The Two Psychological Orientations of Our Age

We all sense it. All you have to do is turn on CNN or MSNBC for 20 seconds on any given night to see it. It’s a fascinating phenomenon that has gripped Western society for several decades: Half the population thinks the other half sees everything upside-down and inside-out. Put another way, today’s world is […]... Read More
Angry emoji

Since it’s born of a sense of justice, what’s wrong with vengeance?

I was thinking of the concept of forgiveness at Mass today, considering why the desire to ‘get even’ with one who has done grave injury is a bad thing. After all, such evenness indicates a desire for justice, which is good. In fact, justice – which is to give what is due to another – […]... Read More

Forgive 77 Times?

Sunday’s gospel reading was about forgiveness. A main theme was that since God forgives us, we should never refuse to forgive others. Forgiveness, however, is a bit complex and commonly misunderstood. What does it mean to forgive? Let’s go beneath the surface. First, forgiveness seems to have two related meanings found in Scripture and common […]... Read More
Plato and Aristotle

3 Simple Signs of the Human Soul

Archeologists agree that 3 basic signs of being human are abstract thought (including creative imagination), symbolic language, and religion – each distinguishing us from the other animals. What do these have in common? The ability to rise above the spatial-temporal realm of the physical senses to tap into a transcendent reality. Pre-Christian pagan philosophers could […]... Read More
Open-closed mind 2

Analogies and the Narrowing of the Mind

Studies show students can’t grasp analogies anymore. Analogies enable us to see the interrelations of things and expand our minds to more than just discerning what the senses detect. The narrowing of the mind to just univocal thinking is the result of decades of philosophical materialism and scientific positivism preached through the messages of the […]... Read More

Tragic Rejection of the Intuitive Intellect

The intuitive intellect, common to all people from the age of reason, is the true canvas on which the details of reality can be analyzed. Aquinas called the blueprint of reality that the intuitive intellect grasps the natural law, C.S. Lewis called it the Tao. All people have access to it from the age of […]... Read More
Cell phone

‘Phone-Choice’ Mentality

This may sound like a lame comparison, but I sense we can see a glimpse of the ‘pro-choice’ mentality in the way people respond to dialing a wrong number. I’ve never understood why a person immediately disconnects after being informed he’s dialed a wrong number. There is no “Oh, I’m sorry, it looks like I […]... Read More
Blood and water 2

Salvation for the 3 Levels of Life

Water, blood, and spirit are the 3 sustaining elements for earth’s 3 levels of life – vegetative, animal, and rational – all of which are constituent of the human person. It is no mistake that the God-man gave His water, blood (Jn 19:34) and Spirit (Mt 27:50; Acts 2:3) on the cross in order to heal, […]... Read More
Outside looking in

The Grave Danger of Being a Cultural Catholic

No matter how many good deeds I do as a next-door neighbor to my friend’s billionaire father, I will not receive a penny of his inheritance. Even if my friend is lazier than me, has vices I don’t have, and doesn’t give alms like I do, he will get the inheritance and I won’t. So […]... Read More
Eucharist, rays

The Eucharist is at the Heart of Divine Revelation

A proper interpretation of the word of God sees the Eucharist at the very center of man’s creation and redemption: ⦁ It is the new fruit of the tree of life (Gn 2:9) that was rejected by Adam and reoffered by the new Adam (Christ) on the cross. ⦁ It is the new Passover meal […]... Read More

‘Real’ Difference between Catholicism and Protestantism

Since biblical times the Church has been known as the bride of Christ (cf., Eph 5:21-35). This is an important metaphor for understanding what it means to be Christian. The two elements that create an unbreakable marriage covenant are consent and consummation – when the couple says “I do” with their words, and then with […]... Read More
Pentecost

The Amazing Wonder of Pentecost

Today’s readings for Pentecost Sunday cover the Holy Spirit being released to the world and St. Paul’s preaching that Christ’s baptized followers are members of His body (the Church), because all are in the one Spirit. We can extrapolate that as the soul is the form and life of the body, the Holy Spirit is […]... Read More
Ape and human

Thinking Like Animals

Philosophers agree that a basic difference between humans and other animals is that we experience time and space much differently. Animals live in the here and now, with no conceptual understanding that there is a future and past; nor any concept that places exist other than their present environment. Being human, on the other hand, […]... Read More