The Dispatch
Love and the Skeptic
Saint Valentine’s Day is a good time to remind ourselves that human love is an imitation, a reflection, of the divine love that created all […]
Jesus Christ
The Dispatch
The Beatitudes: The new Law given by the new Moses
Readings: • Zeph. 2:3; 3:12-13 • Psa. 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10 • 1 Cor. 1:26-31 • Matt. 5:1-12a During this Sunday’s Gospel Reading, we hear the Beatitudes, among the most well-known and oft-quoted sayings of Jesus. […]
The Dispatch
Grumpy priests and Saint Thomas Becket
We Catholics tend to have unrealistic expectations about our priests. We want every one of them to deliver brilliant, engaging homilies just like Venerable Fulton Sheen, possess the spiritual depth of Saint Thomas Aquinas, be […]
The Dispatch
The reason and reality of the Nativity
Eventually, when the Incarnation of the Son of Man is rejected, the rejection of man inevitably follows. This abolition of man is what we are […]
The Dispatch
St. John the Baptist, prophet of Advent and preacher of repentance
Readings: • Isa 11:1-10 • Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17 • Rom 15:4-9 • Mt 3:1-12 If you saw John the Baptist preaching on a street corner, what might you think of him? He would […]
The Dispatch
Christ the King, exalted by the Cross
Readings: • 1 Sam 5:1-3 • Ps 122:1-2, 3-4, 4-5 • Col 1:12-20 • Lk 23:35-43 “Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me any injury: how then can I […]
Editorial
The DDF Marian document relies on poor argumentation, reveals double standard
The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith released today a “Doctrinal Note on Some Marian Titles regarding Mary’s Cooperation in the Work of Salvation” (Mater Populi Fidelis), and it has raised a few eyebrows along with […]
The Dispatch
The Solemnity of All Saints and the pursuit of holiness
Several years ago I was having a mild altercation with one of my high school students. He ended his presentation with this thought: “The reason I hate Catholic school is that you priests and nuns […]
The Dispatch
Finding the heart and place of prayer
Readings: • Sir 35:12-14, 16-18 • Psa 34:2-3, 17-18, 19, 23 • 2 Tim 4:6-8, 16-18 • Lk 18:9-14 Prayer is one of those mysterious actions that everyone knows about—how many people can honestly say […]
Essay
“Thy Kingdom Come!”: Christ the King reigns in consciences
That Jesus taught His disciples to pray for the coming of the kingdom (Mt 6:9–13; Lk 11:2–4) long before they could fully understand its true nature has long intrigued me. Clearly, Jesus intends to lead […]