Works, Faith, and the Paradox of Grace

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You are Invited to The Idea of a Village Conference 2018

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7 Lessons in Evangelization from Jordan Peterson

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The Future of the Church

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Pornography and Education Part 2: Reopening Windows of Wonder

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Pornography and Education: Closing Windows of Wonder

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2 weeks ago in Faith, Virtue, Work

Works, Faith, and the Paradox of Grace

One of the most paradoxical aspects of the spiritual life is the tension between human effort and Divine generosity. That is, the question of whether we are saved by what we do or by what God does. Confusion arises because we are quite clearly told in scripture that we must do certain things. We must forgive or we will not be forgiven....

2 weeks ago in Events

You are Invited to The Idea of a Village Conference 2018

As many of you readers know, my family and I moved some time ago to live in the shadow Clear Creek Abbey, a traditional Benedictine Abbey in the Ozark hills of Oklahoma. We were in search of a different way of life---a life of simplicity and contact with the earth, anchored by the ora et labora of the Abbey's monks. We are...

1 month ago in Art, Asceticism, Evangelization

7 Lessons in Evangelization from Jordan Peterson

Recently, an unlikely thinker has exploded on the world stage. His name is Jordan Peterson. A Canadian clinical psychologist and professor, he is an unlikely candidate for a global intellectual superstar. Yet, his YouTube channel has over a million subscribers, his recent book has risen to a global bestseller, and his current lecture tour is selling out theaters and auditoriums...

1 month ago in Faith, The Church

The Future of the Church

The late 1960s were a time of social, political, and religious upheaval. Revolution was in the air and threatening all the most time-honored traditions and institutions. Then, as now, many were uncertain about the future of the Church. How could the Catholic faith hope to survive in an increasingly secularized world? What would the future of the Church look like?...

1 month ago in Education, Porn

Pornography and Education Part 2: Reopening Windows of Wonder

My school was recently visited by two monks from the Benedictine Monastery in Norcia, Italy. After talking to our students joyfully about the monastic life, they told the faculty gravely that one of the main reasons they turn down their many applicants is the problem of pornography. They gave us their opinion that there is no one, no boy particularly, who...

2 months ago in Education, Porn, Purity

Pornography and Education: Closing Windows of Wonder

In older days, a young woman was assigned her first teaching post in a rural Irish schoolhouse. Though a diligent and disciplined person, she had difficulty capturing the attention of her rowdy students. Then one day, unruly as usual, she happened to say something about Cuchulain. “Who’s Cuchulain?” one boy asked. The teacher began to tell of that hero and,...

2 months ago in Relationships, Virtue

Forgiveness: The Condition of All Relationship

Mother Angelica, the spunky Italian nun, once quipped, “If it wasn’t for people, we could all be holy.” And it's simply true. Which of us has not thought at one time or another that the path to sainthood would be so much easier if it were not for so-and-so who is a real thorn in our side? Relationships can be...

3 months ago in Books, Giveaways

Book Giveaway: An Immovable Feast

For the past several years, I've had the pleasure of getting to know author, poet, and musician, Tyler Blanski. Tyler was an Anglican seminarian when I met him, on the road to becoming an Anglican priest. There was only one difficulty: He had recently had a crisis of faith and was increasingly drawn to Rome. As we sipped pints of...

3 months ago in Faith

7 Ways to Glorify God with Your Body

God, in His infinite love, has endowed each and every one of us with a body and a soul. How great God is in His wonderful gifts to humanity and to each and every one of us individually! The Psalmist praises God: God I am wonderfully created… I am your handiwork… I am the work of your hands. Indeed, we were...

4 months ago in Announcements, Leadership, Lent

Catholic Men, Let’s Rise Up

Being a man today can be confusing. We are shamed for our "toxic masculinity" and told we should be less masculine if we want to get ahead in life. Fathers are mocked in TV and movies, and men in general are often portrayed as either low-functioning, ill-bred beasts, or as cruel and violent. Add to this the pressures on men...

5 months ago in confession, Penance, sacraments

Repentance and the Religion of Beginning Again

As human beings, we possess real freedom as creatures made in the image and likeness of God, and with this freedom comes true creative potential. That is, through an act of the will, we can bring into being new thoughts, words, and acts that have never existed before. In a real way, we can create an as yet nonexistent future...

5 months ago in Mary, Masculinity

Mastering Manhood Through Mary

Some years back, I heard a priest say something shocking during a homily. It was before I was Catholic, and I was present at the Mass on a holy day of obligation as a way of keeping a faux peace in my marriage. My wife converted to Catholicism in 2004, a year before we met, and, even after we wed in...