What does holiness look like? We are supposed to have seen it. That is the point of the Solemnity of All Saints. We acknowledge and revere those not named in the church’s canonical roster of saints, men and women who nonetheless constitute what St John the Seer called: a great multitude, which no one could Read more
As I’ve mentioned, back during the lengthy pandemic lockdown, when we had few places to go and comparatively little to do, I decided to take advantage of all that unforeseen solitude by developing my spiritual life. Among other things, I studied the works of Roman Catholic mystics. One sublime idea they sometimes express is that Read more
On 24 January we learned of six decrees presented by the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints and promulgated by Pope Francis. I count three Italians, one Spaniard, one Pole and one Canadian. No doubt every single one was a person of great faith. Indeed, one was martyred “in hatred of the faith.” What strikes Read more
Holiness is open to everyone and does not consist of a few heroic gestures but of many small acts of daily love, Pope Francis told 45,000 people gathered at the Vatican last week. The reason for the massive outdoor gathering was the pope’s official proclamation of 10 new saints. It was the Catholic Church’s first Read more
If we want to grow in holiness we have to pay attention and work on ourselves, Pope Francis says. Catholics often know more about their neighbour’s business than they do about the normal spiritual struggles going on in their own hearts and souls, Francis said during his sermon at early morning Mass last Friday. He Read more
The only great tragedy in life,” wrote the French novelist Léon Bloy, “is not to become a saint.” Pope Francis quotes this judgment approvingly in Gaudete et exsultate, his apostolic exhortation “on the call to holiness in today’s world.” He also quotes a less dramatic formulation of the same idea in Lumen gentium, the Second Read more
The first thing that jumped out at me in Pope Francis’s apostolic exhortation on holiness, Gaudete et exsultate, is how much he has put women in the foreground. Women are usually in the background of papal statements, if they appear at all. Not here. They are upfront and visible. Right at the outset (para 3), Read more
Have you ever noticed that things marked “one size fits all” rarely do? “One size fits all” is simply not the way humanity works. We’re all quite different, whether it’s the length of our arms and the girth of our waists or the extravertedness of our temperament and the sensitivity of our emotions. We will Read more
Have you ever noticed that things marked “one size fits all” rarely do? “One size fits all” is simply not the way humanity works. We’re all quite different, whether it’s the length of our arms and the girth of our waists or the extravertedness of our temperament and the sensitivity of our emotions. We will Read more
Near the end of St. Ignatius of Loyola’s Spiritual Exercises is a curious section titled, “Some Notes Concerning Scruples.” Scrupulosity is one of those pesky spiritual problems that we don’t always recognize but can give us a lot a grief if left unchecked. Believe me, I know! Never heard of scrupulosity? How about Catholic Guilt? Read more