Virtuous Catholic Men

Is Poverty Good? “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt 5:3) In today’s culture there is very little that could be rated as a sin, much less a mortal sin. The biggest one today is perhaps smoking, ironically. But a close second is poverty. Poverty is considered evil […]

Justice is for Peace I was once at a conference where a priest who happened to be a hand-to-hand combat expert was going to speak on spiritual warfare. “So, this is the guy,” said a skeptical and admittedly liberal friend, “who’s going to teach us about the Prince of Peace?” Obviously, there’s some tension and

Justice of the king Pope Pius XI established the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe in 1925 with his encyclical Quas Primas. The encyclical describes the nature and extent of Christ’s Kingship and how the Church should ever uphold the ultimate rule of Our Lord in the public sphere, especially in

JUSTICE ISN’T ENTITLEMENT For the man who humbly lives in the created reality of God, justice is not merely the right ordering of society, but his delight.  “Precious store there is and good cheer where justice dwells” (Proverbs 21:20, Knox).  In the broadest sense, justice is everything “right.”  (The Latin root jus means right).  “Justice is every

Communion only reaches its true depths when it is supported and surrounded by adoration. The Eucharistic Presence in the tabernacle does not set another view of the Eucharist alongside or against the Eucharistic celebration, but simply signifies its complete fulfillment (Joseph Ratzinger, The Spirit of the Liturgy, 90). ADORATION AND COMMUNION There are probably hundreds of beautiful

IMPATIENCE AND LOSING FATHERHOOD In a technological world of instant gratification, it has become very difficult to be patient for anything to come full circle, whether it’s personal goals or products arriving in the mail.  The patient man or woman is usually a simple man or woman with the ability to understand the beauty of

From the Fraternus Book for the 29th Sunday of OT: Fortitude requires strength of will. The Christian gains strength from Sacred Scripture. Therefore… The fortitudinous man is strengthenedby the scriptures. YOU NEED THE BIBLE It is important for mentors, especially when we begin to encourage the reading of scripture, to encourage each individual to reflect on how

From the Fraternus Book for the 28th Sunday of OT: Fortitude is endurance in the face of danger, suffering and difficulty. Faithful Christians will always face persecutions (Christ promised it). Therefore… The fortitudinous man endures persecution. We Will Have to endure Persecution To speak of virtue is to speak of action – not ideas, sentiments, or fluff.

From the Fraternus Book for the 27th Sunday of OT: Fortitude, sometimes known as courage, acknowledges something as fearful. But it also boldly faces that fear. Therefore… The fortitudinous man is not timid before the world. Fraternus Book, Vol 1 of 3, pg 44 Are Non-Violent Saints Wimps? In “average” men there is an understandable fear that Christians are wimpy.  To

The opening from the Fraternus Book this week: From the Fraternus Book for the 26th Sunday of OT: Sin is the enemy of faith. Sin must be fought every day of our lives—especially in prayer. Therefore… The faithful man fights for prayer time. Fraternus Book, Vol 1 of 3, pg 42 The Battle is for Prayer by David Gates Every time in Jesus’