Apostolic Fidelity

  This Fading Grass, Anchors, and the One Rock That Holds After reading, 1 Peter 1:24-25, over and over again, I feel like it hits differently compared to other verses. It feels less like Scripture and more like what is happening in my life. " All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass . " For years, I’ve known this in my bones, long before I could have articulated it. I’ve been in this long, exhausting war with depression, a heavy, cold fog that settles in and teaches you, in the most intimate way, just how fragile "flesh" is. It taught me that my own mind, my energy, my very ability to feel hope or joy, is all "grass." It can wither for no reason at all, leaving me empty and just... tired. In that fog, you desperately search for an anchor, anything to hold onto. And I had mine. Together with my wife, I had these two beautiful, bright, solid anchors: my two young sons. Their laughter, their needs, their simple, unconditional lov...

  THE ESSENTIAL TRUTH The importance of the Blessed Virgin Mary is not about taking anything away from Jesus Christ, but about honoring the Incarnation of God for she is the woman through whom God Himself entered human history. Her role is best understood through a powerful biblical type taught by the earliest Church Fathers: Mary is the New Eve. THE VOICE OF THE CHURCH FATHERS This truth is not a late addition to Catholic doctrine, but a fundamental teaching from the very first centuries. St. Irenaeus of Lyons (d. c. 202 AD), a disciple of St. Polycarp, who himself was a disciple of the Apostle John, wrote this famous comparison: "The knot of Eve’s disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary. For what the virgin Eve had bound in unbelief, the Virgin Mary loosed through faith." — Against Heresies, III, 22, 4 MARY'S IMPORTANCE IS THEREFORE INTENSELY PRACTICAL : 1. She is the Model of Faith: Her Fiat ("Be it done unto me according to your word...

  A Reflection on Luke 6:12-16: Jesus went up to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. When I read this Gospel, I'm struck by two things that seem almost contradictory: the intensity of Jesus's prayer and the baffling list of men He chooses. First, the prayer. Jesus "went up to the mountain... and he spent the night in prayer to God." This wasn't just a quick, "Okay, Father, who's it gonna be?" This was an all-night vigil. Jesus, the Son of God, who already knew the hearts of all men, steeped this decision in the deepest possible communion with the Father. This wasn't just a choic...

  "Lord, Lord" vs. "Yes, Lord": The Difference That Saves. Is Your Faith Living or Dead? A Look at Belief vs. Obedience I’ve been wrestling with a question that, honestly, makes me a little uncomfortable. It’s this: What is the  real  difference between saying “I believe in God” and saying “I obey God”? For a long time, I think I unconsciously assumed that “believing” was the main part. As long as I had the right ideas in my head—God exists, Jesus is His Son, the Church is His—I was on the right team. Then I was reminded of one of the most chilling verses in the entire New Testament, from the Apostle James: "You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe and shudder!" (James 2:19) That verse just stops you in your tracks, doesn't it? The demons have perfect theology. They know  exactly  who God is. They know Christ is Lord. Their intellectual "belief" is flawless. But it does them no good, because their wills a...

  Luke 13:10-17 Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years; she was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. And when Jesus saw her, he called her and said to her, "Woman, you are freed from your infirmity." And he laid his hands upon her, and immediately she was made straight, and she praised God. But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the sabbath, said to the people, "There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be healed, and not on the sabbath day." Then the Lord answered him, "You hypocrites! Does not each one of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his ass from the manger, and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?" As he said this, all his adversaries were put to sham...

The Promise in the Waiting: Finding Hope in Jeremiah 29:11 Life is often a series of detours. We map out our plans for our career, our family, and our future, only to find ourselves on a road we never expected, one that is often confusing and difficult. In those moments of uncertainty, one verse from the prophet Jeremiah shines like a beacon: "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." – Jeremiah 29:11 (RSV-CE) This promise is powerful, but to truly grasp it, we must see who God said it to. He wasn't speaking to people at a victory parade; He was speaking to the Israelites who had been dragged from their homes and forced into exile in Babylon. They were defeated, displaced, and disillusioned. God's message to them was not one of immediate rescue. In fact, He told them to settle in, build houses, and plant gardens, because their exile would last 70 years. This context changes e...

  The Gardener, the Fig Tree, and the Urgency of Grace Luke 13:1-9 At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. He asked them, "Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did 1 . Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they we 2 re more guilty than all other people who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did." Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, 'See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?' He replied, 'Sir, let it alone for...

  When the Sign of the Cross Becomes a Target The other day, a question came my way that struck a deep chord in my heart, something many of us who strive to live our Catholic faith openly have encountered: "What are your thoughts on people mocking the Sign of the Cross?" It's a question that brings a mix of emotions, isn't it? A sting of hurt, perhaps, for the disrespect shown to something so sacred. A flicker of anger. But beneath that, for me, lies a deeper reflection on what this simple, profound gesture truly means, and what it reveals about the world around us. For us, the Sign of the Cross isn't just a physical motion. It's a whispered prayer, a silent declaration, a moment of profound connection to God. Think about what we're doing when we make that sign: We invoke the Holy Trinity: "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." We're calling upon the very essence of God, the three Pers...

The contrasting colors of black and white worn by royal women when meeting the Roman Pontiff carry deep theological and historical significance. The Theology of Black:  Humility, Reverence, and the Norm Queen Camilla, as the spouse of the sovereign of the United Kingdom, is a Protestant queen and must adhere to the traditional protocol of the Vatican. 1. The Norm: Black (The Tenebrae) For centuries, the traditional, rigorous dress code for women in a formal papal audience, whether royal or not, required black attire. Theological Meaning: Humility and Mourning:  The color black signifies humility, piety, and penitence. Historically, it was worn as a sign of mourning, reflecting a spiritual sense of penitence for sin and reverence before the Vicar of Christ. The somber color is intended to ensure that no one's attire distracts from the sacred nature of the visit with the Holy Father. The Protocol: Modesty:  The dress itself must also be modest: a high neckline, ...