Theosis: Our Sojourn to the True Self
My thumb rolls over the chotki, knot after knot, I breathe in deeply and think with all my soul; “Lord Jesus Christ only son of God…” I pause, “have mercy on me a sinner…” I exhale. As I do …
No, I DON’T “Call” LGBTQ+ People to Abstinence or Celibacy
If you would like to read the first part, you may find it here.
Part II
Celibacy, Abstinence, and Chastity
While celibacy, abstinence, and chastity are often lumped together, they are quite distinct, and these distinctions need to be made known if …
No, I DON’T “Call” LGBTQ+ People to Abstinence or Celibacy
Responding to Fr. James Martin Without Responding to Fr. James Martin
Preamble
The LGBTQ+ topic is touching the hearts and lives of more and more Catholic families every day. As such, we must more than ever strive to equip ourselves with …
Prepare the Way of the Lord
How to Make a Good Confession
Confession, reconciliation, or penance are all common names for the sacrament instituted by Christ in which forgiveness of sins committed after baptism is granted through the absolution of the priest to the person who …
The Immaterial and Material Nature of Man
Today we will begin to break down our definition into smaller pieces and hopefully, we will have time to break those pieces down even further. I know most people do not relish the thought of reading technical or academic …
Why do Catholics use the word “disordered”?
Any high school teacher both loves and loathes the team-based review game. They’re fun and functional, but often bring a streak of chaos to your classroom. When my former students selected team names, I would refuse to let them …
Break open the filing cabinet: Chastity & Integration
“You seem very…managed.” I sat across from a priest on a retreat. He had just heard me describe a few elements of my relational history. This was his response. “I mean, it’s sort of like a filing cabinet,” he …
Fathers, sons, and the masculine identity
What does it mean to be a man? This is a question I ask myself often when I consider my role as husband and father. Is being a man a reflection of how much money we earn? Or the …
Magisterial Teaching and Practical Experience: A Priest’s Reflection on Courage’s Generation of Pastoral Care (Video)
“Whenever the Church says ‘no’, she must also say ‘yes’. There must be a ‘yes’ because that is what the Gospel is, as St Paul reminds us: an outstretched hand of practical help that understands the tangle of the …
Ministering to millennials
Born in the late 80’s, I came to youth ministry in the age of worship song hand motions and purity cards. The gay rights debate raged far and away from my Midwestern town of origin…or least severely under the …
