We recently celebrated the feast of Corpus Christi, celebrating the profound gift of Jesus in the Eucharist. As we continue to reflect on this extraordinary grace, Ralph shares how a “chance encounter” on an airplane led to a very significant conversation centered around a prayer from the liturgy of the Eucharist.

Ralph reflects on his long relationship with Cardinal Schönborn, including some concerns he has had in recent years and a very fascinating article the Cardinal wrote featuring his pondering of the final judgment.

As we prepare for the Feast of Pentecost this Sunday, Ralph asks the question, "Is Pentecost just an historical event, the birthday of the Church, or is it something more?” He boldly asserts that the power of Pentecost is intended to be a continuing reality in the Church, as is clearly taught in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. He then examines some reasons why we may not be experiencing the power of Pentecost in our own lives and prays with us to “stir up the gift” that we have been given in the Sacrament of Confirmation.

Recently Pope Leo caused some controversy in responding to the German Bishops' decision to institute in a formal way the blessing of same sex and irregular unions. Many praised Pope Leo’s quick response to the effect that the Vatican doesn’t agree and that the Germans have been “spoken to”. But others registered puzzlement about what his views on sexual sins really are. While casual comments in an airplane interview can’t be fairly used to determine what anyone’s views are in a considered way, many others, besides the Pope have made statements to the effect that “sexual sins aren’t the worst sins; there are others far worse.” In this video Ralph deals with this question with an answer based on scripture and tradition. While it is certainly the case that sexual sins aren’t the worse sins, it is still very important to pay careful attention to what the Lord does say about the seriousness of sexual sins so we can make appropriate decisions.

Articles and resources in this episode:

• Ralph's new book: The Coming Judgment
• Article by Dr. Monica Miller: Sex and the Unity of the Catholic Church
• Article by Dr. Helen Alvare: Sex and Catholic Social Teaching
• Fridolin Cardinal Ambongo Besungu's letter for SECAM: No blessing for homosexual couples in all Churches in Africa
• 2024 Letter of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith on Fiducia Supplicans
• EWTN Article: Vatican publishes 2024 letter prohibiting formal blessings for homosexual couples in Germany

Justice Richard Bernstein was born blind, but that didn’t stop him from becoming a marathon runner, disability rights advocate, and Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court. In this week’s video, Ralph shares stories from a local event where Bernstein spoke about perseverance, suffering, and faith—raising the big question: Why do bad things happen to good people? Ralph reflects on Bernstein’s life, his campaign slogan “Life is unfair, but judges shouldn’t be,” and the perfectly just Judge we have in Jesus.

There are really only two roads we can walk in this life: one that leads to eternal life or one that leads to eternal destruction. This fundamental biblical message is depicted in one of St. Faustina’s visions, describing these very different paths: a broad and pleasurable one leading to hell, and a narrow, painful one leading to paradise. As we prepare for the celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday this weekend, Ralph reflects on St. Faustina’s vision and the scriptural teaching of Jesus to help each of us to receive God’s mercy, recommit to the path of Jesus, and turn away from the path that leads to the abyss of hell.

Today we celebrate the Annunciation, the unfathomable grace of Jesus coming in the flesh. And yet when we look at the scriptures, we see something strange happened when people encountered Jesus during his earthly ministry. The One who came to heal us, love us, and give us eternal life is hated and rejected. In this video, Ralph explores what the scriptures tell us about why this is the case. May it not be so with us!

Catholic devotion to Divine Mercy is bearing wonderful fruit in the Church today, but it is also susceptible to being “hijacked,” diverted from its intended purpose. There’s a popular perception that goes something like this, “God is so merciful that very few, if any, will be lost.” This is actually a distortion of the true meaning of mercy because it engenders an attitude of presumption and indifference that seriously undermines the Christian life. This video proposes an antidote to this false perception: true knowledge of what Jesus revealed to St. Faustina, not only about his great mercy, but also the necessity to respond to the offer of mercy with faith, repentance, and obedience in order for it to have its proper effect.