By Teresa Lee

Why is the fundamental difference of the conception of grace between Catholics and Protestants crucial to understand?

Introduction Catholic and Protestant reformers of the 16th century disagree about man’s justification, namely, how grace, the gift of God won by Jesus’ sacrifice, works on the human soul[1]. Protestants believe grace covers up but does not remove sin. Luther sees “human nature or soul as dung-covered snow, so grace covers up our ugliness.” Catholics…

The value and joy of silence (1/4)

“Silence is not so much being quiet and not saying anything. Silence is more the ability to let go of external noise to begin to listen to the internal noise of our own desires, our own fears, frustrations, and turn those over to the Lord to be in a conversation with Him.“– Father Thaddaeus Lancton,…

The Little Prince

I had my monthly spiritual direction (SD) session today. My SD started by asking me to name a genre of writing which expresses where I’m at. I blurted out, The Little Prince – his sense of wonder and certainty of finding his treasure. My SD asked me to reflect on highlights from the past month…

My Catechesis of the Good Shepherd L1P1 Retreat

Help us, O God, to enter into the secret of childhood, so that we may know, love and serve the child in accordance with the laws of Thy justice and following Thy Holy Will.– Prayer of Dr Maria Montessori I finally attended my CGS L1P1 retreat at Nativity church from September 20-29, 2021 (8 week…

How God broke and healed Caralyn

“After I had my breakthrough in the chapel, I had my come-to-Jesus moment. We were singing, Here I Am To Worship. In that moment, Jesus absolutely broke through the stone fortress I had built around my heart and my knees buckled and I fell to the floor and I knew that Jesus forgave me of…

Forgiveness is a choice

“When you bring things to light, it loses its power. It’s so hard when you live in darkness and you don’t know who you can trust. Looking back, it was one of the best things that could happen to me as a starting point of healing.”

Guardian angels and spiritual warfare | Fr Ripperger

Originally posted on What Laura Likes:
Do you know who Fr Ripperger is? If not, and you’re Catholic, you must be hiding under a rock or hanging out with lukewarm Catholics. Fr Ripperger is a Catholic exorcist who has many, many talks online regarding the spiritual life, more especially spiritual warfare. GUARDIAN ANGEL https://youtu.be/HROH926Ln-A Video…

Departing from self-love, growing in charity

The gospel reading today (4th Sunday of Lent) is about the parable of the prodigal son. Our chaplain preached a homily about how we should move away from self-love, towards charity. The younger son who squandered everything did not return to his father’s because he was contrite, but because he was hungry and lusting after…

Why is objective morality necessary for true charity?

Charity in truth In a world dominated by moral relativism, “what is truth?” According to Patrick Madrid, “the answer, from a Catholic perspective, is Jesus Christ… ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life.’” Morality is “objective truth given by God, not to ruin our lives, but to make us truly free”[1]. Charity, on…

What is the eternal law, divine law, natural law, and human law? What is the proper hierarchy of law?

“Law is an ordinance of reason for the common good, promulgated by the one who is in charge of the community” (St. Thomas Aquinas, STh I-II, 90, 4; CCC 1976). Law is primarily a reasonable plan of action, “a certain rule and measure of acts whereby man is induced to act or is restrained from…

Why are the moral virtues considered cardinal? Which aspects of man does each govern?

Moral/ Cardinal virtues “A virtue is a habitual and firm disposition to do good. Virtue allows a person to give the best of himself” (CCC 1803). Virtues can be divided into moral and theological virtues. Theological virtues (faith, hope, and charity) direct us to our End (God), while the moral virtues direct us in our…