Have you ever thought that? Wondered how much better things might be in life if we just lived a few hundred years ago? I know that I have! It seems like things were so much easier…. WRONG! They weren’t easier! Think of how many inventions we now have that make life easier – washing machines, […]

There is a tradition that certain months of the year are associated with particular feasts of the Church, particular aspects of our Faith.  The month of July has traditionally been the month in which the Precious Blood of our Savior, Jesus Christ, is honored — that blood which was poured out upon the Cross for […]

 Father Jim Costigan, CPM Some things are easy to forgive.  A fan mistakes you for the reigning Miss America, you correct him, then he graciously apologizes — that’s pretty easy to forgive. But then there’s the friend who didn’t keep your secret, the woman who stole your man, the date who raped you, the man […]

The season of Easter. What do we think about it? We all know that Lent is celebrated [or do most of us use that word “celebrate” when it comes to Lent?] for forty days – a full season of special attention to prayer, fasting and almsgiving. And Easter comes, and then what? One of my […]

How do we make a holy Lent?  Some of the saints teach that when we pray, we need to add fasting and almsgiving to our prayer.  Think of prayer as the soil of our soul’s garden.  If something is going to grow in the garden, it also needs rain.  And even with rain, it still […]

The Church has just celebrated the feast of the Epiphany, the manifestation of the Christ Child to the Magi, the wise men from the East. This holy feast reminds us that Our Lord Jesus Christ came to earth, not to save one nation or for one period of time, but to save all peoples of […]

St. Augustine of Hippo (one of the patrons of the Confraternity) says in one of his works: “I implore you to love with me and, by believing, to run with me; let us long for our heavenly country, let us sigh for our heavenly home, let us truly feel that here we are strangers.” As […]

For those who might be interested, I was interviewed on Relevant Radio on Tuesday, October 29th on the subject of retreats and parish missions — why is it important for all of us to try to make a retreat or attend a parish mission from time-to-time.  Here is a link to that interview:  http://relevantradio.streamguys.us/IL%20Archive/IL20131029.mp3 And […]

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” What does it mean to be poor in spirit? Our Lord is not speaking of those who suffer material poverty, but of those who are humble in heart and soul. And it isn’t enough that we are humble – St. John Chrysostom […]