Our work forms us. It strengthens our character and cultivates our integrity. It deepens our love and gratitude for all that we receive from the grace of God. In my past vocation as a high-school English teacher, I helped students with their college essays and applications. I loved this part of the job. It transported me back to the time when I charted out my own course through life. It’s a terrifying and exhilarating moment, filled with limitless possibility. I always tried to impress upon them the gravity of the decisions they were about to make, especially about the choice of a major course of study, which should, at least in theory, prepare them for a future career.  Now, of course, what you do for a living isn’t of ultimate concern. God can sanctify any form of work, he can sanct...

By Phil Lawler ( bio – articles – email ) | Aug 27, 2024 Pharisees take a lot of abuse these days. Let’s give them fair treatment. Today, if you call someone a Pharisee, you’re insulting him. If you call him a Samaritan, that’s a compliment. That fact shows how thoroughly our Lord’s parables changed our perceptions, because at the time of Christ, Pharisees were respected figures, while Samaritans were objects of scorn. Jesus caused a sensation when he charged the Pharisees with hypocrisy; now in normal English parlance the two words, “Pharisee” and “hypocrite” are virtually synonyms. What was remarkable about the Good Samaritan was that he was good; the Jews who first heard that parable would not have expected that. Today we drop the adjective “good” and say that someone who he...

A dramatic Catholic disagreement has received less attention than it deserves.   On Sunday, at his weekly Angelus appointment, Pope Francis decried a new Ukrainian law concerning the Russian Orthodox Church and its presence in Ukraine. Popes don’t usually criticize national laws so specifically.   Moreover, the most senior Catholic in Ukraine, Patriarch Sviatoslav Shevchuk of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC), has strongly endorsed the law. Thus the Holy Father and Major Archbishop Shevchuk, the “Father and Head” of the largest Eastern Rite Church in communion with Rome, have taken starkly opposing positions.   Restricting the Russians  The Ukrainian Parliament, Verkhovna Rada, passed a law severely restricting the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church in U...

By Clement Harrold August 30, 2024 One of the stranger verses in the New Testament comes in Matthew 24:28: “Wherever the body is, there the vultures will be gathered together.” This enigmatic saying is repeated almost word-for-word in Luke 17:37. What on earth are we supposed to make of it? To begin with, a couple of translation notes are in order. First, the Greek word used for “body” in Matthew’s account is ptōma, which literally means “carcass” or “corpse” (versus Luke’s more generic sōma). Secondly, the word for vultures (aetoi) in Greek can just as easily mean “eagles,” which is how some modern translations render the verse. This ambiguity has led to a variety of interpretations, as we shall see shortly. Another important consideration here is the context in which Matthew 24:28 and Lu...

“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this:” St. James says in the Second Reading. Then he fills in the blank. But how would we fill in the blank if we didn’t have this reading? After five weeks of Gospel readings from John 6, the Eucharistic discourse of Jesus, the Church offers an important qualification in the readings for the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B. After five weeks of emphasis on the ritual communion we achieve with Jesus Christ’s real presence in the Mass, the Church wants to make clear that it isn’t ritual that saves us. But more on that in a second. First, let’s look at what religion that is “pure and undefiled before God and the Father” is not. For one thing, pure religion is not getting so caught up in the externals of ritual that you lose...

Live Action president Lila Rose is increasing her criticism of 2024 Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump — arguing that his recent statements are alienating pro-life voters such as herself. “Given the current situation, we have two pro-abortion tickets,” Rose said in a post on X on Thursday, Aug. 29. “A Trump win is not a pro-life win right now,” she continued. “Pro-lifers will need to challenge both leaders either way. We only help Trump by sounding the alarm — Trump is losing pro-life votes regardless of what I say — because of his own actions.” Rose, who is Catholic, argued that “expressions of disappointment are not enough” and that “the currency and the language in this season is votes.” She added that “it is wrong for Trump supporters to demand that pro-life activists be endl...