A: “Technological progress is part of God's plan for creation, but people must take responsibility for using technologies like artificial intelligence to help humanity and not harm individuals or groups” (Vatican quote, Vatican City News, Jan 2025). AI is a tool to be used carefully and with investigation not to replace human intelligence but to compliment it (Antiqua et Nova, 112). Often AI generated information will have links to where its information was received from. It can be used as a search engine to help you find sources of information to investigate more fully. It is important when using AI, especially for religious or spiritual matters, to investigate these sources of information. These times can be overwhelming with so much information coming at us coupled with what seems like a lack of time. This can be a big temptation to habitually rely on AI for truth instead of investigating where the information really comes from or if the words were taken out of context. “Repeated actions build and destroy habits, not just in our sense appetites and wills, but also in our intellects” (To Think Things Through to the End, Christopher Blum). Real investigation and study takes work and time to think things through, to reason and discern with the human conscience and morals so our intellect and soul takes in the information more deeply and surely. While AI may provide information, it does not actually educate, which requires rational thinking, reasoning, and discerning.  “Wisdom of heart “cannot be sought from machines, … it goes in search of those who are worthy of it (Antique et Nova, 114, Wis6:12-10).  St Pope John Paul II further addressed this by saying, “the search for ultimate truth seems often to be neglected” and “it can be said that present-day man does not think things through to the end”. Using AI habitually can lead to spiritual or intellectual laziness if we are not careful.
While AI can be a very effective tool, at times it can produce faulty wording, and even at times use faulty information that others uploaded on purpose to misrepresent the truth. A careful eye is necessary. A healthy example of using AI for spiritual matters would be to ask AI where to find a specific topic in the Bible and then use that to look it up yourself and then read before the verse  and after it, along with the scriptural commentary that goes along with it.  It would be unhealthy to ask AI what the Catholic Church teaches on a subject without investigating the source it used or questioning its wording, and even worse use this information to teach without investigating it.
In the end using AI is a technological advancement to be used responsibly as a tool, not as the end of truth itself nor as a replacement for careful personal thinking, reasoning, and discerning.
Links to more information:
https://www.usccb.org/news/2025/morality-ai-depends-human-choices-vatican-says-new-document
https://whatweneednow.substack.com/p/to-think-things-through-to-the-end (This is an article from my history professor at Augustine Institute.)
https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_ddf_doc_20250128_antiqua-et-nova_en.html
 

A: Everyone, let me say again: everyone goes through a cycle of ups, downs, and tranquil times in the spiritual life. There is no shame in the desolations (times of spiritual lows); all the great saints speak of it. At times, we can even grow more in desolation than in times of consolation (spiritually high moments). But discernment during both of those times is crucial to our growth.

I just finished a class with Fr. Timothy Gallagher on how to teach Ignatius of Loyola’s 14 Rules on the Discernment of Spirits. When we say spirits, what is Fr Gallagher speaking about and what rules is St Ignatius speaking about? By spirits he means mainly the enemy and his actions, ourselves and our thoughts and actions, or God and His helps.  There are 3 steps that help us in spiritual discernment with St Ignatius' 14 rules: 
 1) become aware, 2) understand to some extent the different movements caused in the soul and 3) to act to receive the good, and to reject the bad. 
These steps and the 14 rules help us discern the enemy’s tactics, understand how God is helping us, and understand our own temptations, failures, and growth. We all go through cycles of desolation, tranquil times, and consolations. We use the three steps above along with 14 rules that St. Ignatius has given to our Church in discernment to grow in the spiritual life toward God.
Here is a short summary of St Ignatius'14 rules for Spiritual discernment:

1. People going from mortal sin to mortal sin, the enemy proposes pleasures to them to lead them to imagine sensual delights so they grow in vice. God uses a contrary method, He stings and bites the conscience of moral judgement to help them draw away from vice.
2. People intensely purifying their sins rising from good to better: The enemy bites, saddens, and places obstacles, disquiets with false reasons, so the person may not go forward. God gives courage, strength, consolations, tears, inspirations and quiet, eases and takes away all obstacles to the person may go forward doing good.
3. Spiritual consolation: interior movement that causes inflamed love of God. An increase of hope, faith, and charity, and joy attracted to heavenly things, quieting it in peace in God.
4. Spiritual desolation: disturbance in the soul and movement to worldly things. Disquiet from agitations, temptations, lack of confidence, without hope, love, finds the self slothful and sad as if separated from God.
5. In times of desolation never make a change from decisions made when in consolation.
6. While in desolation, it is very advantageous to do more prayer, meditation, examination, and extending self in suitable ways of doing penance.
7. One in desolation should consider how the Lord has left him in his natural powers, what it feels like to have intense grace taken but leaving sufficient grace, and to realize he can resist enemies agitations and temptations in God’s sufficient grace.
8. Let one in desolation work in patience and think he will soon be consoled using rule 6.
9. Three causes of desolation: 1) tepid slothful or negligent in spiritual exercises 2) Trial to let us see how much we are and extend ourselves to His service and praise without payment, 3) Gives us true recognition and understanding that it is not ours to attain or maintain consolation but a gift of God.
10. One in consolation should think how he will conduct himself when desolation will come.
11. One who is consoled should seek to humble himself thinking how little he is capable of in time of desolation. One who is in desolation should think he can do much with God’s sufficient grace.
12. The enemy acts weak when faced with strength and strong when faced with weakness.
13. The enemy wishes his persuasions and temptations to you to remain secret and not be revealed wanting you to keep it to yourself. If a person reveals them to a good confessor it weighs on the enemy who perceives not to succeed since his deceit is revealed.
14. The enemy attacks you at your weakest points.  

Keep an eye on the bulletin for more information the Ignatian Discernment of Spirits Study coming in Fall 2026!

There are 5 precepts or necessary minimums in the spirit of prayer and moral effort, in
the growth in love of God, and neighbor that each Catholic must do (CCC2042-3):
1) to attend Mass on Sundays and other holy days of obligation and to refrain from work and activities which could impede the sanctification of those days.
2) to confess one’s sins, receiving the Sacrament of Penance at least once each year.
3) to receive the Sacrament of the Eucharist at least once a year during the Easter season.
4) to abstain from eating meat and to observe the days of fasting established by the Church
5) to help to provide for the needs of the Church, obliged to assist with the material needs of the Church, according to ability.
Sunday mass sanctifies the day commemorating the Resurrection of the Lord as well as the principal liturgical feasts honoring the mysteries of the Lord, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the saints by participating in the Eucharistic celebration, in which the Christian community is gathered, and by resting from those works and activities which could impeded such a sanctification of these days” (CCC2041).
It is understandable that we need to work to sustain ourselves and our families. But, once a week, especially to commemorate the Resurrection on Sunday, we need to give thanks for all we have been given to include our means of providing for our families. It puts in order where our trust is, in God for all things above all things. It is so important that it is one of the first three commandments. To make it even more accessible because of the importance of going to mass, Fr Robert has set up for our parish five different masses, Saturday night 5pm, Sunday at 8:30am, 10:00am, 11:30am and 6pm.
Without the precept reminder of the mass and its thanksgiving it becomes easy to think our trust is in things over God who provides all things. Christ's presence in the Eucharist sustains the Church, as we heard in Tuesday's mass readings in Ephesians 2:19-22, Christ and His life is the capstone that holds our Church together. Through the Eucharist we grow similar to how everything needs the sun. Even if we do not or cannot receive Him at mass, He is there reaching out like rays of Divine Mercy holding us together and healing us through HIs presence. Mass and especially the Eucharist reminds us we are made in communion for each other made in the image of our Triune God radiating HIs presence we receive. Mass obligation on Sunday sets our priority of trust and thanksgiving for the week coming ahead so that no matter what befalls us we lean on God knowing He is our all in all. Jesus we trust in You. 
​

​Lately I have been asked by more than a few people from our parish about gender dysphoria and same sex attraction with those we love and how to understand or respond to it. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that people affected by these “tendencies are not negligible” and that it is a “very real trial for them”. We are further taught that they “must be “accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity without unjust discrimination” (CCC2358).  Through God's loving guidance in the Church and her teaching we have resources to help our loved ones live a life that God has called them to live. 
The following are Catholic articles, Lansing Diocese information, and resources you can click on and read if you desire more information on this topic. The information is titled in black below with the website you can click on underneath. I hope this helps. May God bless us everyone.

   1. "Courage International", A Roman Catholic apostolate for people who experience same sex attraction, and Encourage: support for family members of same sex attracted people.  These sites are also on Diocese of Lansing website, see below. You may have to copy and paste this first one. 
      https://couragerc.org
      https://www.dioceseoflansing.org/news/read-truth-love-introducing-courage-and-encourage
​
   2. “Theological Guide on the Human Person and Gender Dysphoria” – Diocese of Lansing: https://www.flipsnack.com/dolmi/theological-guide-the-human-person-and-gender-dysphoria.html
   3. Bishop Boyea: “Policy on the Human Body as a Constitutive Aspect of the Human Person”:     https://www.dolcloud.org/index.php/s/wawjQk0CkHv6bZD#pdfviewer

   4. Diocese of Lansing: “Policy on the Human Person and Gender Dysphoria”:      https://www.dioceseoflansing.org/news/love-truth-authentic-happiness-new-policy-human-person-and-gender-dysphoria

    5. Bishop Barron: “Tolerance and Making Distinctions”:  
    https://faithmag.com/love-tolerance-and-making-distinctions

    6. Catholic Support Group:      
    [email protected]. 

    7. Parents of Children with Gender Confusion:     https://catholictimescolumbus.org/news/hannah-heil/support-group-helps-parents-of-children-with-gender-confusion

    8. Catechism of the Catholic Church: CCC2357-2359    
https://www.usccb.org/sites/default/files/flipbooks/catechism/568/

    9. Faith Magazine – Bishop Boyea: Our Bodily Integrity as Human Beings (see below):

A: The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a sacrament of healing in unity. A sacrament is a visible sign of an invisible grace. Sacramental grace in Reconciliation is a gift of God that flows through His Church and her priests. Jesus told his Apostles: “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained” (Jn 20:23). Our bishops are the direct successors to the Apostles and, together with their priests, they share the same mission and sacramental powers given to the original Twelve. Additionally, Paul reminds us that priests are God’s ambassadors, that Jesus works through them in a special way through the sacraments to bring us His grace. Paul says of priests, “We are ambassadors of Christ, God making His appeal through us. We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2Cor5:20).
While Jesus gave priests and bishops the authority to forgive sins, in most cases He did not also give them the ability to read minds. In order to offer sacramental absolution, it is necessary for priest-confessors to be made aware of the penitent’s sins. This typically happens through a spoken confession.
Confessions spoken aloud give the penitent the opportunity to express real contrition and to acknowledge their sin. Additionally, one requirement for absolution within the sacrament of reconciliation is true sorrow for our acts and a resolve to avoid sin in the future. Perfect contrition is when we confess out of love for God and neighbor, imperfect contrition is when we confess out of fear for our own salvation alone. God calls us to rise in love for God and others in perfect contrition, acknowledging our faults in humble need of grace. The grace we receive in Reconciliation helps us grow stronger in love and perfect contrition the more we frequent the sacrament.
Mortal sin requires this grace of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Mortal sin breaks unity with God and others, the grace of the sacrament reconciles us with God and neighbor. Venial sin weakens our unity and also should be confessed. The Sacrament of Reconciliation also gives us the grace to strengthen us against venial sin the next time we are tempted. If venial sin is not acknowledged and confessed in our lives, it can lead to mortal sin.  
We are made body and soul. God uses the whole person both visible and spiritual to heal and restore, as He presents Himself both visible and invisible through His Church. God calls us to unity through His Church. He works through His priests in a special way to shower His gift of grace on us to help us grow in love and unity. His priests are a visible sign of His invisible presence working toward that unity in love.