St. Joseph: The Masculine Epitome of Chastity
“I don't agree with the traditional picture of St Joseph as an old man, even though it may have been prompted by a desire to emphasize the perpetual virginity of Mary. I see him as
“I don't agree with the traditional picture of St Joseph as an old man, even though it may have been prompted by a desire to emphasize the perpetual virginity of Mary. I see him as
“We must behave as people do in a besieged city: they watch where the attackers are strongest and the defenses weakest. If they fail to do this, the city is lost. In the same manner
I just finished the book “Grunt Padre,” written by Fr. Daniel Mode, about the life and death of Fr. Vincent Capodanno. Fr. Capodanno was a military chaplain during the Vietnam War; he gave his life
“…And with one companion he [St. Francis of Assisi] chose a certain district, and he went into an inn where he had to rest overnight. And there he found a certain woman who was very
“God has ordained that our hearts will nowhere find rest and that we shall find no sustenance in this world, except in suffering at the foot of the cross of the Lord.” ~St. John of
St. John of the Cross once wrote, to one of his many correspondents, who were constantly asking him for spiritual advice: “God deliver from ourselves.” Truer words were never put down on paper by a
“And they were both naked: to wit, Adam and his wife: and were not ashamed.” (Genesis 2:25) “Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and
Saints Sergius and Bacchus: - The Lie - their inclusion in John Boswell's book “Same-Sex Unions in Premodern Europe" have made them symbols of gay marriage in the homosexual community; some groups have even proclaimed them
"Christ on the Cross," (above) Pietro da Cortona: 1661 and "St. Francis of Assisi embracing the crucified Christ," (left) Bartolome Murillo: 1668-69. “Our Lord proclaimed through St. Matthew: ‘My yoke is sweet and my burden
It’s always been my contention that all truly great artists: learn from the past, study it, absorb it, and then move on. A new favorite is Silvio Consadori (1909–1994). This Italian painter encapsulates the best
A wonderful old book about the battle for chastity in an increasingly unchaste world is the timeless “The Difficult Commandment” (1925) by C.C. Martindale, S.J. This section is one of my favorites: “Catholics have, besides
11. Saint Charles Lwanga: Burned alive in Africa for defending the Faith and the holiness of purity. A great intercessor for those with same-sex attraction. 12. Saint Padre Pio: Usually regarded as rather stern, but
Here are my Top 10 favorite Saints (besides Our Lady; who is in a category all her own,) and why I love them: 1. Saint Joseph: He literally saved me; the male part of my
When I read this quote, the first person I think of is my dear protector Saint Joseph: "There is nothing so strong as gentleness and there is nothing so gentle as real strength." ~ Saint
Today is the feast day of Saint Theresa of Avila. I was rereading a few of her works when I came across something very interesting that she wrote: “I often experience that there is nothing
One of the dearest people in the world to me, a Catholic priest who literally helped save my life, came up with this prayer at a recent spiritual conference: “Oh God, I give you myself
The Catholic Church, after over 2,000 years, continues to astound. Just yesterday, while attending a parish mission given by the extraordinary Fr. Christopher Crotty, I learned that an ex-satanic priest is on his way to
I am often asked: “Why the devotion to St. Joseph?” Without going into a lengthy explanation, which I do in my book, I usually say that everyone, especially males, young or old, should have a
There are certain Saints in the Catholic Church who have been so thoroughly misconstrued, maligned, and mockingly absorbed into pop-culture, that the real person beyond the myth and misinformation is often difficult to excavate. One
Our Lord Jesus Christ has given us a powerful advocate in heaven: His Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary. In the Catholic Church, we honor the Mother of God who is the highest of all mortal
The following quotation is from Saint John Bosco (1815-1888,) a Catholic priest who worked with wayward boys and juvenile delinquents in the industrial Northern Italian city of Turin. Although, his life ended near the beginning
Hardcore porn (left) from 1892. Alessandro Serenelli was the murderer of St. Maria Goretti. The then 19-year old Serenelli violently killed Maria on July 6, 1902, during a failed rape attempt. Serenelli was a pornography
Over the past few days, the focus of many of my meditations have been those who were at the Crucifixion: Mary the Mother of God, Mary Magdalene, and Saint John. Since my early re-conversion back
Like many fellow Catholics, my knowledge of Scripture is dreadfully inadequate. After attending Catholic parochial schools for 13 years (kindergarten – 12 grade) I never owned a Bible. The only exposure I had to the
1. James Caviezel in "The Passion of the Christ" Although he was backed up with an incredible director and script, this could have gone so wrong. But Caviezel gives a restrained performance that is nevertheless
One of my favorite films directed by one of my favorite directors is “I Confess” from the great Alfred Hitchcock. The story revolves around a Catholic priest (played by Montgomery Clift) who is accused of