Jeanie Hannaman

By Dr. Randall B. Smith, Catholic World Report - Too few have the patience to engage in discussions of the necessary depth. We prefer the political equivalent of the WWE smack down. People like to state big general principles or pious ideals with little or no concept of the consequences of applying them or of how we might prudently apply those principles to the actual people in the actual circumstances. Catholics are tempted to the same lazy logic using their Church’s principles and ideals, which they seem to think will make their conclusions more insulated from critique, especially by other Catholics. That is a mistake, not only of principle but also of prudence.

By Elie Dib, Catholic Exchange - As Don Dolindo’s Surrender Novena reminds us, “Surrendering means ‘to placidly close the eyes of the soul, turn your thoughts away from the tribulation, and entrust yourself to me.’” This surrender isn’t about grand gestures but about infusing our ordinary moments with extraordinary faith... In our fast-paced world, we might worry that such practices would slow us down or distract us from our tasks. But the Surrender Novena addresses this concern directly: “What upsets you and causes you immense harm is your reasoning, your thought, your worrying, and wanting at all costs to provide for what afflicts you.” Instead, these small acts of faith actually bring greater peace and efficiency to our work, allowing us to rest in God’s presence while fulfilling our daily duties. ...

By John M. Grondelski, Crisis Magazine - In the West, bishops remained the ordinary minister of the sacrament, which meant opportunities to confer it were less frequent. It also tended to foster an independent sacramental theology—confirmand as “soldier of Christ”—that tended to tally with the later age of the recipient... But we should not forget that, until the early 20th century, Confirmation normally preceded First Communion. It was only after Pope St. Pius X sought to encourage earlier and frequent reception of the Eucharist that First Communion came earlier, pushing Confirmation past it into the anomalous situation of a sacrament of initiation that followed “the source and summit of the Christian life.” 

By Fr. Jerry Pokorsky, Catholic Culture - Sometimes our thoughts are holy and fruitful. Other times they are shameful and destructive. We change the world when our thoughts take flesh: one thought, word, and deed at a time... St. Francis of Assisi famously threw himself into a thorn bush to resist the affliction of impure thoughts. Most of us understand the intensity of the temptation. In the 1980s, a famous young pop star said on TV that she left the Catholic Church as a teenager when she learned that an impure thought, committed with full knowledge and consent, is a mortal sin.