Vivat Agnus Dei

Read Readings Do you ever notice the feeling of anticipation that accompanies Advent? To me, Advent is a season symbolic of the journey of this life: we wait in eager hope for the life to come—the fullness of health, happiness, and holiness in Christ—and we conform ourselves so as to receive that fullness with eagerness and readiness, that is, to long in the proper way. In this sense, it is a livelier Lent, because it holds the anticipation of Christ in one hand and the strong conviction that all promises are about to be fulfilled in the other. As I read—and even before I read—I could not help but feel overcome by the sense that the biggest thing is about to happen: the one thing God has been laboring toward with us, namely the fulfillment of every covenant, God among us; what was destroyed in our sins and the sins of others beginning to be undone; people who once sneered now rejoicing in communion. It is much like last Sunday’s reading from Isaiah 11, which highlights how those natura...

How can we as Church and parish be inspired by the virtue of hope exemplified by young people? What virtues, habits and practices will help us to accompany young people as they take up their call and go out to serve the world? The Church must embrace the hope and vitality of young people by taking their struggles and questions seriously, offering compassionate guidance, and witnessing to the Christian life as both a relationship with God and a battle for holiness. In turn, older generations can be renewed by the faith and innocence of youth, fostering a reciprocal journey toward truth and evangelization. 1. Hope in Youth As older folks, we should be inspired by the newness of efforts they put forth which speak to the reality of struggle. Indeed, what Christ says concerning youth is striking. “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.”, don’t lead them astray, and “unless you change and become like childr...

Christ invites us into communion with Himself and others, and today’s culture, often marked by isolation and brokenness, challenges achieving this communion. Our sins and attachments restrain us from healthy communion. As ministers to the youth (young adults to the learning toddlers), we should aspire to both live out of our relationship with Jesus and teach our understanding of what the Church has to offer in terms of communion. Contemporary youth face cultural pressures like social media and self-gratification that prioritize instant validation or enjoyment over authentic relationships, often resulting in isolation and a lack of relational depth. Youth ministry must therefore provide a counter-cultural space for authentic, discipleship-focused communion. [1] Effective youth ministry requires a relational approach that combines discipleship, empathy for youth’s unique struggles, and loving discipline, guiding them in social-emotional learning and the joy, truth, goodness, and beau...

Every approach to therapy is based on a particular theoretical interpretation of empirical evidence and experiences, it seems to me one should approach such theory much the same way the Catholic Church understands other religious frameworks and science. Namely, “The Catholic Church rejects nothing true and holy in these religions. She regards with sincere reverence those ways of conduct and of life, those precepts and teachings which, though differing in many aspects from the ones she holds and sets forth, nonetheless often reflect a ray of that Truth which enlightens all men.”[1] Similarly, my practice and evaluation of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (and its variants), or any other form of therapy, does not claim that it alone is true while others are false. Rather, it acknowledges the truth found in the diverse anthropological perspectives within psychological theories. Together, these provide a cohesive and yet multifaceted understanding of human nature: recognizing man as broken and...

The question we are after here is "What does therapy offer us that friendship does not?" If it offers anything it would have to be something beyond close and healthy relationships. To answer this question, we must ask and answer a few others: What is the human person? The human person is a confluence of past, present, and spirit. Spirit is not a gnostic principle but rather a signal to reason—a framework of logic, judgment, and experience. We recognize that angels are understood by their frameworks: Satan is known by division (dis-communion), individualism (ego-theism), and the resolute refusal to serve God (contra-willing good, contra-willing, contra-good). In contrast, Michael is identified by the meaning of his name ("Who is like God?"), Raphael by "God heals," and Gabriel by "God is my strength." For humans, this experience differs, especially when viewed through the lens of humanity'...

Christ's Farewell to Mary Those who cannot understand the Church and what She actually teaches, hastily take up a loose statement or common condemning, one-line tropes which apparently discredit Her. The issue is it becomes a strawman fallacy, condemning something without truly knowing beforehand and looking elsewhere for truth wandering and settling for a normal that is believed to be the best possible as if one themselves has a monopoly on truth. Tragically, this is the state of the culture and because of this, there is no one grand reason in particular for the deference from the faith on the personal convictions of those who hold this or that in contempt whether it be that the Church contains sinners to the fact She must make decisions. The false but powerful narratives drive the darkness that man has invited in place of God and man remains there shocked at the killing of a world at war in every way feeling trapped and alone. This gives a particular expression to what Christ...

Painting: "Jacob recieving Joseph's bloody coat" by William-Adolphe Bouguereau There is a lesson that is almost always learned fully only when painfully in this fallen world, and in a sense, it is the problem. This truth is only so crushing because it is the cause of every betrayal. It is a fact that convenience is often a significant factor in determining what relationship is chosen, which is chosen against, and worse, when. I have experienced the betrayal of people I trusted because I wanted to, those I trusted because I had to, and had a close friend betrayed. However, I am also guilty of choosing things out of convenience mostly with our Blessed Lord Who is deserving of all my love, and other times with people although not usually as extreme as the aforementioned times I was at the other end. As a finite creature made for love having very little of it in return, I could say just how much it sucks, but I am afraid it exceeds the reach of words. For God, Who knows our e...