What is your favorite food?
Mexican food
 
What is your favorite book?
A difficult question, but one that comes to mind is Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, which I like primarily because of the character of Levin, a real, sincere, guileless man through and through. He struggles with belief in God through most of the story but finds it quite beautifully at the end. Additionally, Tolstoy's lush descriptions of the Russian countryside and farmland is a delight to read and was the author's preferred part of the whole story. It serves as a remarkable apologetic for the agrarian way of life so under strain elsewhere in nineteenth century Europe and which in short order would come under particular scrutiny in Russia.
 
What is your favorite movie?
12 Angry Men because it is a powerful commentary on the importance of human life, of judging carefully and wisely, and of taking seriously what is entrusted to us. The Henry Fonda character is not extraordinary because he manages to singlehandedly save the whole world or put on display some stunning intellect. Rather, he sees it as his responsibility to simply give the young man accused of death in the case and likely being given a death sentence a fair shot at the benefit of the doubt. Not only does he do this, but he helps everyone else on the jury to see this too and give the best of themselves to this responsibility, most notably one deeply angry and hurt juryman.
 
Who are your favorite saints?
  • The Virgin Mary, most especially.
  • St. John Vianney, my confirmation saint, whose example of priestly parish ministry has for a long time been an inspiration to me merits a place on the list.
  • St. Robert Southwell, whose literary abilities as well as cruel martyrdom give testament to his deep love of Our Lord and His Church.
 
What is your favorite verse in Scripture?
 "If he gives his life as an offering for sin, he shall see his descendants in a long life, and the will of the Lord shall be accomplished through him. Because of his affliction he shall see the light in fullness of days; Through his suffering, my servant shall justify many, and their guilt he shall bear. Therefore I will give him his portion among the great, and he shall divide the spoils with the mighty, Because he surrendered himself to death and was counted among the wicked; And he shall take away the sins of many, and win pardon for their offenses." -Isaiah 53:10-12

What is your favorite thing about Jesus?
 I love His Divine Mercy, utterly and freely given. Jesus offers Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of mankind for no other reason than His infinite love and compassion. This gratuitous gift to me seems the most inspiring and consoling, revealing the sheer depth and majesty of His love, in which we are invited to participate in our own small way. It is perhaps necessary to point out that at the Fall, God could have permitted man to depart from the Garden and suffer the ill effects of his choice completely on his own or with some help and assistance from on high. Instead, God eschews both those paths, electing to Himself take man's form and thus sanctify even the suffering of his fallen condition. Thus, for the grieving, the broken, the sinful, the afflicted, the desperate, the despairing, the impoverished, the lost, Jesus bends down to each of them and says, "Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20). 
 
What is your favorite thing about being Catholic?
I love way of life that Jesus calls us to through His Church. A Catholic is not simply called to master himself, like the Stoics, simply for its own sake, but to do so in order to more fully render himself like unto Christ. To that end, the Catholic does not only read about and recall to himself who Christ was, but actively receives Christ Himself, His forgiveness, and His sanctifying grace through the Sacraments the Church gives. The path is not easy or trivial, but it is well worn by the steps of the saints, and because of their writings and counsel, one never lacks for instruction in the straight and narrow way.