Finding a Supercharged Faith
May 20, 2013 by Dan Burke
Filed under Announcement, Avila Institute, Featured, Spiritual Reading, Studiositas (Learning)
Faith, or belief and trust, presuppose a person in whom we believe and trust. Said another way, faith without the person in whom we have faith, is a meaningless concept. On the positive side, faith properly oriented to the one true Object, is sufficient to move mountains. (Mat 17:20) How do we come to more fully know this Person in whom we might have faith? There are several ways, one is through hearing. St. Paul says that... Read More
Saint Catherine of Siena – the Key of Obedience
April 28, 2013 by Anthony Lilles
Filed under Catholic Spirituality, Featured, God's Will, Humility, Loving God, Suffering, Virtue
Saint Catherine of Siena spent her life encouraging a deeper obedience to God the Father. Although the earthly life of this Doctor of the Church ended over six hundred years ago, her spiritual teaching has passed into the universal patrimony of the Church. In particular, the personal relationship she enjoyed with the eternal Father through her faith in Christ crucified can help us reassess our own attitudes toward the... Read More
How does a person learn to love God? – Part II of II
July 2, 2012 by Fr. John Bartunek, LC
Filed under Prayer, Q and A, Virtue
Q: Dear Father John, If contemplative prayer is seeking Him whom my soul loves, what does one do to learn how to love God? I see this as a huge gap in the development of Catholic life and Catholic spirituality among the laity. We teach people how to worship, how to pray, what is right and wrong, but we never teach people – young or old – how to love the God we cannot see and touch and hold, and what that love... Read More
How does a person learn to love God? – Part I of II
June 17, 2012 by Fr. John Bartunek, LC
Filed under Love, Prayer, Q and A, Virtue
Q: Dear Father John, If contemplative prayer is seeking Him whom my soul loves, what does one do to learn how to love God? I see this as a huge gap in the development of Catholic life and Catholic spirituality among the laity. We teach people how to worship, how to pray, what is right and wrong, but we never teach people – young or old – how to love the God we cannot see and touch and hold, and what that love... Read More
Is curiosity bad? I seem to have an endless appetite for information about all things…
August 8, 2011 by Fr. John Bartunek, LC
Filed under Curiosity, Q and A, Studiositas (Learning), Vice, Virtue
Q: Dear Father John, Many spiritual writers and saints have cautioned against excessive curiosity. Why is this? Curiosity leads to knowledge and knowledge is a virtue. So how can curiosity be bad? I am very curious and love to learn about anything and everything. God’s great universe is endlessly fascinating and the more I learn and experience, the more reverence I have for God the Creator. So… is curiosity only... Read More
How can I overcome the root sin of vanity?
Q: Dear Father Edward, would you be willing to post the virtues to overcome the root sin of vanity and pride also? A: “Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth, vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!” That line from the Book of Ecclesiastes rings as true today as on the day it was written. Vanity is one of the three root sins that plague humanity. Much of our economy is built on vanity, on helping people to maintain... Read More
How can I overcome the root sin of pride?
Q: Dear Father Edward, would you be willing to post the virtues to overcome the root sins of vanity and pride also? A: Whole libraries could be written on how to overcome pride. Pride is the mother of all root sins. Take any sin and you can ultimately trace its roots back to pride. This vice arises because of a deep-seated desire to do things our way. Whereas vanity puts too much emphasis on the esteem of others, and sensuality... Read More
What virtues can I practice to overcome the root sin of sensuality?
May 3, 2010 by Fr. John Bartunek, LC
Filed under Program of Life, Q and A, Root Sin, Sin, Virtue
Q: Dear Father John, Thank you for the post on root sin. It has definitely helped me. My question is, charity and humility seem to be the virtues to practice if the root sin is pride or vanity. But what would be the virtue to practice to overcome sensuality? It seems that it is more of an emotional response, hence the sensuality. Thanks to your article have identified this as my root sin, I am not entirely sure what to put... Read More
Struggling with impatience… What can I do?
April 5, 2010 by Fr. John Bartunek, LC
Filed under Q and A, Virtue
Q: Dear Father John, I have been working on my spiritual life for a long time. But no matter how much I work on it, I find myself falling into impatience again and again. I try and try, but can’t seem to be patient. What am I doing wrong? A: You will not like the answer to this question, but I will try to answer it anyway. There are two things you may be doing wrong – or you may be doing both of them. Going to the Root First,... Read More
