“Peregrinus Sum Apud Te.”
Last week, on the second anniversary of my Mom's passing, I went to my sister's Byzantine Catholic Church for Vespers of St. Andrew of Crete. My brother-in-law sang the litanies as you can hear in the audio example below. Vespers was three hours long, as it went through all of Salvation History. In the litanies that night, every person compared himself to each sinner of the Old Testament and New Testament. I sang in Byzantine tones that I myself was worse than each one of those Biblical sinners. So did everyone else in that little Eastern Catholic Church. We made nearly 300 nose-to-ground prostrations, begging for God's mercy. But it wasn't a slovenly or sloppy request for mercy. Neither was it shallow. There was sadness and hope infused into every tone in this Great Fast. Here's an example of the refrains: [...]
Trial, Sentencing and Award for Pro-Life
The Life-Update section of my site could easily become narcissistic, or at least self-centered. But here's how I justify it: Missionary Orders like the Franciscans and Jesuits (at least between Trent and Vatican II) had to report back in the annals of their congregations how many baptisms, confirmations, etc. they had among the natives in any certain region. I think one reason for this strange convert-counting was simply internal accountability. So also, the Life-Update pull-down section affords some accountability to my donors as to what I am doing with my life. It is admittedly not as important as the theology section (the default section) or the podcast (talks) pull-down of my site, for those are teaching you the ancient faith and liturgy—something exponentially more important than my life stories. Thus, you can feel free to never visit the Life-Update section [...]
A Pilgrimage of Men, Not Angels
While some people are struggling with temptations to change their gender, I often wish I had been created an angel. It's not because I have lived an angelic life in my past or because I have an angelic intellect. It's rather because we humans face millions of tests to get to heaven, where angels only had one major test of their obedience and sacrifice of their wills in order to be saved. I suppose it's my laziness that makes me wish I could have just been saved by simply one decision (like the angels) instead of many, as we humans on earth have to do every week. Last year, I read the Bible again. This year, I'm reading St. Thomas Aquinas' Summa from start to finish (at least the main body part of all Questions and Answers.) I recently [...]
True “Ecumenical” Relations.
In the above picture, I am seen with Abba Nathanial, the bishop of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Colorado. Keep in mind as you read this article that the Ethiopian Catholic Church (which maintains seven valid sacraments and is in communion with Rome) is different from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church (which maintains seven valid sacraments but is not in communion with Rome.) In the above picture and the following pictures, I am seen with a member of the clergy of the latter. Why? It is not because I am going Eastern Orthodox. It's simply because I made a new friend who is not Catholic. But touring his Church made me admire my own true and old Roman tradition for reasons that are forthcoming in regards to not only liturgy, but also firmness of the faith. The word ecumenical means "plan [...]
New Year’s Resolutions 2025
Quicumque enim Spiritu Dei aguntur—hii filii sunt Dei. (For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.)—Rom 8:14. Normally, our New Year's Resolutions as Catholics should be few and concrete. In past years, I have made so many resolutions at New Year's that I just drop them all in some sense of exasperation by the end of January. (I think this is common for most of you.) This is why I am simply going to do my best on the dozen resolutions that play into my rule of life instead of making concrete resolutions. Normally, I think such amorphous (eg "do my best at everything") is a recipe for failure for most Catholics. But where I have a bit of a unique excuse for being more flexible than you is that my rule of life [...]
Traditional Conference in Brazil
In November 2024, I spoke at a conference in Rio De Janeiro hosted by Centro Dom Bosco that had over 1000 Catholics attending it. I didn't know they had a professional photographer there, but they did. They sent me some pictures:
RIP Msgr. Philip J. Reilly
RIP Msgr. Philip Reilly, grandfather of the pro-life movement of NYC. pic.twitter.com/GwaG9YYlAV — Fr. Dave Nix (@FrDaveNix) December 1, 2024 The above video is four minutes, but I promise you it is worth watching. Credit to "Therefore Choose Life." Rest in Peace, Msgr. Philip J. Reilly. This unsung hero of the pro-life movement has gone to his eternal reward. Founder of “Helper of God’s Precious Infants,” Msgr. Reilly saved tens of thousands of babies in his compassionate method of sidewalk counseling for decades in Brooklyn. His evangelization spread throughout the world. In NYC, he taught the Sisters of Life and the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal (and me) all of his ways, mostly interior. This is the priest who taught me how to sidewalk counsel in NYC. In seminary, we brought him to Denver. As a young priest, he was [...]
A Sociology Lesson Outside the Two Masses
Many years ago, before I entered seminary, I remember hearing about a conservative priest who went to dinner at the home of his more progressive parishioners. Before or after dinner, one of the spouses said to the priest, "Why don't you relax and take your collar off?" The priest replied, "Why don't you relax and I keep the collar on?" I thought that was quite a funny zinger when I heard the story about 25 years ago. But now I wonder why a conservative priest would ever spend time with progressive parishioners unless his goal was to convert them. And I don't think talking to them that way is going to convert them. However, the above account illustrates that liberals and conservatives (and as we will see, traditionalists) treat priests in different ways. Because I have roots in all three [...]
Convergence of Vocations
At the end of summer 2024, I was in Western Europe and Western Africa on different missions. While in Europe, I was about to offer Holy Mass a pro-life center and I noticed after donning my alb and cinture that I had the rest of my vestments on a car seat (see above picture.) As it was a pro-life center across from an abortion center, the car seat was clearly destined for a poor family who would say "no" to abortion after being abortion-minded. (Notice I don't say that we hope they would say "yes" to life, as saying "yes" to life already happened the minute they chose to unite as man and woman.) In any case, I pulled out my phone before Mass and snapped the above picture because Mass vestments on a car-seat at a pro-life center beautifully [...]
On Christ’s Relatives and Power
Below are two interesting questions I received on email. I publish with his permission: Dear Father Nix, Please be so kind and share with me your explanation of following passage: Mark 6:1-6 "Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” He [...]