our every encounter leads someone toward beatitude or away from it

advent longing

Juan de la Cruz

November

the harvest

twenty years

no peace without justice, no justice without forgiveness

The Splendor of Truth

the leaf of August

80 years ago today…

stations of the cross

via crucis

on Thanksgiving, may I suggest…

nineteen years

the meaning of communion

Faust’s Bargain Debasement

the shroud of Turin

Divine Mercy Sunday

the upset of Easter, and the last things

XIII: Jesus is laid in the arms of His Blessed Mother

Mary, the Bread of Life, and the mystery of Holy Saturday

Divine Mercy novena

XII: Jesus dies upon the Cross

XI: Jesus is nailed to the Cross

X: Jesus is stripped of His Garments

IX: Jesus falls the third time

VIII: Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem

VII: Jesus falls a second time

VI: Veronica wipes the Face of Jesus

V: Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry the Cross

IV: Jesus meets His Mother

III: Jesus falls under the weight of the Cross the first time

II: Jesus receives His Cross

I: Jesus is condemned to death

stations of the cross hike on Palm Sunday

beloved Ireland

appreciating God’s mercy in the sacrament of Penance

the Church in the Sudan and Saint Bakhita

the heart of man

conversion

Party of Christ… or Church of Jesus Christ?

The Final Conquest of Man over Humanity

Xmas and Christmas: A Lost Chapter from Herodotus

fiat voluntas tua

sleep

Advent Calendar

on Thanksgiving, may I suggest…

Jesus Christ: the same yesterday, today and forever…

a question of relevance

November

remembering John Paul II

true renewal: transformation in Christ

on the feast of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

43 years of the Theology of the Body

September

Screwtape rejects the Tao

a beautiful guide to life in the Spirit

Saint John Vianney and the priest today

a groovy day in my spiritual life

treating human life like a Joker

of human life

on Father’s Day

the grace of Pentecost, and loving the Church

Pentecost

in memory of Uncle John

The Way

on the passage through life

From Mother’s Day 1954

via crucis

stations of the cross hike on Palm Sunday

Men Without Chests

The Abolition of Man and the grammar of The Green Book

lent 2022

Season 2 of The Weight of Glory podcast

Christmas Eve

the value of trials

one dark night…

on All Souls’ Day: some thoughts on Christian hope

November

false alternatives

Saint Teresa of Avila on sin

fidelity of our mother

Judgment as a setting for learning and practicing hope

the social dilemma

28 years of the Splendor of Truth

an unsatisfied thirst

Prayer and suffering as settings for learning and practicing hope

U.S. bishops on Eucharistic consistency

a world at prayer for priests

friendship

requesting prayers for a writing project

the message of Fatima

The true shape of Christian hope

oxymorons and the science of being human

the first casualty of war

The transformation of Christian hope in the modern age

rest in peace, Mom & Dad

Is Christian hope individualistic?

the shroud of Turin

Passion Week

celebrating Mom

what is eternal life?

77 years ago today…

how to start a podcast

what is faith-based hope?

46th president of the United States

a conversation with Kale

looking forward with hope

being released

advent 2020

now available on Amazon Music

on living in a COVID age

42 years ago today…

Pray

young goodman brown

humanae vitae turns 52

the last things

Catholics in political life, and the virtue of hope

Dr. Robert Epstein's 2019 testimony about Facebook

St. Josemaría Escrivá

the meaning of communion

a world at prayer for priests: Friday, June 19

on the feast of Corpus Christi

podcast re-launch

Stations of the Cross

Judas and Holy Week

stations of the cross hike on Palm Sunday

Catholic life in the age of coronavirus

on having your world turned upside down

memories from my first trip to Europe

purgation

Ash Wednesday

lent 2020

Saint Paul offered God thanks for it all

my brother's keeper

of human life

may we be released

family-based faith formation

Novena of Venerable Servant of God Fulton J. Sheen begins December 12

Homily at the Mass of Christian Burial for Bishop Paul Sirba

the virtue of hope

Nine days of prayer to Saint John Paul II begin October 14

my memories of Archbishop Flynn

40th anniversary of John Paul II's apostolic visit to the US

Archbishop Harry J. Flynn

on the underground to Heathrow

Saint Teresa of Calcutta, pray for us

letter to a suffering church

more from pope emeritus Benedict XVI

Act One @ 20

Conclusion of novena for the John Paul II Institute (August 14)

marriage and the possibilities of human love

The Jeweler’s Shop

Sister Miriam of the Lamb (Rosalind Moss) on the Eucharist and the Mass

Saint Judas

abandonment

who was Benedict referring to in this passage?

another Unplanned encounter

happy birthday, Pops

something Unplanned

starting the conversation

six years since the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI

20th anniversary of Act One: Writing for Hollywood

Saint Teresa of Calcutta’s wise words on abortion

epiphanies and propaganda

the big idea in cinema storytelling

merry Christmas!

little red plane

a montage of nature clips

Heaven Can Wait ‘Family Reunion’

Father Mike Schmitz on the crisis in the Church

Fr. Walter Ciszek: on the Eucharist

Father Cantalamessa on Pentecost and the love of God

U.S. Supreme Court declares heterosexual marriage is one of God’s mistakes

of dialogue and theological trump cards

joy and sadness: a world turned Inside Out

laudato si

communicating the family: a privileged place of encounter with the gift of love

prayer for the 2015 Synod on the Family

prayer for the Synod on the Family

the church as mother, and the fruits of dialogue

it all started with a Facebook status update

remembering Pops

the dialogue about abortion

the speech by President Obama at Notre Dame

unpacking Obama’s Call to Renewal Keynote Address

five years on: mission, contemplation, and St. Thérèse

can the internet be a place for authentic dialogue?

dark Knight of the cinema

virtual and real community

watershed moment for feminists in the Catholic Church

he Leeds me by right paths…

Amy Welborn on De-Coding Da Vinci

a masterful history lesson

an interview with Bishop Samuel Aquila

the priest as spouse of the Church

a clear focus on priestly formation

a formation of aggregate views

a doctrinal understanding of the ministerial priesthood

the concept of the priesthood

a project postponed

why a visitation of US seminaries?

Munich

an angelic tale for children

a culture of use and failed fatherhood

a positive vision of priesthood

the battle against mediocrity and fear

doing church our way

turning the tables

the artist and the sacraments

summing up my thoughts on dialogue and communion

Angelus Awards recap

ministry, ministry, everywhere… but not a priest in sight

learning to fear the right things

my seminary experience

writing about my seminary experiences

pulling out the theological trump card…

The Exorcism of Emily Rose

recommended listening: judd & maggie

for everything there is a season

to gossip? or to pray?

Willy Wonka redeemed

blogging: gift and responsibility

podcast pioneering

a satanic vision of the human person…

children of an addict

a disdain for masculinity

Barbara Nicolosi at her best…

RCIA in Hollywood

re-living the joy of April 19

where are the missionaries to the world of porn?

mass media and the human body

Benedict: “prefer nothing to the love of Christ”

installation homily of Benedict XVI

getting to know Pope Benedict XVI

Cardinal Ratzinger’s homily today…

the conclave begins…

John Paul II on the upcoming conclave

eyewitness account

JPII continues his witness to hope

dying on the eve of Divine Mercy Sunday

well done, good and faithful servant

giving thanks to the youth

thoughts on maturing

Million Dollar Baby

Sundance

in gratitude for my Dad

a story about one of life’s most important journeys

The Village

an itsy-bitsy saturated with CGI?

Solanus in Detroit

George Weigel on ‘why everyone counts’

a balanced view of the media

appreciating God’s mercy in the sacrament of Penance

The Gospel of the Body in Hollywood

the love of a father

what music is fitting for liturgy?

fired with love’s urgent longings

how to respond to being placed in the dark night

discernment of the night of the senses

one dark night…

envy & sloth

gluttony

anger

lust

avarice

pride

why is the dark night necessary?

prologue to The Dark Night

Lenten retreat

Mistake River

on overcoming shame

a weighty 21 Grams

Theology of the Body in Hollywood

recommended viewing: Big Fish

Pope Day in Hollywood

to Papa

book review: Theology after Wittgenstein

theological integration paper

verbatim #6

Salisbury

on fatherhood

the Puritan roots of Thoreau’s transcendentalism

summary of Redemptor Hominis

the culpability of moral estrangement

no fire and no exit

purgation

The Hound of Heaven

the great minimum

stone & child

graduation speech