Catholic Church

July 12, 2018

Looking for a New Examination of Conscience? Try the Rule of St. Benedict

By Peter Kwasniewski, LifeSiteNews - Catholics are encouraged to prepare themselves for the Sacrament of Penance by prayerfully reviewing an examination of conscience. A multitude of formats for such examinations can be found. Most commonly they are based on the Ten Commandments, but sometimes one will find reference to the Beatitudes, the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, the virtues and vices, or categories of people.

July 12, 2018

“On Islam” Is on Target

By William Kilpatrick, Crisis Magazine - One of the interesting aspects of Fr. James Schall’s refreshing collection of essays, On Islam, is that it provides a chronological record… One of Fr. Schall’s main themes is that we must try to understand Islam as Muslims understand it, not as we would like it to be. But instead of adjusting our theories to fit the accumulating facts, we keep trying to force the facts to fit the theory. This, says Schall, is the main reason we have failed to stem the tide of terrorism.

July 11, 2018

Father Roger Landry: Priests and Marriage Preparation

By Father Roger Landry, National Catholic Register - One of the duties of parish priests is to prepare couples for the sacrament of matrimony… That’s why it came as quite a shock earlier this month when Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the prefect for the Vatican’s Dicastery of Laity, Family and Life, which is in charge of the Church’s universal care for the family, declared that priests are basically incompetent to do this work....

July 11, 2018

What Does the Rule of St. Benedict Offer Families?

By Jerry Windley-Daoust, Blog, Peanut Butter & Grace - On the other hand, the Rule of St. Benedict has been wildly successful for 1,500 years in part because St. Benedict wrote it for real people with real flaws and weaknesses. His Rule is not so much an ideal that his monks were to strive for as much as it is a guide or a help. “Are you hastening toward your heavenly home?” he asks at the conclusion of his Rule. “Then with Christ’s help, keep this little rule that we have written for beginners”...