Summary of Saints: A Closer Look by Fr. Thomas Dubay

Saints: A Closer Look by Fr. Thomas Dubay, Servant Books, 2007. Introduction "Saints are moral miracles far beyond the capabilities of human nature left to itself... Each of them has had "a spiritual revolution" (Eph 4:23)" (1). PART 1: PRELIMINARY … [Read more...]

Reasons to be a Saint by Fr. Thomas Dubay

In his book, Saints: A Closer Look (SACL) Fr. Thomas Dubay asks two great questions on page 11. Isn't it enough, one might say, just to squeeze into heaven? Is it that important that I strive to be a saint? These questions are similar to … [Read more...]

Summary Notes from the Bishop Barron Conference on Preaching 2018

Talk # 1 Preaching is the first office of the priest and the key to the New Evangelization. If our primary occupation is the institutional church, then people will not hear the Word, they won’t hear about Jesus. “At the beginning of the Church, … [Read more...]

The Source of Heroic Virtue by Fr. Thomas Dubay

In his book, Saints: A Closer Look, Fr. Thomas Dubay has a great section outlining heroic virtue in action. Heroic virtue, which brings a person to perfection in a superhuman manner far surpassing the goodness of ordinary people, characterizes the … [Read more...]

3 Questions to Determine Your Spiritual Progress by Fr. Thomas Dubay

In the first chapter of his book, Saints: A Closer Look, Fr. Thomas Dubay states that the #1 trait of all saints is that they are "head over heels in love with God... "madly in love" with God" (9). To make this more concrete and practical, he states … [Read more...]

Summary of A Brief Reader on the Virtues of the Human Heart by Josef Pieper

A Brief Reader on the Virtues of the Human Heart by Josef Pieper, Ignatius Press, 1991 Acedia "Acedia means this: that man denies his effective assent to his true essence, that he closes himself to the demand that arises from his own dignity, that … [Read more...]

Commentary: 22nd Sunday Year B

Commentaries Used: Wansbrough, Henry. The Sunday Word: A Commentary on the Sunday Readings. London; New York: Burns & Oates, 2012. Balthasar's Light of the Word Pagola, J. A. (2011). Following in the Footsteps of Jesus: Meditations on the … [Read more...]

Summary of Thirsting for Prayer by Fr. Jacques Philippe

Introduction "What the world most needs today is prayer. It is prayer that will give birth to all the renewals, healings, deep and fruitful transformations we all want for society today. This world of ours is very sick, and only contact with heaven … [Read more...]

Faithfulness to Prayer by Fr. Jacques Philippe

In his book, Thirsting for Prayer, Fr. Jacques Philippe gives a helpful image to explain how essential it is for us to be faithful to prayer. “Someone who persists in praying day after day is like a man who acquires an old housein the country with a … [Read more...]

Summary of Some Responses to the Clerical Abuse Crisis

Here are some quick summaries of some responses to the recent clerical abuse crisis. "Looking back to the past, no effort to beg pardon and to seek to repair the harm done will ever be sufficient.  Looking ahead to the future, no effort must be … [Read more...]