Amoris Laetitia – Chapter 8 and That Footnote…

April 13, 2016 By

Readers have asked for my opinion about the Holy Father's Apostolic Exhortation, and apart from a couple of posts over the weekend about the issue of marriage in general I haven't commented that much.That's because I haven't had the time to read the exhortation.Now, having read it, my reactions are much the same as a good number of other people. From a literary point of view I wish the pope had a better editor. The exhortation is prolix, in English some of it comes across as muddled, … [Read More...]

Praying the Hail Mary for Spiritual Warfare

April 13, 2016 By

  One of my favorite Catholic images is that of the Blessed Virgin Mary holding the child Jesus, standing on the globe crowned with twelve stars, trampling a serpent under her feet and offering the rosary to the world.This image from the twelfth chapter of the Book of Revelation captures the majesty and power of the Virgin and her Son. It captures the role they play in the battle against the ancient foe, the dragon.Mary is a great warrior in the ongoing battle, and the Hail Mary prayer, … [Read More...]

Worried? Upset? Confused? Here’s a Great Problem Solver

April 12, 2016 By

The other day a woman came to see me with a problem. During her prayer time she saw an angel. It was a beautiful angel who smiled at her. She told me all about her vision in great detail and waited for my reply.I said, "Wonderful. What are you going to do about that?"She shot me a quizzical … [Read More...]

Cardinal Burke Knocks the Armchair Critics of Amoris Laetitia

April 11, 2016 By

In this article for the National Catholic Register Cardinal Burke sets out exactly what the pope's exhortation is, what it attempts to do and how it should be received.He says clearly that those who set themselves up as critics of the Holy Father and the exhortation are wrong and are causing … [Read More...]

Is It Time to Head for the Hills?

April 11, 2016 By

My latest article for CRUX explores the "Benedict Option" Is it time to head for the hills? That’s what St Benedict did. By the end of the fifth century the great Roman Empire had completely collapsed. The center of government had moved to Constantinople. The Vandals and Goths had sacked Rome, and t … [Read More...]

Ten Reasons for the Marriage Mess

April 10, 2016 By

The two synods on the family and the Holy Father's exhortation published last week provide guidance for Catholics who are enmeshed in what I call the Marriage Mess.The fact of the matter is, the whole human race--and not simply Catholic Christians are going through a crisis that is bigger than … [Read More...]

The Pope’s Exhortation – A Parish Priest’s Perspective

April 9, 2016 By

In the wake of yesterday's publication of Amoris Laetitia allow me to weigh in with a parish priest's perspective. In the midst of a busy day in the parish I didn't actually have time to read the exhortation. Neither did I have time last night or this morning. However, I have read some of the online … [Read More...]

On Crocodiles, Cannibals and Corpses

April 7, 2016 By

Here is an excerpt from my book The Quest for the Creed about the resurrection of the Body...      Any school child that thinks about the resurrection of the body soon starts asking delightfully gruesome questions. After all, if they’ve ever seen a cat hit by a car, then been to a funeral and seen U … [Read More...]

I Saw Mary Queen of Heaven Yesterday

April 5, 2016 By

Our separated brothers and sisters often wonder why we Catholics venerate Mary as we do. They protest that the Marian Dogmas are not found in Scripture.But they are. We simply have to read the Scriptures with Catholic eyes and understand the  Jewish context of the Scriptures to see how the … [Read More...]

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The Doubting Disciple and the Divine Mercy

April 4, 2016 By

I've always thought it a special grace to think that the doubting disciple is featured as a key player in the gospel for the Sunday after Easter.It is as if the whole church is saying, "See Thomas? It is okay to doubt." But let me qualify that. It is okay to have difficulties.Bl John Henry … [Read More...]

Did We Experience a Divine Mercy Miracle?

April 4, 2016 By

Yesterday here in Greenville, South Carolina we had a mini-pilgrimage for Divine Mercy Sunday. About 300 Catholics met to walk along Greenville's Swamp Rabbit trail from County Hall to St Mary's Church where our local Jubilee Holy Door is located. About another 200 people were gathered at the … [Read More...]

That Remnant Retraction

April 4, 2016 By

For those who are interested in the recent conflict with the editor and staff of The Remnant,  I would like to clarify matters.Some time ago I wrote this article which discussed ten traits of fundamentalists. I was very clear in the opening paragraphs that this was not about all traditionalists, … [Read More...]

New Church Progress at OLR

April 2, 2016 By

Check out this video of the progress of the new Our Lady of the Rosary ChurchGo here to learn more. … [Read More...]

Got Some People Problems? Avoid the Drains

April 1, 2016 By

Some years ago I went to a seminar about relationships. The speaker's mantra was, "Avoid the drains."By "drains" he meant a certain type of negative person in your life. A "drain" is a person who, like a drain, sucks you into a downward spiral. A drain sucks you dry. A drain leaves you empty. A … [Read More...]

Mother Angelica and Margaret Thatcher

March 29, 2016 By

Here's what I liked best about both Mother Angelica and Margaret Thatcher:They both beat the liberals at their own game. In an age when feminists were burning their bras Margaret Thatcher had her hair done, put on her hats and grabbed her handbag. Mother Angelica not only kept her habit, but … [Read More...]

Easter Wings

March 27, 2016 By

Embed from Getty Images My article for Imaginative Conservative this week is a meditation on two poems for Easter: I was college student afflicted with a serious case of Anglophilia when I discovered George Herbert and his poetry. The discovery made my affliction worse. When I found that he … [Read More...]


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