The notion that there might be a sin or sins that are absolutely unforgivable, even by a bishop, is pretty terrifying. Given what the Church teaches about the sacrament of confession and reconciliation, it’s hard to see how a priest or the bishop wouldn’t be in a position to provide some way back to God. What’s more, isn’t baptism, the originating sacrament of faith, supposed to be able to cleanse all sins? A clean slate? A totally new beginning?

Many Catholics are puzzled by the embrace of incoherent ideas and straightforwardly bizarre practices advanced by the cultural elites in contemporary American society. How can young men claiming to be women seriously expect to compete in women’s athletics? But they do. And they are competing. How can women in their final weeks of pregnancy discredit the fact that they are carrying a human child and then murder it? But they do. And some of them celebrate with abortion parties. How can state governments having convicted men of felonies incarcerate them in women’s prisons when those men start taking hormones? But they do. And the predictable results of sexual assault are now becoming apparent. It seems to many that we aren’t living in the same world anymore. And that sentiment isn’t far from the truth of the matter, so let’s look at how we got here, because radical rejection of human nature doesn’t just happen.

Let’s begin our exploration of the way in which human nature is essentially expressed through gender by taking a look at the current lay of the land on sex, sexual preference, and gender. What, in other words, do our universities, entertainers, and cultural elites showcase as the truth of the matter on these issues?

Imagine entering a quiet church, looking about to ensure no one else is there, then walking up the center aisle toward the altar, bowing, and sitting in one of the first couple of pews on the right. You drop the kneeler and take on the position of a supplicant to God, beginning your prayers. But unlike the many times you have done this in the past, you suddenly feel a wave of heat to your left. Opening your eyes, you behold what has to be an angel, a dazzling bright young man, wings outstretched behind him, and his feet not exactly standing on the cold stones of the sanctuary. How would you react?

Other than the Pope, no person rankles Protestants more than Mary, the mother of Jesus. Protestants see what looks like hysterical Marian worship in many videos of third world Catholic masses, hear Mary described as co-Redemptrix and the Queen of Heaven, and observe her being called theotokos, the very “Mother of God.” If Mary is divine, then who needs Jesus? How many Gods do these Catholics have? Just how far have they sunk into the abyss of paganism? So, what’s with Mary anyway? Why does Mary matter?

I’m writing this question at the outset of Advent, which might seem an odd time with the season’s emphasis on the birth of Jesus to instead write about marital infertility. However, the Christmas story does not begin with the annunciation, but instead with an infertile couple, Mary’s relative Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah. So, Advent is exactly the right time to approach this traumatic challenge to married couples. And a quick note to those who have been fortunate enough to conceive, carry children to term, and birth them into the world, do not pass on this question. Why? Because all around you are other couples approaching Christmas yet again with an agonizing longing that they cannot satisfy. Imagine how difficult your Christmas would be without your children. So, with the golden rule in mind, listen on.

As Congress continues to be briefed by numerous whistleblowers concerning a significant program to recover and reverse engineer extraterrestrial UFO technology, we appear to be ever-closer to what UFO-researchers call “Disclosure.” Disclosure is the moment when government officially acknowledges or reveals the existence of alien life, particularly, sophisticated and advanced extraterrestrial persons. Such an event would likely be the most important event in human history other than the Incarnation. While it has not yet happened, it is worth our considering how we might react if it did, especially if we consider our reactions not just as stunned human beings but as Catholics. So, what if we really are not alone?

Because the choice of the priesthood or the consecration of a nun (just two examples of the non-marital vocation) is unnatural insofar as it requires non-marriage as part of its discipline, it’s quite rare. People accordingly figure that there must be some means by which God selects who will join this separate vocation. And as such, they say that God “calls” people to it. Biblical examples are then trotted out to support this view: Jesus literally called out his disciples, “Drop your fishing nets and come, follow me.” St. Paul was knocked off his donkey and surrounded by a great light when Jesus personally came to him and redirected his life to become an apostle. So, one might think that it’s the same today, that there must be some special sort of event whereby God “calls” people into these vocations. As a result of this assumption, it’s hard to find a seminarian who doesn’t have some bizarre story about the moment God “called” him. Or, if he doesn’t have one yet, he is earnestly concerned about the legitimacy of his vocation.