So we just got back from Italian. Everywhere we went, Christians were killed in those places. Those Christians who were killed. All the thousands and thousands of Christians who were martyred for the faith chose to love all those who caused them suffering. They decided to love until the end. In this Sunday’s gospel, Jesus commands very clearly. This is how you are to love that. Love demands something from us…

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…

My life with the Vampire Diaries, Twilight, Stranger Things, and Outer Banks. What do all of these things have in common? Love triangles and maybe not the most wholesome love triangles. Today, we celebrate the solemnity of the Most Blessed Trinity, the most perfect and profound love relationship, a love triangle between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is what we desire. We want that perfect…

So, the first reading for this Sunday is from the Prophet Baruch, and yes, that is an excellent name for your new puppy. So, the Prophet Baruch gives us incredible things to pray about this advent, specifically glory. The Prophet Baruch uses glory six times in the reading. The dictionary doesn’t do the word glory justice as Catholics. That as Catholics, what is glory? Glory is extraordinary beauty. It is holy beauty…

Several years ago, I got to meet Pope Francis. I didn’t have much time with him, so I asked him one question: “Holy Father, can you please pray for my sister and her future spouse, whoever that might be?” Two weeks later, my sister began to date her now husband, which is incredible. However, what struck me the most was how Pope Francis responded to me. He said, “I will, of course, pray for your sister, but I need…

So Jesus sounds like Yoda for this Sunday’s gospel. He says the foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the son of man has nowhere to lay His head. It sounds cryptic. What Jesus is not saying has anything to do with Airbnb accommodations, but the part of Jesus’ heart that he is sharing with us is that when it comes to following him, sometimes we have to be uncomfortable. I’m very awkward. I have no power…