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Spiritual or Religious?  Challenge: I consider myself spiritual rather than religious. Why isn’t that enough?  Defense: Because God loves you and wants even better things for you.  When people say they are spiritual rather than religious, they frequently mean that, although they don’t practice a specific religion, they recognize there is more to the world than matter, that it has a spiritual dimension. This is good! But it doesn’t go very far. Wouldn’t it …

The two main characteristics of charity are to do good for one’s beloved and to live in union with him or her. Using images drawn from friendship as well as marriage, Jesus tries to tell us how closely united with us he longs to be. It was to the end of this unity that he became eternally united to us by taking a human nature. The goal of this section is to pray and reflect through the meaning of the Incarnation and the presence of the Holy Spirit—in our lives and …

As the Christian faith spread, its members encountered new challenges, and the early Church began to develop an extensive apologetic literature, directed both externally—to non-Christians—and internally—to deal with apologetic issues among those professing to be Christian. Early Apologists and their Critics: Beginning in the second century, a group of Christian authors known specifically as “apologists” began to appear. They also had critics. One of the most prominent second century apologists w …

The parables Jesus told aren’t just quaint stories. They’re filled with powerful secrets that reveal the mysteries of God’s kingdom.In this excerpt, Fr. Walshe takes a look at the Gospel reading from this past weekend, the third Sunday in Lent...One of the most remarkable conversions that Jesus brought about in his lifetime was the conversion of a Samaritan woman in John chapter 4. And through her, he prepared the way of conversion for many Samaritans. Man teaches through external words and sign …

Between the Amazonian Synod and the upcoming book by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and Cardinal Robert Sarah, much has been made of the practice of priestly celibacy lately. But it's not the first time.Anti-Catholics have been spreading myths and falsehoods about the practice for centuries.We went to Catholic History Professor Steve Weidenkopf for more insight...The Myth: The Church began mandating clerical celibacy during the Middle Ages so that it could acquire the clergy’s family property.The Hi …