Dwight Longenecker's Blog, page 36

On the Reality and Relevance of Relics

We are heading home after a fantastic parish pilgrimage to Poland where we were uplifted, astounded and inspired by Catholic Poland. Part of the reason for our journey was to receive first class relics of Pope St John Paul II and St Faustina to be housed in the new Shrine of the Divine Mercy in [Read More...]

Eucharistic Miracles and Protestants?

I’m blogging from Poland, and meant to do a fair bit of writing from this wonderful country, but the schedule of our pilgrimage has been full of faith and fellowship, so the blogging and writing has gotten pushed back. On our departure a week ago we heard about the new Eucharistic miracle at Legnica in [Read More...]

Does Amoris Laetitia Encourage Communion of Divorced and Re-Married?

Embed from Getty Images This article from Aleteia re-affirms two things about Pope Francis’ exhortation. First of all Cardinal Schonborn affirms what Cardinal Burke said in his interview at National Catholic Register that the exhortation needs to be read in continuity with the whole of the magisterium. The magisterium of the church’s teaching is, as it [Read More...]

Amoris Laetitia – Chapter 8 and That Footnote…

Readers have asked for my opinion about the Holy Father’s Apostolic Exhortation, and apart from a couple of posts over the weekend about the issue of marriage in general I haven’t commented that much. That’s because I haven’t had the time to read the exhortation. Now, having read it, my reactions are much the same [Read More...]

Praying the Hail Mary for Spiritual Warfare

  One of my favorite Catholic images is that of the Blessed Virgin Mary holding the child Jesus, standing on the globe crowned with twelve stars, trampling a serpent under her feet and offering the rosary to the world. This image from the twelfth chapter of the Book of Revelation captures the majesty and power [Read More...]

Worried? Upset? Confused? Here’s a Great Problem Solver

The other day a woman came to see me with a problem. During her prayer time she saw an angel. It was a beautiful angel who smiled at her. She told me all about her vision in great detail and waited for my reply. I said, “Wonderful. What are you going to do about that?” [Read More...]

Cardinal Burke Knocks the Armchair Critics of Amoris Laetitia

In this article for the National Catholic Register Cardinal Burke sets out exactly what the pope’s exhortation is, what it attempts to do and how it should be received. He says clearly that those who set themselves up as critics of the Holy Father and the exhortation are wrong and are causing scandal. The behavior [Read More...]

Is It Time to Head for the Hills?

My latest article for CRUX explores the “Benedict Option” Is it time to head for the hills? That’s what St Benedict did. By the end of the fifth century the great Roman Empire had completely collapsed. The center of government had moved to Constantinople. The Vandals and Goths had sacked Rome, and the church and [Read More...]

Ten Reasons for the Marriage Mess

The two synods on the family and the Holy Father’s exhortation published last week provide guidance for Catholics who are enmeshed in what I call the Marriage Mess. The fact of the matter is, the whole human race–and not simply Catholic Christians are going through a crisis that is bigger than just the question of [Read More...]

The Pope’s Exhortation – A Parish Priest’s Perspective

In the wake of yesterday’s publication of Amoris Laetitia allow me to weigh in with a parish priest’s perspective. In the midst of a busy day in the parish I didn’t actually have time to read the exhortation. Neither did I have time last night or this morning. However, I have read some of the online commentary, [Read More...]