We Catholics need to renew what the Arabs call asabiyya, or solidarity of purpose.

The United States Constitution with quill pen, glasses and candle holder

I just read an interesting essay by Lee Smith, that explains why the Taliban beat America. He said “There is no mystery about why the U.S. experience in Afghanistan ended in failure, embarrassment, and scandal. Nor is it a mystery why the Taliban took over Kabul so quickly. They were fighting for primacy. Their victory […]

Our Inability to Trust God

There’s a section in St. Paul’s letter to the Romans entitled “Children of God Through Adoption” which I never thought of much when I heard it or read it over the years. It took on a deep significance after my wife and I adopted two children 20 years ago. There’s a physical aspect of adoption, […]

Have Yourself an Intentional Little Christmas

We’re barreling headlong into what should be a very holy and peace filled season. Instead, however, most Christians go into hyper-drive, like everyone else, starting with Thanksgiving preparations, then we jump to black Friday deals (on Thanksgiving evening) and then blast right to and through Christmas ending up exhausted without ever thinking about or acknowledging […]

Demands to privatize your faith – sit down and zip it.

photo of a mouth with a zipper for lips

In his homily Thursday Jan 29th , Pope Francis says ecclesial elites who form cliques and scorn others are privatizing the faith and not following the way of Jesus and that the privatization of salvation is the wrong path. He went on to say that there are three criteria or reasons we cannot privatize our […]

We are in the world – in the midst of this storm

“We are in the world now as Christs; in the midst of this storm. We are here to keep Christianity alive, to keep Christianity pure, intact, to ensure by our own lives in Christ that the gates of hell shall not prevail against Christendom. This cannot be done if there is the least compromise with […]