Catholic Church

Why Saint Pius X is the Eclipser of Errors

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Editor’s Note: Post originally published on August 23, 2017.

Pius X was an influential successor of St. Peter at the turn of the 20th century. Born Giuseppe Mechiorre Sarto in 1835, he lived near Venice, Italy. Coming from a poor family of ten children, Giuseppe acquired an education aided through his keen intellect and high moral character. Eventually, he rose the ranks of the Catholic Church and became supreme pontiff in 1903. He led the Church until 1914.

Pope Pius X

To be honest, my initial knowledge about Pius X was overshadowed by his predecessor and later successor bearing the same appellation—Pius IX and Pius XII. However, the more I read and learned about the sainted bishop the more I gained an appreciation for what he offered the Church.

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3 Reasons Why Life is Confusing like a Maze

/ chicoinematt

Editor’s Note: Article originally published on December 1st, 2019.

The great Chinese philosopher Confucius once said, “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” His words seemed geared especially for my ears. I tend to overthink and over analyze situations in my life.

As a result, instead of simply living I conflate daily stresses into something bigger than need be. I started doing puzzles to help me deal with my anxiety. I also rediscovered my childhood love of maze puzzles. That got me thinking life is sort of like a maze. The dictionary defines the word maze as “a network of paths and hedges designed as a puzzle through which one has to find a way out”.

A secondary definition for this word is when it is used as a verb: “to be dazed and confused”. I will incorporate both descriptions about mazes in my writing today. Here are three ways why my life lately is like a maze.

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Why Sacred Art is Needed More than Ever

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Editor’s note: Article originally published on August 22, 2019. This article is sponsored by Holyart.com.

Our world is an ugly place. Disease, cancer, war, hunger, greed, murder, abuse, and countless other appalling things have existed throughout human history. Because of the original sin of Adam and Eve, humanity fell out of communion with God. Thankfully, God had a plan. A redemptive plan of salvation. Through the Suffering, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, God provided a pathway for us to return to Him. Two thousand years later, not much has changed with humanity. Human nature is always the same. Self-centered. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to guide the Catholic Church as a harbor and teacher of truth.

Catholic Church

Baptized Christians are called to a life of grace. This is best lived out by participation in the Sacraments. Life on earth is temporary. Our true home is Heaven. St. Therese of Lisieux said it best, “The world’s thy ship and not thy home.” Nothing is wrong with admiring the beauty this world has to offer. It only becomes an issue when the good of the created world is preferred to the good of God.

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3 Reasons Why I Don’t Argue with Opponents of the Catholic Church

/ chicoinematt

Editor’s Note: Post originally published on June 9, 2019.

This weekend I heard the following comment on the floor as I began work, “Catholics and I don’t get along much. I live to destroy Catholics.” While his statement may certainly be hyperbolic—that co-worker is definitely known for exaggerated and bombastic claims—there is truth to it. During my college years, his statement would have provoked righteous anger. Immediately, I would have engaged in debate on the level of St. Nicholas, the hectic-puncher, himself!

St. Nick Heretic puncher

According to Venerable Fulton Sheen, “There are not one hundred people in the United States who hate The Catholic Church, but there are millions who hate what they wrongly perceive the Catholic Church to be.” Perception trumps reality more often than not. Refraining from leaping to judgement, unlike my co-worker, will allow me to demonstrate the love and truth of Catholicism. This article will look at three reasons why I no longer debate opponents of the Catholic Church.

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When the Church Grows Quiet: Passiontide

/ chicoinematt

There is a moment in Lent when something subtle (or maybe not so subtle) changes.

You walk into church and notice that something feels different. The statues are covered. The crucifix is hidden behind a purple veil. The sanctuary feels quieter and more restrained, almost as if the Church herself is holding her breath.

We have entered Passiontide.

Passiontide begins on the Fifth Sunday of Lent, traditionally called Passion Sunday, and continues through Holy Week until the Easter Vigil. These final two weeks intensify the Church’s focus on Christ’s suffering and death. The readings, prayers, and liturgical customs all guide us toward the same destination: Calvary.

Lent has always been about repentance and conversion. Passiontide narrows the lens. Now we are invited to contemplate the Passion itself, the moment when Christ reveals the depth of God’s love through suffering.

It is the Church’s way of saying: Look closer.

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Lent: Walking the Desert, Climbing Carmel

/ chicoinematt

Lent is often described as a journey, but most of us imagine the wrong kind of trip.

We picture something orderly and purposeful, like a planned pilgrimage with clear stops and visible progress. In reality, Lent tends to feel less like a guided retreat and more like wandering through harsh terrain. The Church gives us images of deserts and mountains for a reason. Both places are beautiful, but neither is comfortable, and neither can be rushed.

Lately I have been thinking about how perfectly those two landscapes fit together. In a funny way, Antarctica might be one of the best physical analogies for Lent. It contains vast deserts, towering mountains, and long stretches of silence and darkness. It is stark, even unsettling, yet strangely magnificent. You do not go there to be entertained. You go there to be changed.

That is what Lent is meant to do to us.

The Desert Simplifies What We Complicate

Every year I begin Lent with some sort of plan. I imagine what my prayer life will look like, which devotions I will take up, and how disciplined I will be about fasting. Somewhere in the back of my mind there is always the hope that this will be the year I finally “do Lent right.”

Then the desert shows up.

The prayer feels dry. The sacrifices feel small. The daily routine crowds in, and whatever elaborate spiritual blueprint I had imagined starts to crumble. Instead of feeling like a spiritual athlete, I usually feel like someone who packed too much for a hike and now has to carry it through sand.

Part of this comes from how complicated the Catholic world around Lent can feel. There are challenges, book lists, podcasts, and endless suggestions for how to maximize the season. None of those things are bad, but if you are wired like me, it can quickly feel overwhelming. My ADHD brain does not need twenty possible Lenten programs. It needs a path that is clear and walkable.

The Church, in her wisdom, already gave us one.

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Saint Thomas Aquinas: The Theologian Who Taught the Church How to Pray

/ chicoinematt

By: Austin Habash

When most Catholics hear the name Saint Thomas Aquinas, they think immediately of dense theology, philosophical arguments, and the towering Summa Theologiae. He is often presented as the Church’s greatest intellect, the man who organized doctrine with unmatched clarity.

But this common picture is incomplete.

Aquinas was not only a master of theology. He was also a master of prayer. Some of the most beautiful liturgical and devotional texts in the Church’s life flow directly from his pen. To recover Aquinas as a spiritual guide, not only as a theological authority, is to rediscover a deeply underappreciated dimension of Catholic tradition.

This rediscovery has also affected my own spiritual life. Studying Aquinas daily for Summa in a Year began as an intellectual project. Over time, I found myself drawn not only to his arguments but to his spirit. He was a man who thought precisely because he prayed profoundly.

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