As we all know, the end of the world is coming soon. No, I don’t mean the eschaton, the final event in which the Son returns all things to the Father. That will be, by all accounts, a very cinematic event, full of all sorts of special effects. It will be, no doubt, very entertaining […]
The Competition from Genesis 29-35 I. Listen, Judah, and try to understand: for seven years, Jacob served his Uncle Laban for his cousin Rachel’s hand and thought of no one else. It was her dark hair he felt against his cheek, her lips and body shaped to his, and the nape of her neck cradled […]
A few weeks ago I published an article entitled “Responsibility, Solidarity, and Healthcare,” its several points being: Covering routine, non-catastrophic healthcare increases costs and reduces access to healthcare in two ways a. it makes the health care cost more b. it makes insurance more costly The Catholic principle of solidarity means that we should not […]
St. Augustine said, “In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, charity.” What an excellent summary of how to live out a love of Freedom. A love of our own freedom, and a love of the freedom of others. And this freedom is not simply “religious freedom” or “political freedom” but a freedom in […]
Most reasonable people would agree that tossing a set of car keys to a drunkard is irresponsible even if the inebriated party manages to slur out a solemn pledge to drive carefully. That’s just common sense, right? So, what should we call a willingness to place the nation’s healthcare system in the hands of the […]
I am grateful to Your Majesty for your presence together with the Queen, and for the kind and deferential words with which you welcomed me, reviving in me the unforgettable gestures of kindness which I received during my previous Apostolic Journeys to Spain, and most particularly during my recent Visit to Santiago de Compostela and […]
Wizard A coyote running for the brush Behind a screen of sun-lit leaves Ginger-ivory, blur and flash, Through the trees it bores and weaves Wizard go and find your den Dogs have traced the scent of you, Enigma of the race of men The slavish kill the feral few If they catch the mark of […]
We have all heard, ad nauseam, about the so-called “greenhouse effect.” Even little children can tell you how the build up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere traps heat by increasing humidity and thickening the cloud layer. Except that it doesn’t — at least to the degree that the U.N climate models have been programmed […]
There is a well-known story about a young man throwing starfish out into the ocean. An older man walked by and asked him what he was doing. The young man replied that he was throwing the starfish out into the ocean so that they would not die in the heat of the sun. At that, […]
As the August 2 deadline for a debt-ceiling deal drew near, many expected a big deal that would significantly change the direction of federal fiscal policy. After weeks of tumultuous negotiations, partisan bickering, and impassioned histrionics, the agreement that finally emerged was, to put it bluntly, no big deal. Ironically, the most accurate assessment I […]
It happens every year: after weeks and weeks of summer break, there are times when I just can’t take one more minute of family “togetherness.” The bickering. The teasing. The incessant need to be entertained. Sometimes I let the kids out of the car at the bottom of the 500-foot driveway and make them run […]
Circus Glitter Spangles and glitter and flesh, Dazzles the eyes at the circus, Wearing red shoes and pink pearls Acting the clown to amuse us. Oh to live and to love like an artist I saw one long ago day, When I attended the circus In the darkness a gleaming ray. The music was worthy […]
Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments as follows: Tomorrow there will be a day-long symposium in Baltimore held by practitioners in the field of mental health who will make the case that society unfairly stigmatizes “Minor-Attracted Persons,” a.k.a. adults who are sexually attracted to kids. Run by a non-profit group, B4U-ACT, psychiatrists and others […]
Shattering Myths About Sex Selective Abortion One night in 1978 a student in Delhi’s most prestigious obstetrics program reported for his first delivery. Just then he saw a cat bound from the hospital room with a “thing…wet with blood, mangled” in its mouth. Unfazed, the doctors and nurses went on to perform more abortions than […]
“So while there’s nothing wrong with our country, there is something wrong with our politics, and that’s what we’ve got to fix.” Thus proclaimed President Obama in his first official trip outside the beltway in a month, having been confined to Washington, D.C. to deal with the debt crisis. Two days after Obama’s speech, Texas […]
A few days ago, I logged on to my Facebook account and saw a desperate plea for help. A husband left his wife and children. A concerned friend and Good Samaritan decided to request donations for the abandoned family. The message came soon after I talked with Joe Patch IV of Spirit & Truth Live […]
Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And […]
Because the persecution of Christians in the Islamic world is endemic, on its way to reaching epidemic proportions, I begin with this article a new series called “This Month in Muslim Persecution of Christians,” wherein some—by no means all—of the foulest instances of persecution that surface each month will be collated and assessed. The purpose […]
The persecution of Christians is being highlighted by an exhibition which has been organized as part of World Youth Day (WYD) 2011’s cultural program. The photographic and multimedia exhibition, “Persecuted Christians Today,” takes place in the Royal Church of Saint Jerome in Madrid from the 15th – 21st August, but a special preview was held […]
Butterfly Effect The little girl has caught the yellow swallowtail She holds it prisoner in a jar – Release it, child, release it soon Quickly, quickly It is the butterfly effect’s Epitome For when the wings have fluttered once The tides commence And when the wings have fluttered twice The ocean’s flood tide will return […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Isaiah 22:19-23; Psalm 138:1-3,6,8; Romans 11:33-36; Matthew 16:13-20) Opening Your Heart and Mind to God’s Gift of Revelation Oh, the depth! (Romans 11:33) Some remarkable humans have demonstrated the ability to free-dive to the depth of almost one hundred meters underwater—with no oxygen tank, fins, or […]
World Youth Day 2011 will be celebrated in Madrid from August 16th to 21st, 2011. The Theme for this year is: “Planted and Built Up in Jesus Christ, Firm in the Faith”— Saint Paul What is World Youth Day? It is a great worldwide encounter with the Pope which is celebrated every three years in […]
How ironic that as America debated its debt ceiling all summer and faced a stunning credit downgrade, the nation approached a most timely anniversary: It was August 13, 1981, that President Reagan signed the Economic Recovery Act. Understanding Reagan’s thinking 30 years ago is critical to discerning where we are now. Reagan’s initiative was the […]
The other day, I wiped the slate clean. Literally. In our prayer corner, we have a gray slate shingle that once belonged to the roof of the original Schoenstatt Marian shrine, the founding place of the International Schoenstatt Movement in Schoenstatt, Germany, by Father Joseph Kentenich in 1914. Some years back, local movement members salvaged […]
