Catholicism is a faith that sees the gift of institutions. We open up Catholic schools for the education of children and seminaries for the formation of priests. We develop parish programs and processes for evangelization and catechesis. We engage with the state,
Stinginess is a mark of a fallen world. We’re stingy with goods, refusing to share everything with the poor. We’re stingy with prayer, bypassing divine worship for emailing or meetings. We’re stingy with our time, refusing to share a life of fellowship
Roads feature prominently in the Scriptures. In Jeremiah, the prophet speaks the Word of the Lord to Judah, still in exile in Babylon. The moment of their captivity is over, and it’s time to return home to Jerusalem. But the faithful remnant
As Mel Brooks once said, it’s good to be the king. It’s good to have absolute power. It’s good to know that every eye in the room is attending to your presence, waiting to exchange but a single word with you. At
In Genesis, we discover the reason for the overpowering sorrow caused by divorce: Men and women were made for communion. The Lord creates Adam from the dust of the ground, breathing life in him. Yet, Adam is lonely. God seeks to soothe
In the Book of Wisdom, the term “wisdom” does not simply refer to “wise” decision-making. Wisdom is instead connected to the Law, to giving one’s will entirely over to God’s will. The Book of Wisdom describes wisdom as a woman who is
In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus repeatedly does something we’d consider odd. Our Lord performs a miracle, in this case “opening” the ears of a man without hearing, and then “ordered them not to tell anyone” (Mk 7:36). This is doubly peculiar
Throughout the Gospels, we hear regularly about the Pharisees. A Pharisee, in the popular imagination, chooses the Law over mercy. They are the hypocritical men, challenging Jesus’ authority around every corner. The problem with popular tropes is they often block our encounter
J. R. R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” is suffused with Catholic imagery. The elves, in particular, function as visible signs in the great epic of a forgotten, once sanctified cosmos. Thus, it’s not accidental that the elves offer to the
Elijah is hungry. Walking a day in the desert, he settles under a broom tree. This fragrant shrub, native to the Middle East, blossomed with beautifully scented white flowers. But Elijah doesn’t notice. Tired from the journey, he falls asleep, giving up