A Silver Fence A silver fence invisible A wedding couple will contain Although their rings perceptible Guard the fingers of their veins Christ the shepherd wedding guest Rings them in the sanctuary Where the Eucharist is blessed, The sheepfold of fidelity Rings of silver need require On the fingers of the heart Nothing round against […]
We continue our reflection on the mysteries of the rosary as a means of entering more deeply into the sacred mysteries made present in Holy Mass with an examination of The Glorious Mysteries. 1. The Resurrection of the Lord And in the end of the Sabbath, when it began to dawn towards the first day […]
Pope Pius XII and World War II The Policies and Politics of Pope Pius XII: Between Diplomacy and Morality, by Frank J. Coppa. New York: Peter Lang, 2011. 205 pages. Paperback. ISBN 978-1-4331-0521-0. $36.95 Dr. Frank J. Coppa is a history professor at St. John’s University and has authored a number of books on the […]
When most people think of Roma Downey, they think of angels due to her long-standing role as Monica in Touched by an Angel. It will probably come as no surprise that she is the executive producer of an exciting new DVD series for children called Little Angels. She took a few minutes out of her […]
There’s a widespread impression that the international financial system which the United States and its friends put in place after World War II is breaking down. The old system may of course be patched up and limp along for some time to come, but sooner or later something else will take its place. What that […]
If my email is any indication, the great divide in our nation is not between the haves and the have-nots, but between the literate and the folks who never learned the difference between there, their and they’re. Trust me, they’re out there, spouting off their strongly held opinions and punctuating their diatribes with veiled threats […]
While loitering in a parking lot this past Sunday morning waiting for a store to open, I watched as car after car arrived at the local sports bar. Humans clad in red shirts with white numbers or white shirts with red numbers piled out and headed inside. Sports aficionado’s will immediately recognize those colors and […]
On its website the Catholic News Service identifies itself as “an editorially independent and financially self-sustaining division of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.” Why it can be a division of the USCCB, and still be editorially independent is not clear. Nevertheless, it is the voice of the national bishop’s conference in this country, […]
YES, I KNOW NOVEMBER (for All Soul’s Day) Yes, I know November The tolling of the bell, The whispers of the suf’ring souls From mountain top to dell. The chilly, gray, damp mornings The rusting of the leaves, The whispers of the suf’ring souls Like moans from one who grieves. And in the windy noon-time […]
Is it better to be an ex-Catholic or cultural Catholic? An ex-Catholic is on the outside of the fullness of faith while a cultural Catholic is on the inside but not getting it–or rather not accepting it. An ex-Catholic has left a church he probably didn’t understand. Otherwise, he would not have walked away from […]
Thursday, Oct. 27, 2011, was a giddy day for European politicians and global investors. European Union officials announced a plan for addressing the EU’s worst financial problems. There would be a partial write-down of Greek sovereign debt—a 50 percent haircut for private bondholders, but no haircut for governmental creditors (the political class looks after its […]
For too long government-run systems have dominated American primary and secondary education. As innovations of the past two decades such as charter schools and vouchers prove, parents, children, and society benefit when government promotes rather than stifles educational reform based on choice and competition. Add to the mounting evidence another success story: St. Martin de […]
To what extent was Egypt’s Maspero massacre, wherein the military literally mowed down Christian Copts protesting the ongoing destruction of their churches, a product of anti-Christian sentiment? A video of Egypt’s Grand Mufti, Sheikh Ali Gomaa (or Gom’a), which began circulating weeks before the massacre, helps elucidate. While holding that Muslims may coexist with Christians […]
When discussing the Catholic priesthood, many questions need to be considered. First and foremost, we must ask ourselves where the idea of the priesthood comes from in the Scriptures. Contrary to the ideas of our Protestant brethren, the idea of the ministerial priesthood is clearly enunciated within the New Testament. Indeed, if there is no […]
Over the years, I’ve worked with numerous business owners who have spent a considerable chunk of change building their websites. Then they sit back and wait for results … but the results are often less than stellar. The owner is discouraged and thinks all this Internet marketing stuff is a bunch of hooey. It’s not […]
What would have happened if, during the Cold War, Soviet intelligence had been responsible for training Americans charged with countering communist aggression? Surely, we would not have defeated the USSR. Perhaps, instead, Kruschev’s boast that his nation would dance on our graves would have been realized. It should, therefore, be profoundly alarming that, today, the […]
For Jerry My Host laid down a carpet of the softest leaves, He gave me those to travel on, I was fatigued, If they not fallen then it would be hard To walk along that forest pathway heaven-ward – Mostly poplar, gold and rust, and then some red, Crimson sumac leaves on which the sun […]
At UN headquarters [last] week, governments dismissed a high level UN bureaucrat’s claim that abortion is a human right and went so far as to scold him for overstepping his mandate. The Special Rapporteur for Health, Anand Grover, presented his report to delegates of the UN Third Committee linking unrestricted abortion with the right to the […]
According to a local Coptic leader in Egypt, “Christians are currently experiencing their worst time in recent centuries.” This statement was made by the Coptic Orthodox Bishop Stephanos of Beba and Elfashn to international Catholic pastoral charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). As he described, Christians are being violently killed under the eyes […]
Contrary to Luther’s misconception (see Part 1 ), humility is in reality wise, while pride is foolish. St Alphonsus tells us that “no fool esteems himself foolish, but his folly consists in being a fool without knowing it.” Luther was so foolish that his own pride appeared to him as wisdom. Luther seemed to go […]
With the start of Advent, Catholics begin using a new translation of the Mass. Along with this there are two brand new texts for a Mass “For Giving Thanks to God for the Gift of Human Life.” This is the result of a long process that actually started with Cardinal John O’Connor of New York […]
In the past week a powerful pro-life photo featuring a child with Down syndrome has started circulating around Facebook. The image shows the smiling child holding a sign declaring that he is the “10%” of children with Down syndrome who managed to survive abortion after Roe v. Wade. “I am God’s handiwork and I bear […]
Pierre’s Pockets The beginning of Wisdom Is Fear of the Lord, So Wisdom with age? I’ve seen no accord. So you’ve lived many decades Seen the world more than twice. But what have you learned? That sinners are nice? That sinners eat And sinners drink And sinners read And sinners think! And sinners have Sincere […]
