Presented in cooperation with Greg Schlueter and JP2Journey.com: The JP2 Generation Tells Its Story, remembering World Youth Day 2002 and the impact of Pope John II. Part Five, Fr. Chris Singer God’s ways are mysterious and marvelous. I had the great honor of attending World Youth Day 2002 in Toronto. And it was there that […]
Monday, April 4, 2011 marked the 43rd anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s tragic death. Cut down in his prime by an assassin’s bullet, Dr. King’s legacy is one of perseverance, bravery, and sacrifice. He was a man bold to stand against a culture steeped in racism and institutionalized prejudice. He was a man […]
President Obama’s recent explanation for militarily engaging Libya is yet another example of how U.S. leaders increasingly rationalize their policies via sentimental and idealistic platitudes, rather than reality or the long view—or just plain common sense. In a speech replete with moralizing intonations, Obama did manage to evoke U.S. “interests”—six times—though he never explained what […]
The Thomas More Law Center announced [Wednesday] that it has filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan against the City of Coldwater on behalf of the Common Sense Patriots of Branch County and two of its members, Barbara Brady and Martin Lepper, alleging that the City’s recent […]
Symbols in a Second Coming Fingertips on a tabletop, drumming time to music tapped into this life we know to be anything but always, all, or only true. How can we stop the symbols in a second coming with sounds and moving pictures of what will be beyond the scope of Hubble or horo- scopic […]
My Mom and Dad are exactly the sort of people you’d love to go on a road trip with. If you happen to be a Benedictine monk. Just kidding, of course. Even Benedictines find Mom and Dad a little austere. Most notorious of their ascetic proclivities is the (in)famous “iron-bladder” straight-through policy. If a trip […]
A few years ago, our pastor talked to us during homily about receiving the Eucharist reverently. He noticed that more and more receive communion than ever before with very few being conscience of the sin in their lives. Fewer are coming to confession, he said, yet are coming up for communion. Sin has taken a […]
Outbreaks of violence in key regions of South Sudan will not block the path to independence, according to a Catholic leader who has called on the government to address the “root causes” of the conflict. Auxiliary Bishop Daniel Adwok Kur of Khartoum highlighted the “large amounts of violent incidents” in South Sudan, which is preparing […]
The military intervention in Libya by the United States and NATO offers new evidence that the just war theory stands in need of rethinking. The theory is fine as far as it goes. The problem is it doesn’t go far enough. People who say the just war theory should be scrapped because modern warfare makes […]
The budget deficits from the first two years of the Obama administration are of sufficient magnitude to spring Dr. “Billions and Billions” Carl Sagan from his grave. Sagan could sue for copyright infringement for misuse of astronomical numbers. On second thought, the figures now being bandied about are in the trillions, which no doubt would […]
Sometimes, when a major feast is approaching that requires a lot of preparation, it can be a bit difficult to think past it, to the preparations that are needed for what comes next. But we must not make that mistake with Easter and Divine Mercy Sunday, because, as momentous as the celebration of Easter is, […]
You should put each and every one of your sale events on your website and make them easy to spot. This may seem like a no-brainer, but it isn’t unusual for retailers to build a website and then just let it sit there unused. I have often become interested in a product from a broadcast […]
A couple of weeks ago a family friend (we’ll call him John) took me by surprise with an unexpected question, “Do you mind if I go to church with you on Sunday?” Mind? Are you kidding me, I thought. I was thrilled! Then came the next question — one that was entirely predictable but ended up […]
Editors Note: The four previous article spoke of Lent as a time to “open wide our hearts to Christ”, a time “to listen to God’s voice”, a time “to repent in words and actions” and a time to “pray for miracles.” In works of charity one offers fine flour, and when he gives alms he presents his […]
In 2008, the Toronto Sun reported that “hundreds of [Greater Toronto Area] Muslim men in polygamous marriages — some with a harem of wives — are receiving welfare and social benefits for each of their spouses, thanks to the city and province, Muslim leaders say.” “Polygamy is a regular part of life for many […]
All the women I know fall into one of two categories: those who can graciously accept a compliment and those who would rather grout tile than graciously accept a compliment. And, of the women I know, there are really only about three who would be able to graciously accept a compliment. That means that pretty […]
Today we travel outside the walls (Fuori le Mura) of Rome to visit the Basilica of Saint Paul. This is one of the four major basilicas of Rome. Now known as a papal basilica, this was known as the patriarchal basilica associated with the ancient see of Alexandria. You may recall we visited another former […]
When Pastor Terry Jones, 59, announced an intent to burn a Koran on the anniversary of 9/11 in 2010, the U.S. government, fearing attacks on American troops abroad, put intense pressure on him to desist and eventually he called off his plans. Jones, however, did not cancel the ceremonial judgment of the Islamic scripture – […]
Today a federal judge ruled that Spartanburg County School District No. 7 did not violate the Constitution by allowing students to earn elective credit for released time courses. U.S. District Court Judge Henry Herlong issued an emphatically worded order in Freedom of Religion Foundation v. Spartanburg County School District No. 7, holding that the District’s […]
The other day, my three-year-old son observed, “Churches have crosses on them.” I looked up, surprised at the connection he had made. Daringly, I decided to push my luck and asked him, “Why do churches have crosses on them?” Astonished, I heard his answer: “Because it’s a sign. It’s a good sign.” I was partly […]
The cold weather in recent months seems to have brought a flurry of news stories about embryos. In October the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to the inventor of in vitro fertilization. In November the journal Human Reproduction published a study in which researchers at the University of Barcelona implanted silicon […]
The Libya situation is complicated. I envy no president stuck with the task. Among the complexities, the most daunting unknown is what’s behind the opposition. We would all like to see Moammar Gaddafi tossed to the ash-heap of history, but the rub is who, or what, would replace him. What a tragedy it would be […]
The crime alone was heinous enough. According to police in Cleveland, Texas, an 11-year-old girl there was gang raped six times last fall by a total of at least 19 assailants, some of them boys, some of them ex-cons more than twice her age. Her assailants documented their attacks using cell phone videos and photos […]
Abortion, family planning, and sexual education will be vigorously debated in the upcoming UN Commission on Population and Development. The theme of this year’s commission is “Fertility, Reproductive Health and Development.” The initial draft of this year’s outcome document was released last week and as expected, the text is rife with references to sexual and […]
