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Earlier in my priesthood, I pastorally ministered to a man who had cared for his adult son during his son’s battle with cancer. As I came to know the man, he shared with me the account of his son’s life and holy death. When the son was first diagnosed with cancer, no one realized how serious it was. As the medical team did more tests, it became clear that the cancer was terminal, and that the young man’s physical life was nearing its end. In response to this news, the father told me, he retired …

The Immaculate Conception.For non-Catholics, this dogma of the Church may be one of the most misunderstood doctrines there is.Here are some common questions Catholics get, and how to respond to them:Question:Why does Mary have to be holy at the moment of her conception instead of being purified shortly before God chooses her to be his mother?Response:God chooses and elects those who are to cooperate in his plan of redemption from before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4), anticipating his pl …

Among those throughout the history of the Church who have written and spoken about purgatory, many have emphasized the sorrows or pains. They have done so rightly, since the sufferings of purgatory are real.However, I think it’s safe to say some have over-emphasized the pains of purgatory, such that many have lost sight of its joys. It’s important that we find a happy medium. St. Francis de Sales taught, “If purgatory is a species of hell as regards suffering, it is a species of paradise …