From The Friars: Live According to the Spirit Last week I spoke with a good friend of mine, Arleen. She was standing outside the Shrine Center waiting for a friend to pick her up. I was surprised to find out that Arleen, an elderly Irish lady (who uses a wheelchair), was going to a concert…
What is True Freedom? We all love freedom. It seems to be the highest value in our society. But what is true freedom? Freedom is often defined as “the ability to do whatever one wants, as long as no one else gets hurt”. Likewise, law, a great good, is seen as something opposed to freedom;…
From the Friars: Find Your Life The young man was full of joy at the thought of giving his life to God. But he knew that his father would not be happy about the idea. The family patriarch had worked very hard for years to build up a successful business and his dream was to…
Article – Two Million Children On July 4th the long-awaited film “Sound of Freedom” will be released. It is based on the true story of a U.S. Homeland Security agent who quit his job in order to dedicate himself to rescuing children from sex traffickers. I have not seen the movie or been able to…
From the Friars: Mary – Theotokos “Mary is the Mother of Jesus, but she’s not the Mother of God” my Protestant friend pontificated to me some years ago. I curtly replied, “You sound like Nestorius.” “Nest story who?” He asked. Nestorius was the Patriarch of Constantinople, who in 429 preached that Jesus Christ was a…
From the Friars: By What Authority? We hear in the Gospel today that Jesus gave authority to the twelve apostles to proclaim the kingdom of heaven, drive out demons and cure the sick. You can’t give what you don’t have. Our Lord has authority because He is the Author, the Creator and Source of everything…
Article – Dobbs Anniversary This Saturday, June 24, the Solemnity of the Birth of St. John the Baptist, marks the one-year anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision of Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. This decision overruled Roe vs. Wade and Planned Parenthood of Pennsylvania vs. Casey which held that there was a constitutional…
Article – Mysterium Fidei! – The Mystery of Faith! 5. “Mysterium fidei! – The Mystery of Faith!”. When the priest recites or chants these words, all present acclaim: “We announce your death, O Lord, and we proclaim your resurrection, until you come in glory”. In these or similar words the Church, while pointing to Christ…
From the Friars: Having All Sweetness Within It My grandmother made the best cookies in the world. Her husband, my grandfather, was a farmer by trade before moving to Detroit from Quebec one hundred years ago. He owned an empty lot next to his house in the big city and cultivated a large garden which…
From the Friars: A Simple Communion of Love It is commonly said that Trinity Sunday is the one day of the year when heresies are uttered from the majority of the pulpits of the Catholic churches throughout the world. While to say it that way may be a bit extreme, and given that we can…