Demons. Satan. Beelzebub. Lucifer. The Devil. Known by various names, evil spirits are to be found in the Bible, both New and Old Testaments. Jesus casts them out and has authority over them. What do we now make...
There is a cost of discipleship -- Jesus sometimes calls us to leave behind professions, friends, even family. Does that mean that work and human relationships are at odds with growing in our relationship with God?...
It is good to pray for vocations. But who precisely has a calling? Priests, deacons, nuns, and religious certainly have a call or vocation. But how about the rest of us? Are we called and chosen? And if so, for...
The Feast of Christ the King reminds us that Jesus will judge the living and the dead. Matthew 25 hints that the pious, decent folk may be in for a surprise . . . sins of omission, failing to love, may figure more prominently...
A reflection on the Solemnity of All Souls, touching on the mystery of death and the afterlife including heaven, hell, and purgatory, and the validity of prayers for the dead....
All Saints Day gives us the opportunity to honor and celebrate the multitudes of Christians who are in heaven yet who don't appear on the list of canonized saints or have a feast day in their honor. But it also provides us the chance...
How did the Pharisees, who were God's champions in the days of the Maccabees, become the villains who sought the death of God's son? They were deformed by an insidious spiritual disease that is the deadliest of the seven deadly or capital sins - pride....
When his enemies quiz him about what commandment is the greatest, Jesus reveals just how radical he really is. His answer goes to the very root of every single one of the 613 commandments found in the law of the Old Testament - the distinct...
St. Teresa of Avila's comments on the Lord's Prayer, specifically, on the petitions "Hallowed be thy Name" and "Thy Kingdom Come." The excerpt is from her book The Way of Perfection....
In this 14 minute podcast, Dr. Italy reviews the life and achievements of St. Pope John XXIII, notably his decision to call the ecumenical council known as Vatican II....