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Courtesy isn’t so much a virtue in itself as a way of living other virtues. It shapes how a particular virtue is practiced in a social setting. Here are seven virtues needed if we are to be courteous. Humility. Suffice it to say that humility is the truth about who we are. The truth is that we are all children of God, and we are all sinners. You can’t be courteous if you are preoccupied with yourself, your rights, the impression you make, or what others will say about you. You can& …

When one traces the golden thread of salvation history, the Holy Spirit is never absent. He is there, veiled or visible, from the dawn of creation to the descent at Pentecost. It was the Spirit who hovered over the deep (Gen. 1:2); the same Spirit who inspired the prophets of Israel (Ezek. 37:1-14); the same Spirit who overshadowed Mary, bringing about the Incarnation (Luke 1:35); and the same Spirit who descended upon Jesus at his baptism, publicly marking him for the messianic mission (Matt. …

Practical Habits for a Life of Prayer Set sacred appointments: The prophet Daniel, even when prayer carried a sentence of death, knelt before the Lord three times daily (6:10). We, who live in the shadow of the cross and glory of the Resurrection, can do no less. Morning consecration, midday silence, and evening examination can structure the soul the same way monks structured their lives with bells in a monastery. Drink from the wells of Sacred Tradition: The Church has given us an amazing tre …

One of the alternative explanations offered to the resurrection of Jesus is the idea that, on Easter morning, the disciples simply went to the wrong tomb, one that happened to be empty, and concluded that Jesus had risen from the dead. There are multiple problems with this hypothesis. Here are the biggest ones: 1) The Gospels indicate that the women who visited the tomb were eyewitnesses of the burial. The Gospels even name the women involved. Mark states, “Mary Magdalene and Mary the mot …

God loves you as you are, but too much to leave you that way. Divine love does not leave the sinner undisturbed; it compels him to die, to rise, and to walk in “newness of life” (Rom. 6:4). And true healing, the kind of healing that lasts and sanctifies, must be deeply doctrinal, sacramental, and moral. In other words, it must convert the intellect; it must flow from the life of the Church; and it must change the very rhythm and cadence of how we live and love. Anything less is spir …