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The act of faith requires that the human intellect and human will direct their attention and be in communion with the Son of God Jesus Christ. Hence, faith I argue can be seen as a gift that allows the person to worship the one true God. The Catechism defines faith as a gift from God, a supernatural virtue infused by him.[1] Faith is a virtue whose identity is predicated on the love of the Father toward his children, and the child’s willingness to assent to the Father’s love in obedience. The entire process of developing and exercising faith begins with God providing the gift of grace and for us to have an interior movement of the heart through the power of the Holy Spirit to believe. Faith as a gift from God reveals an active relationship between man’s intellect and will cooperating with ...

Holy C-suite? The rise of the diocesan COO Skip to content If you walk into most corporate boardrooms today, you’ll probably run into a chief operating officer — an executive responsible for daily operations, overseeing staff and various departments, who is typically second in command to the CEO. You might not expect to find people with the same title if you walk into a diocesan chancery. But even while the role of COO seems to be declining in the corporate world, as businesses embrace a more collaborative approach to leadership, it’s a role that’s gaining traction in American dioceses.  But as the COO role becomes more commonplace in diocesan chanceries, canon lawyers say the role — usually filled by lay people with business backgrounds — raises questions about leadership, and priori...

Readings:Deuteronomy 4:1–2,6–8Psalm 15:2–5James 1:17–18, 21–22, 27Mark 7:1–8, 14–15, 21–23 Today’s Gospel casts Jesus in a prophetic light as one having authority to interpret God’s law. Jesus’ quotation from Isaiah today is ironic (see Isaiah 29:13). In observing the law, the Pharisees honor God by ensuring that nothing unclean passes their lips. In this, however, they’ve turned the law inside out, making it a matter of simply performing certain external actions. The gift of the law, which we hear God giving to Israel in today’s First Reading, is fulfilled in Jesus’ Gospel, which shows us the law’s true meaning and purpose (see Matthew 5:17). The law, fulfilled in the Gospel, is meant to form our hearts, to make us pure, able to live in the Lord’s presence. The law was given that we might...

By Jim Davis – Florida Catholic MIAMI | “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace,” St. Paul wrote. He might well say the same about the hands of those who provide the shoes. In South Florida, those hands belong to Loving Soles, a group of teens who collect thousands of shoes, then donate them to the Camillus House shelter for the homeless – more than 60,000 since they began in 2011. “It shows how people want to help (those in need), even if they don’t know them,” said Susanna Inguanzo, 19, one of three siblings who spearhead the annual effort, along with twin sister Sophia and younger brother Christopher. Photographer: JIM DAVIS | FC Ramiro Inguanzo, second from right, poses with his children, from left, Christopher, Sophia and Susanna May 6, 2024, wi...

Earlier this year, I participated in my first-ever triathlon. My weakest event was the swim, so I spent a lot of time in the pool leading up to the race. Like many, I learned enough as a child to get by without drowning, but my technique more or less stayed where it was. Now, as a mid-thirties, reasonably active man, I have discovered that swimming is not very intuitive. You see, it is easy to look busy in the pool. In fact, anyone watching from the edge would (correctly) believe me to be working hard. And yet, despite all my efforts, they would be surprised at how little progress I made. As it turns out, good swimmers rely less on strenuous effort, and more on good technique, to cut through the water. They make it look easy, drawing little attention to themselves, whereas I make a big sce...

Card games have been around for a long time. They’ve existed in various forms for a millennium, having been invented in the Far East. From there, they came West with trading, and in the 1400s the French solidified the 52-card deck and the four suits — spades, clubs, hearts, and diamonds — that we use today. While different cultures and nations use different sets of cards, that system is the most widely used around the world. For literally centuries now, friends, families, and strangers have convened around bar tops, campfires, and dining room tables to play friendly and perhaps not-so-friendly games of cards. The Appeal (and Manliness) of Card Games What is it that makes card games so appealing, and why have they found such a particularly prominent place in the culture of men? Portabi...

‘We’re taking the long view’ – Why the American Solidarity Party runs for office Skip to content Listen to this interview here: The Pillar TL;DR As Republicans and Democrats compete in a fractious American election cycle, a small third-party is trying to woo Catholic voters, with a political vision it says is drawn from the principles of Catholic social teaching. Peter Sonski, right, eats with supporters. Courtesy photo. Peter Sonski, 61, is a Connecticut grandfather, a former local public school board member, and the presidential nominee for the American Solidarity Party, which says it promotes human life, social justice, environmental conservation, and international peace. With a growing number of Catholics feeling disenfranchised from major political parties, the American Solidari...

A picture speaks a thousand words, when it comes to communicating a young woman’s exemplary love for Jesus present in the Eucharist. I just saw something. Covering events like the solemn profession of the Sisters of Life, ordinations, Eucharistic pilgrimages, and all manner of sacraments is always entirely too much to process in the moment. A new Sister of Life accepts the chalice during Holy Communion. While worrying about getting a decent shot, which lens to use … and my aching back, so much passes that I don’t see at the time. Until I look at the photographs. The new sisters prostate themselves while professing their solemn vows. As I sorted through the thousands of photos from Aug. 6’s solemn profession, one photograph stopped me in my tracks. It stopped me because it was a moment that...

Summer school, Rorschach’s prayer, and one man’s meat Skip to content Pillar subscribers can hear Ed read this Pillar Post here: The Pillar TL;DR Happy Friday friends, I have reached that point in summer where my internal emotional tension has reached its breaking point.  The news cycle slows over August, inevitably. And of human necessity people cycle in and out of the office on vacation. If you have, as I do, a disordered Pelagian disposition towards work as self-justification, this can become more oppressive than restful very quickly. At the same time, I am acutely aware of the precious summer moments ticking by which I could, maybe should be spending with my daughter.  She’s only two, so it isn’t like there is an all-consuming academic calendar about to swamp the schedule. Bu...

I almost made it to Eagle Scout status, in a Boy Scouts troop based at the Southern Baptist congregation led by my late father, the Rev. Bert Mattingly. The church had a Royal Ambassadors missions chapter as well, of course. It was normal to be a Boy Scout, even for a sports challenged (except for golf) teen addicted to books and classical choral music. Well, I also liked to set up stage equipment for local rock bands (even those ZZTop guys from Houston). But if you have followed the sad headlines in recent decades, you know that the Boy Scouts have evolved into a gender-neutral collective called “Scouting America.” For a progressive, LGBTQ+ culture take on that, check out this Advocate feature: “Why the Boy Scouts of America is changing its name and embracing everyone.” In the World magaz...