A letter came to me recently, thanking me for helping the person see Jesus as “a loving brother or a kind Father” rather than as a judge. This letter is similar to many others that have graced my life. I, too, grew up with a lot of fear about eternal punishment, and though it certainly […]
Father John Catoir: When pride is good
We all know that pride is a deadly sin, but can it also be a virtue? I’d say yes. There’s a good side to pride. The question a spiritual director might ask to see which side of this you’re on is this: “Are you too proud or are you not proud enough?” I’d like to […]
Father John Catoir: A simple exercise in God’s love that can help many
In my 54 years as a priest, I have been privileged to give hundreds of retreats. My favorite groups were recovering alcoholics and drug addicts. I was once the director of a drug and alcoholic rehabilitation facility, Eva’s Village, in Paterson, New Jersey. It was there that I taught the theory behind the 12-step program. […]
Father John Catoir: A great prophet and voice of the church
One of the priests I most admired in the years after my ordination was Msgr. John Tracy Ellis. As a longtime professor at The Catholic University of America, he was known to many as the “dean of American Catholic historians.” During the early 1960s when I was studying at Catholic University for my doctorate in […]
Father John Catoir: Juggling the difficulties of life with grace
Life has been falsely compared to a juggling act, where the juggler tosses many balls in the air with ease and keeps them all circulating magically until he or she sets them down in perfect order. Real life is not at all like that. In fact, in real life, most of us will make mistakes […]
Father John Catoir: Fear is the enemy of joy
Spiritual joy is a gift from God. Its enemy is fear. Jesus warned against fear over and over. Jesus came to earth so that our joy may be full. In the Bible, he repeatedly tells others to let go of fear. Controlling our fears is a spiritual duty, just as it was for his first […]
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