Mary Cuff is currently an independent scholar and homeschooling mother of two. She holds a PhD in American literature from the Catholic University of America and has published in the Southern Literary Journal, Five Points, Mississippi Quarterly, and Modern Age. It is 4:00 a.m. and fifteen Carmelite sisters arise to this call, dating back to the days of their foundress, Saint Terese of Avila. They make their way to the stone chapel, where they will spend an hour in adoration. At 5:30, the silence is broken by Latin: the community recites together the Little Hours of the Divine Office. Mass—in the Extraordinary Form—follows directly …
“All the way to Heaven is Heaven”: 7 basic steps to holiness
Life here below is all about the pursuit of sanctity. How does one go about that process, so as to know the greatest measure of fulfillment now, as well as beatitude for all eternity? Print About Peter M.J. Stravinskas 175 ArticlesReverend Peter M.J. Stravinskas is the editor of the The Catholic Response, and the author of over 500 articles for numerous Catholic publications, as well as several books, including The Catholic Church and the Bible and Understanding the Sacraments. Editor’s note: The following homily was preached by the Reverend Peter M. J. Stravinskas, Ph.D., S.T.D., on Sunday, November 19, 2017 at the Church of the Holy Innocents, …
What do all of the false Christs of our age have in common?
About Carl E. Olson 1148 ArticlesCarl E. Olson is editor of Catholic World Report and Ignatius Insight. He is the author of Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead?, Will Catholics Be “Left Behind”?, co-editor/contributor to Called To Be the Children of God, co-author of The Da Vinci Hoax (Ignatius), and author of the “Catholicism” and “Priest Prophet King” Study Guides for Bishop Robert Barron/Word on Fire. He is also a contributor to “Our Sunday Visitor” newspaper, “The Catholic Answer” magazine, “The Imaginative Conservative”, “The Catholic Herald”, “National Catholic Register”, “Chronicles”, and other publications. Readings:• Jer 20:7-10• Ps 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9• Rom 12:1-2• Mt 16:21-27 There …
On the genius and love of St. John of the Cross
The great mystic gave us a portrait of his own manner when he sketched out his counsels on how all of us are to behave under duress. Editor’s note: The following is from Fire Within: St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, and the Gospel—On Prayer, by Fr. Thomas Dubay, S.M. Fr. Dubay was a well-known retreat master and expert in the spiritual life who died in 2010. A Marist priest, Fr. Dubay was a popular retreat master who wrote over twenty books, many of them published by Ignatius Press. When we compare the amount of information available about the person …
Spiritual direction: What is it, who needs it, and why?
Seated in a comfy leather chair in a rust-colored office near downtown Denver, McDowell serenely and thoughtfully explains the “art and science” of her particular trade – and it’s not surprising to learn that she has a background in clinical psychology. Today, McDowell serves not as a psychologist, but as one of many spiritual directors available to Catholics and other Christians through the Lanteri Center for Ignatian Spirituality in Denver, Colorado. The center is a house founded by the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, with the mission of bringing spiritual direction to the “popular level” of parishes and lay people. …
The life, faith, and struggle of Joseph Ratzinger: An interview with Peter Seewald
About Carl E. Olson 1148 Articles. Carl E. Olson is editor of Catholic World Report and Ignatius Insight. He is the author of Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead?, Will Catholics Be “Left Behind”?, co-editor/contributor to Called To Be the Children of God, co-author of The Da Vinci Hoax (Ignatius), and author of the “Catholicism” and “Priest Prophet King” Study Guides for Bishop Robert Barron/Word on Fire. He is also a contributor to “Our Sunday Visitor” newspaper, “The Catholic Answer” magazine, “The Imaginative Conservative”, “The Catholic Herald”, “National Catholic Register”, “Chronicles”, and other publications. The veteran German journalist discusses his new biography of Benedict XVI, and …
7 Gifts and 12 Fruits Of The Holy Spirit That Sanctify Us And Make Us Into Other Christs
Everything that we traditional Catholics believe in and do must have only one end; HOLINESS. The work of the Holy Spirit is to SANCTIFY US and make us into other christs. Prophet Isaias writes about the 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit. 1) Wisdom. This enables us to know God and esteem divine things above worldly things. 2) Understanding. Helps us to understand our Catholic Faith, the Bible and Saints. 3) Counsel. This is the knowledge necessary to guide ourselves and others to do God’s will. It helps us help others get through spiritual and temporal problems. 4) Fortitude. This …
The Deep Church: From the Borgias to Becciu
Michael Warren Davis is the editor of Crisis Magazine. He is a frequent contributor to The American Conservative and the author of The Reactionary Mind (Regnery, 2021). The Australian government is now beginning to confirm what most of us have suspected for years. In a display of ruthlessness and corruption that would thrill the Borgias, Vatican bureaucrats wired a small fortune to unknown parties in Australia to initiate the fraudulent sex-abuse charges against George Cardinal Pell. According to local media reports, officials in Rome sent AU$2 million to Australian agents to “secure evidence against Cardinal Pell.” The transfer was discovered by Austrac, the nation’s financial watchdog, and is …
Where Are You Going, Peter?
Jane Stannus is a journalist and translator. Her writing has also appeared in the Catholic Herald of London, The Spectator USA, and the National Catholic Reporter. It’s raining spiritually again. The Pope has scandalized faithful Catholics and delighted progressives of every stripe by expressing support for civil same-sex unions. Waugh fans will recall one of English literature’s most obnoxious Canadians, Rex Mottram, receiving instruction for baptism from a priest who quizzes him on his grasp of the doctrine of infallibility. What if the Pope were to say it was raining, but it wasn’t? Well, Rex says, “I suppose it would be sort of raining spiritually, …
Joe Biden’s 800-Pound Gorilla
Regis Martin is Professor of Theology and Faculty Associate with the Veritas Center for Ethics in Public Life at the Franciscan University of Steubenville. He earned a licentiate and a doctorate in sacred theology from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. Martin is the author of a number of books, including Still Point: Loss, Longing, and Our Search for God (2012) and The Beggar’s Banquet (Emmaus Road). His most recent book, also published by Emmaus Road, is called Witness to Wonder: The World of Catholic Sacrament. He resides in Steubenville, Ohio, with his wife and ten children. We’ve been hearing a great deal …