“Rogue One” and the Hidden Saints

This past December we had the arrival of the first stand-alone Star Wars film Rogue One.  Personally, I loved the film and its gritty take on the galactic war and would have loved more time spent with this scrappy batch of protagonists. Unable to turn off my philosopher-brain, I also couldn’t help but think of these characters as a fitting allusion…

The Empty Soul of Technology

Anima Technica Vacua. Coined by theologian Hans Urs Von Balthasar, the unique phrase “anima technica vacua” more or less means “the empty technological soul,” and it’s an adequate and fascinating description of our rampant technology use and the modern fragmented person. It’s a fascinating concept with too many concrete examples.  We have become excellent processors of rapid information but have…

Praying Like a Man

Men, why do we struggle to pray? We know that our souls need prayer as we need air for our lungs, food for our stomachs, and balm for our beards. Maybe we’re addicts to technology and the thought of silencing our devices for even a few minutes unnerves us. Perhaps silence seems scary. Maybe we take for granted the love…

Podcast: Interview with Catching Foxes

  We did a fun interview recently with the guys over at “Catching Foxes,” a humorous Catholic podcast that focuses on all sorts of topics and issues pertaining the Church: discipleship, living virtuously, challenges in ministry, politics, and random Nickelback songs.   These guys favor conversation over catechesis and dialogue over instruction.  They’re also hysterical.  They do cuss here and…

Changing Porn Culture Begins with Me

Assuming that you may be convicted by the mounting statistical evidence and stories of heartbreak involving pornography, then you now play a part in making a difference.  This is what is called “the burden of knowledge”—in knowing, I am now responsible to act. It’s easy to sit back and criticize governments and cell-phone providers and Internet service agents and say, “Why…

Of Brock Turner and Porn Use

  I wrote a blog for Matt Fradd’s ministry on how a “New ‘Brock Turner Rule’ Doesn’t Go Far Enough.”   Here’s a sampling of it:   Too much ink has already been spilt dissecting and analyzing the horrible night a Stanford athlete was caught raping an unconscious woman behind a dumpster. The statement of Turner’s victim has shaken a nation…

Father’s Day Beard Balm & Promo Code!

Jackie and I aren’t much for product placement here on this blog, unless the product is the Gospel.  That being said, I am a proud sporter of Barbatus Beard Balm, a beard balm made by Catholics for Catholics (or anyone, if you want to be ecumenical or interreligious). All the proceeds from Catholic Balm Co. sales go directly to fund Catholic…