Aflame for Christ

St. Paul rejoices that his communities realized his preaching was not a clever myth but the Truth that comes from God. But even many good Catholics do not believe that Catholicism is true. How can we know that it's true, if we can't prove it? Is there evidence that points to the reality of Catholicism? Our faith is not blind - it is always seeking to understand deeper the reasons behind our belief...

Jesus gives us eight guides to happiness - the Beatitudes. But the Beatitudes tell us that joy is found in paradoxical ways: by being poor, persecuted, forgiving, humble - quite opposite of how the world views happiness! But the joy found by the saints is far deeper and much more unshakeable than the happiness that is dependent upon our circumstances - it is grounded on the unchanging love for God...

Michael Magone was one of St. John Bosco's boys who had to learn the hard way! After struggling to become a better young man, it took a crisis (and a gift) to bring him to Jesus Christ - and he quickly made progress on the path to holiness. You, too, are called to make progress in sanctity - not on your own efforts, but by grace alone!

This weekend our diocese celebrates 70 years! We've had our fair share of saints and sinners, inspiring lives and forgettable characters. How can God work through such a motley crew? Because He chose a motley crew from the beginning! This is His church, not ours - His Body, His Bride - and He will continue to work despite our weaknesses. You and I have a role to play in the Church, even despite ou...

Many people have written about becoming a welcoming Church. Who is welcome in the Church? Everybody! But we are invited on Christ's terms, not ours - and Christ has made it clear that repentance is the "wedding garment" needed to attend His Banquet!

When the Lord comes to the garden of your soul, He expects to find the fruits of holiness. But like any garden, it needs a fence, lest wild animals trample the fruits within. Our fence is how we keep custody of our senses - what we watch, read, browse, or listen to has an eternal impact on our souls. How important it is, then, to guard our senses, that we may only admit that which is good, holy, a...

"Jesus Christ is Lord" was treason in the ancient Roman Empire, as only the Emperors were considered Kurios - Lord. But Jesus' Lordship is quite different, because instead of desperately grasping for power, He chose to empty Himself to the lowest place - promising that those who emptied themselves for His sake would ascend to the heights of glory!

Many people have trouble forgiving, in part because we forget how much WE have been forgiven for. The price of mercy was the death of the Son of God - a sum so great that we could never repay such a gift. Therefore, we ought to offer our forgiveness willingly, knowing that we have been acquitted by the Father!

In our modern world, tolerance is the highest virtue. Live and let live! Live your truth! But Christ proposes another way - we are spiritually our brothers' keeper. How are we called to live out that difficult Spiritual Work of Mercy, "admonish the sinner"?

Peter was pretty excited by Jesus' promises - he would become the Rock on which the Church was built, have the keys to the very gates of Heaven, become the second-in-command to the Lord of All Creation. But when Jesus tells him that these blessings would involve the cross, Peter begins to balk. Many times, Christians turn to Christ because they seek material blessings from Him, but these things we...

Both marriage and the religious life are beautiful, complementary vocations. They are both challenging, take self-denial, and can lead to holiness. How can they be lived out well? How do we know which one we are called to? Tune in to hear how your vocation can make you holy when lived with generosity!

Racism has been in the news for several years now, and many people have offered solutions to the problem of racism. But any solution not grounded in a Christian anthropology will ultimately fail. It is Christ, through the Catholic Church, who truly fosters unity among every tribe and tongue, people and nation - and He alone can heal the racial divide in our nation and our culture!

God often calls us to do things that are humanly impossible - overcoming our sins, living out our vocations faithfully, becoming saints. But the good news is that He gives the grace to do that which He calls us to! If we keep our eyes fixed on Christ, we are able to avoid being overwhelmed by the magnitude of our calling - as we receive from Him the Source of all strength and grace.

The early Christians knew that the Cross was a stumbling block - how could God die such a horrific death? To counter this, Jesus revealed His glory to His Apostles, promising them that the Cross does not have the final word. In our modern world, the Cross is often a scandal to us, too - we doubt our faith when faced with suffering. But Christ reminds us that the faithfulness of God in the blessing...

A prayer that is pleasing to the Lord is not one of fancy words, but of right disposition of heart. And the Holy Spirit provides that disposition: we are meant to desire God above all things! Hungry for Him, our prayer is pleasing in His sight, but first we must empty ourselves of the goods and pleasures of this world so as to burn with a desire for God alone.

"The world is thy ship, not thy home," said St. Therese of Lisieux. While the world was created good, it is fallen and full of chaos, suffering, disorder and death. As Christians, we are called to make the world a better place - but always while keeping an eye on eternity. This world is our temporary tent, for we are on a far greater journey to our far greater homeland of Heaven!

Perhaps nothing in the world is more misunderstood these days than a proper understanding of the human body. Why do we have bodies? Shouldn't we be allowed to do anything we wish with our bodies? St. Paul reveals that our bodily nature is good, but fallen - and our bodies are often at war with our souls. Nevertheless, our soul can gain proper mastery over our bodies if we submit through prayer, se...

The Christian life isn't just life-as-usual with a few prayers sprinkled on top. Rather, we are urged to die to all that is not Christ, so that the life of Christ may live through us. Christ nailed our Old Selves to the Cross, and buried our sins in the tomb...when He walked out, living the new life of grace, all those who are incorporated into Him must live that new life as well. What, specifical...

Having worked in youth ministry for 20 years, Fr. Joseph shares his insights about how young people - and all of us! - encounter God, grow in love with Him, and become the saints we were created to be. Talk given at the Catholic Homeschool Conference on June 9, 2023.

Belief in Christ's True Presence in the Eucharist must penetrate into our lives. Our faith in Him must inform the way we approach the Eucharist, that we may gain all the benefits from such an august Sacrament. Tune in to hear the four elements of living a life centered around the Eucharist!

God is beyond our capacity to understand - but we can still know many things about Him! He has revealed to us that He is eternal, ever-present, all-knowing, all-powerful, all-holy...and He still desires a deep friendship with the ones He has created. Although He needs nothing, He still desires our love. How blessed that we, as creatures, can give Him the one thing He thirsts for!

The first Mass homily for Fr. Ferry Galbert, newly ordained priest - in order to be a good priest, one must die to oneself so that Christ alone may live in and through him!

"Glory" is one of those religious words that we say all the time, but it's hard to define. It is a manifestation of God's power, might, majesty. We see it in nature, but we also see it in the saints, whose lives were lived completely for God's glory. You and I are also invited to live our lives for His glory alone, and not for our own pleasures and ego - will you say yes to surrendering your life...

On this Mother's Day, we consider: how do we honor our two spiritual mothers, the Blessed Mother and Holy Mother Church? These two have brought our souls to life and shown our souls a mother's love - so how do we honor and love them in return? Tune in to hear how to love our (spiritual) mothers!

Far from being just one religious leader among many, Jesus claims to be someone unique: the Divine Son of God, sent to reveal the Father to us. We are invited to follow Him in faith, which means really believing that His claims are true: that He is divine, that His death has truly freed us from sin, that repentance and holiness is necessary to enter His Kingdom, that eternity awaits us, that He co...