The Catholic Perspective

The Sermon on the Mount is St. Matthew’s summary of Christ’s preaching, of the New Law Jesus gives us from this mountain of the New Testament, just as Moses gave his people the Old Law on Mt. Sinai. This New Law begins with the Beatitudes, the summary of the summary of Christ’s teaching. The Beatitudes offer a portrait of Christian life. And the first characteristic of that portrait is this: “Bles...

On Christmas morning, and on weekdays throughout the Christmas season, the Church’s liturgy invites us to delve deeply into the first Chapter of the Gospel of John.  John the Evangelist was an eye-witness of the events he describes. And since he was at the same time both the youngest and also the longest-living of the Twelve Apostles, he had a whole lifetime to contemplate the significance of thos...

Every Sunday when we pray the Creed at Mass we profess our faith in Jesus Christ, affirming that “he will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his Kingdom will have no end.” This seems like an important point for Christ’s followers to keep in mind. And yet, how often do we actually think about it? How deeply have we considered it? What really comes into our minds when we read...

In Part 2 of Fr Brett Taira, LC's meditation on what it means to be a Regnum Christi Apostle, Fr Brett digs into the meaning behind #9 in the Rule of Life for Lay Members of Regnum Christi: "Lay members of Regnum Christi ardently seek to establish and extend the Kingdom of Christ among all people. They let themselves be permeated by Christ’s charity towards humanity and bring their apostolic zeal...

Paul McCusker's Radio Theatre productions are some of the Augustine Institute's most exciting new products. In this podcast, he talks with Fr John Bartunek, LC, about the experience of putting together his first one, "Brother Francis: The Barefoot Saint of Assisi". As St Francis's feast day draws near, this podcast will help you prepare to live it deeply, and also give you some behind-the-scenes l...

Fr Jason Brooks gives a moving homily during our Going Deeper pilgrimage to the Holy Land. In the beautiful Crusader church in the town of Emmaus, near Jerusalem, he reflects on how easily we can be distracted from what God is doing by focusing on all the things that don't seem to be getting done in our lives as Christian apostles. He helps us refocus on Jesus' perspective, just as Jesus himself d...

Lucy Honner and Fr John Bartunek discuss the significance of Fr John's series of seasonal meditation books for our human and spiritual formation. Fr John then reads the introduction and Chapter 3 from "Autumn Meditations." This chapter links the biological phenomenon of autumnal leaves changing color to the importance of humility for our human flourishing.

In one of his "Straight Talks", Fr John Bartunek, LC presents the reasonability of believing in God. This podcast addresses both our intellectual formation and our apostolic formation. Thinking through how reasonable belief in God really is can help us understand our own faith better, and it can also help us be calmer and more confident in conversations with people who don't share our faith in God...

Fr Brett digs into the essence of what it means to be a Regnum Christi apostle by reminding us who is really in charge of building Christ's Kingdom, and what our role really consists of. With vivid examples and illustrations, Fr Brett's direct style can help cut through the complications and keep us grounded in what is most important as we keep trying to live out our vocation to the full.

Contemplating the Mystery of the Transfiguration, and discovering what it has to say to each one of us, will be the task of this Retreat Guide, Anchored in Light.

The Apostle of the Apostles: A Retreat Guide on St. Mary Magdalene by RCSpirituality.org

On the Third Sunday of Lent, we read of the mysterious encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman. It takes place while Jesus is resting alone near Jacob’s Well and his disciples have gone into town to get some supplies before continuing their journey. That encounter is the subject of this Retreat Guide.

Christ Alone is Enough: A Retreat Guide on St. Paul's Letter to the Colossians by RCSpirituality.org

During Advent in the year 1531, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to a native Mexican, St. Juan Diego, and asked him a favor. She sent him to the bishop with a request to have a Catholic church built on the hill where she was appearing in present-day Mexico City. She left her image emblazoned on Juan Diego’s tunic, called a tilma. This miraculous image convinced the skeptical bishop and made an inc...

The future of the Church, and of our society in general, depends to a large extent on the quality formation of the younger generation. And yet, in spite of that undeniable reality, our popular culture’s overriding attitude towards young people tends to be either condescending or pessimistic. But Jesus has a different point of view. If we want to contribute to a promising future in the Church and t...

As Christians, we know that our life on earth is a purposeful journey guided by God’s providence. This journey takes us through many stages, many seasons of spiritual growth that the Lord uses to prepare us for our final destination: the Father’s house in heaven. This Retreat Guide will show us how this pilgrimage truly works.

St. John Paul II observed that for people of faith there are no coincidences, only aspects of God’s providence that we have not yet fully understood. Another way of putting it is to say that there are no coincidences, only God-incidences. Among these God-incidences, one of the most remarkable is the story of St. Ignatius Loyola. For the world would be very different indeed if a cannonball had not...

Called and Chosen: A Retreat Guide on Vocation and the Calling of St. Matthew by RCSpirituality.org

Teacher and Lord: A Lenten Retreat Guide on the Last Supper by RCSpirituality.org

St. John the Evangelist, more than any other of the Eleven Apostles, was wonderfully fascinated by the amazing, marvelous event of God becoming man and living among us. His writings are filled to the brim with this fascination, which is one reason why they play such a central role in the liturgy throughout the Christmas season. St. John is so fascinated with the incarnation, in fact , that there a...

Christ’s great commandment is that we love one another as he has loved us. Inasmuch as we live that out, we are Christians in name and in fact. But we encounter an obstacle: our own weakness and sinfulness. Luckily, God has given us the saints, friends who can guide us along the narrow path that leads to eternal life. St. Thérèse of Lisieux is such a friend. St. Thérèse offers us a Little Way of L...

A Virgin's Courage: A Retreat Guide on St. Kateri Tekakwitha by RCSpirituality.org

According to Pope Benedict XVI, as human beings we have imprinted upon our spiritual DNA a profound mark of the Trinity, of God as Love. For we are created in the image and likeness of God, and, as the First Letter of John puts it, “God is love.” But who is this God in whose image we’re created? What difference does it make to say God is a Trinity of Persons? What kind of relationship can we have...

Advent and Christmas are supposed to be joyful seasons, because the thought of a new beginning can fill us with hope. We all need fresh starts in life, because we all make mistakes. Our sins and selfishness does damage to ourselves and to those around us. Christ comes with his saving grace to redeem those failures and fill us with new life. That was the situation of God’s Chosen People during the...

When was the last time you thought about what happens after we die? Certainly, you already know what happens—we all learned it in Catechism class: first comes death, unavoidable for all of us, then comes judgment, and depending on how that goes, either hell, purgatory, or heaven. We know that. God has revealed it to us, and the Church teaches it clearly and authoritatively. But when was the last t...