The familiar statue of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, with her foot forcing the innards out of the serpent, is grotesquely satisfying. We delight in the final victory over the powers of darkness. But is devotion to Mary as a dragon-slayer a mere pious distraction based on tenuous Scriptural...

War is hell, and malicious misconduct in waging war may send malefactors to hell. The hatred among warring parties often distorts our capacity to assess the morality of violent responses within war in the light of the Ten Commandments. (A soldier who kills an enemy combatant in battle is without...

Reality is often a bitter pill to swallow. A good comedian is very intelligent and has a keen sense of irony. Irony requires the ability to contrast the way things are with the way things should be. Religion has similar qualities. Intelligent irony without faith may be amusing, but often...

During the COVID-19 pandemic, bishops have canceled the public celebration of the Mass in obedience to government authorities. Live-streamed Mass on the internet has become the “new normal” of worship for the duration. But this quasi-liturgical innovation may have problematic long-term...

Sacraments, according to the Baltimore Catechism, are outward signs instituted by Christ to give grace. The Sacraments define and direct our lives. Our choices form us. When we choose to live a sacramental life, in a sense we become sacraments reflecting the Lord. But the contrary is also...

Occasionally we hear variations on this theme: “I had a run-in with a priest in Confession in 1982, and I haven’t seen the inside of a church since then.” We may wonder: 1) Maybe the priest didn’t have his morning coffee and was grouchy. 2) Maybe the priest had the flu and...

No Exit is a French play by the French existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre. A mysterious valet escorts three damned souls to a room in Hell and locks them inside. Instead of implements of eternal torment, they find an unadorned furnished room. Their conversations evade the reasons for their damnation,...

A world-weary practicing Catholic who suffered the slings and arrows that come with living a long life once remarked, “The trouble with Christianity is that you must forgive too many enemies.” As we age, it is unnerving to admit honestly, “Show me the man, and I’ll tell you what I don’t like about...

Chastity is a way of life. Guidelines, codes of conduct, policies, and procedures governing interpersonal behavior may be useful in communicating acceptable workplace boundaries and defining legally abusive behavior. But the virtue of chastity cannot be reduced to a collection of rules and...

Cynics believe in the worst of human nature and motives, and ultimately the futility of human existence. Bitter experiences and disappointments in life easily lead to a cynical spirit. The constant barrage of bad news in our day feeds it, as do everyday annoyances. All of us are motivated by an...