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Jul 2021
This is my last ‘From the Pastor’s Desk’ as Pastor of St. Peter’s in The Dalles. Last Sunday was the farewell party and I was touched by the expressions of gratitude that I received, expressions of gratitude that were not just routine but said in effect, “We have heard you, Father, and have benefited from your ministry here and so grown closer to God.” That is the sort of gratitude that a priest wants to hear. Now looking back over my nine years here and knowing that while I have sought to......
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June 25, 2021
Farewell to St. Peter’s
The 19th century French Dominican, Jean-Baptiste Henri Lacordaire wrote a famous poem about the priesthood. “To live in the midst of the world without wishing its pleasures; to be a member of each family yet...
June 18, 2021
Faith, the Indispensable Foundation
I had begun writing about the supernatural organism that is rooted in the life of grace, consisting of the infused theological and moral virtues, together with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Now that I...
June 11, 2021
Supernatural faith and the anti-faith of materialism
The supernatural life begins with faith because faith is the door to the unseen world. Today we live in and have been formed by the world of anti-faith. It is important to recognize that reality...
June 04, 2021
Overview of the Supernatural Organism: The Gifts of the Holy Spirit
Sanctifying grace and the infused virtues are supernatural realities that transform and elevate the human soul. They really belong to us; they are ‘ours’. We are the ones who perform acts of faith, hope, and...
May 28, 2021
Overview of the Supernatural Organism: The Infused Virtues
I have opened up the subject of the ‘supernatural organism’, the complex of supernatural virtues and gifts that come with sanctifying grace. First, however, I wrote about the natural acquired virtues and their relation to...
May 21, 2021
Relation between natural and supernatural virtue
My intention has been to write about the ‘supernatural organism’ that comes with sanctifying grace: the supernatural virtues and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, grace heals, transforms, elevates, and perfects nature, so before...
May 14, 2021
Natural Virtue
Last Sunday I presented the teaching of the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the subject of the grace of justification, which is effectively another name for sanctifying grace. (cf. CCC 1266) Sanctifying grace is...
May 07, 2021
Justification of the soul – the key to justice
I have spent more than a year writing about social justice or the right order of human society based upon the order revealed in Eden: the right order of man beneath God, the right order...
April 23, 2021
The Common Good: a shared life of worship and contemplation
Last week I began to enter into more detail on the subject of the common good as ‘living well together’ where ‘living well’ is defined by the Ten Commandments. After reviewing the ‘second table’, the...