Dear Reader, I have so many friends whose kids are either beginning or ending the orthodontia journey, I found myself revisiting the history of my own daughter’s mouth-capades. After 6 years of having some form of wire contraption glued in my daughter’s mouth (and us living off of mac & cheese, the clouds parted and […]
So plopping your preschooler in front of the television to gawk at “SpongeBob SquarePants” — a frenetic cartoon featuring scene changes every 11 seconds — impairs his attention span. Who could have guessed? This astonishing revelation comes courtesy of the Pediatrics journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The journal recently published a study showing […]
As Congress struggles to balance our out-of-control federal budget, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has officially put its oar into the debate. In an open letter to congress, the USCCB (along with Catholic Relief Services), told federal budget-crunchers exactly what programs they thought should be sliced from the budget. And, (surprise surprise) […]
There is One Being, Who knows Himself and sees Himself. He dwells in Himself, And from Himself sets forth. Glory to His name. This is a Being Who by His own will is in every place, Who is invisible and visible, Manifest and secret. He is above and below. This hymn was composed by Saint […]
Catholic scholars are up in arms about the latest interim rule issued by the Department of Health and Human Services, which is alleged to provide First Amendment protections to religious entities involved in health care, health insurance, and other programs impacted by the mandated distribution of contraception. In a letter signed by more than 20 […]
Really, how important are the words we use? Here’s what Jesus tells us in Matthew 12:36 & 37: But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will […]
Wheat and Weeds Wheat and weeds within me grow, Carrying on like friend and foe. Always mixing, always climbing, Rising up wherever I sow. Sturdy stalks and thorny limbs, Clashing in the yearly winds. Always touching, always fighting, Spurring virtues and rebellious sins. Wheat that only God can provide, Weeds that only sprout to divide. […]
Last week while thousands of children were outfitted in their “Sunday best” attire to attend memorial services for their parents, victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, some children in suburban Boston were learning a different lesson about America. A group in the bedroom community of Brookline was busy advancing its agenda to eradicate […]
Many years ago, I had an encounter with a coworker that would forever ignite a stronger desire to articulate Church doctrine in a clear practical manner. The story goes this way. I had recently finished developing a pilot Adult Education program for the Diocese I worked in at the time. The Bishop of the Diocese […]
So long as the West focuses on names and faces in the so-called “war on terror”—as opposed to focusing on ideas and motivations — so long will it possibly win battles, even as it slowly loses the war. [At] the ten-year anniversary of 9/11, we win another battle with the recent slaying of al-Qaeda’s number […]
Chapter 5 Mary is Ever-Virgin The perpetual virginity of Our Blessed Mother is frequently disputed by those interested in discrediting the Catholic Church. In this we find an unintended argument to prove the necessity of Mary’s perpetual virginity. It is logical to expect that someone interested in discrediting a kingdom would first try to cast […]
Prodigal No need of loaves to multiply, The wheat and oven I supply, Nor flesh compounded by My wish For many now the nets of fish But scarce as winds beneath the sea Master-perfect poetry, Rare as robins on the moon A singer who can sing in tune And so I will proliferate As loaves […]
Developing a new website or improving an old one can be a daunting task. There are so many things to keep in mind: the marketing message, the design, the words, the links, the navigation, the keywords, and more. It ain’t easy. Below are some “don’ts” that I recommend keeping in mind as you build or […]
I was ten years old on November 22, 1963, the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas, Texas. Forty-eight years later, every detail of what I was doing as the news unfolded on that infamous day remains vividly engraved in my mind’s eye. Every generation seems to have these […]
It has been over a year since I have written about the fragile condition of the European Union’s financial system. The financial crisis of a possible Greek default has been papered over since then, but now it is coming to a head again. Greece again is teetering on the brink of default. Last Friday, Greek […]
With my own voice I will call out to the LORD, and he will answer me from his holy mountai. (Psalm 3:5). Now the people complained bitterly in the hearing of the LORD; and when Moses heard it his wrath flared up, so that the LORD’s fire burned among them and consumed the outskirts of […]
A confusing article — to say the least — has been published by Catholic News Service: a puff piece on Labor Secretary Hilda Solis. From an August 30 interview: The office of Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis includes images of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a glass crucifix and a sculpture of Mary and Jesus. Her […]
The Perfect Storm St. Clare, The storm Is coming, St. Barbara, Keep them Well Yet Queen Of Angels Holy This is A taste Of hell. Tsunamis, Earthquakes Shatter, Unjust wars Man can Sell, But queen Of Angels, Holy Her Son Permits To quell If we could For His Glory All Charity Perform, Like Holy Mother […]
It’s the first day of school here at the Fenelon Clan Abode, and I made our high school sophomore a super-duper, extra-special, sunshine theme breakfast: Eggs in a basket with little mini-sun cutouts, sunshine drink (milk with vanilla, sweetener, and yellow food coloring), and yogurt parfait with bursting sun rays (peach slices arranged along the […]
Cardinal Raymond Burke, Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura in the Vatican, celebrated a Pontifical High Mass in the Extraordinary Form at the Marian Sanctuary in Knock County Mayo on Saturday the 10th of September. His Eminence was formally welcomed by the Parish Priest of Knock who hosted a private dinner for the Cardinal with a […]
Poor President Obama. All he wanted to do was deliver a jobs speech to Congress. How were he and his staff supposed to know that their chosen time and date happened to be exactly the same as that of a long-planned Republican presidential debate, where his aspiring rivals planned to highlight his failure to create […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Isaiah 55:6-9; Psalm 145: 2-3,8-9,17-18; Philippians 1:20-24,27; Matthew 20:1-16) The Importance of Knowing and Experiencing the Grace of God “The last will be first, and the first will be last.” (Matthew 20:16) These words can have a number of different meanings. For instance, we look at […]
Citadel It wasn’t just a place to name the animals To guard the Tree of Life To know the good of life and not the evil It was the citadel impregnable, a refuge of the trees A rampart of the oaks and tamarisks Walls and towers made of limbs and leaves There was a peace […]
An interview with Gavin O’Connor director of WARRIOR WARRIOR is a motion picture story about two bitterly estranged brothers who end up fighting in a cage for the mixed martial arts world championship. It is also about their relationship with their father, whom neither can forgive. The violence we see in the cage is visceral. […]
