What do all of these characters have in common? Gaston, Mr. Darcy, Regina George, Gilderoy Lockhart. These characters do precisely the opposite of what St. Paul asks of us. Do nothing out of selfishness and vainglory. St. Thomas Aquinas says that vainglory is the excessive need for the approval of others.
All of these characters are vainglorious. They don’t have pride. They don’t want to be the best. All they want is social status. All they want is the approval of others. As Christians, we fall into vainglory, and the way to fight against vainglory is to do what the saints did, which is to be more concerned with how God sees us. We don’t need the approval of others. We need God to speak the words of truth to our hearts: you are made good, seen, loved, and known, which can never be taken away from you. So fight against vainglory and let God tell you who you are.
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Happy Candlemas
So, this Sunday is so awesome. We are celebrating the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, also known as Candlemas. All of these candles will be brought into the church and blessed because we are celebrating the light of Christ coming into the temple for the first time. The people of Israel have been waiting for this moment forever. This would be like all of our churches having an empty tabernacle for hundreds of years…
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Gonna Eat God
One time, I was exciting a bunch of second graders in their classroom, getting them ready for their first Holy Communion. And so I asked them, boys and girls, what are you most excited about about receiving your first Holy Communion? So, one kid raised his hand high in the air, and I called on him. He said, ‘We get to eat God.’ Exactly. It sounds a little crazy and a little radical, but this kid canonizes him right now…
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How to Confront Someone Like a Saint
Why did Jesus call Peter the rock? Fr. Tim Anastos explores Caesarea Philippi, Matthew 16, and what Christ’s promise reveals about Peter and the Church.
