Talking with my sister-in-law, a maternity ward nurse, the other day about the new Health and Human Services mandate (HHS), I was curious about how things are going since she works at a Catholic hospital. She told me her hospital is totally orthodox and performs no procedures that would hurt or prevent or end life at all. […]
A few years ago, we lost our DVD of Monsters, Inc. (2001, PIXAR) in a basement flood. It was a small disappointment, and every once in a while our kids mentioned how much they would like to see it again, but it was one of those back-burner “wants.” This Christmas season, we bought a copy and […]
I am here today to address those of you who have already made up your minds to redefine marriage. History will not be kind to you. Previous generations of social experimenters have caused unimaginable misery for millions of people. Particular people advocated the policies that led to today’s 50% divorce rate and 40% out of […]
Anada Mary Kuboushek went home to be with the Lord on Thursday, January 26, 2012. She was bornDecember 31, 1919. That makes her 92 years old. You don’t know her. I barely knew her. But I loved her. Anada lived across from my parish church, St. Michael’s Catholic Church inPrior Lake, innesota. I have been […]
Today, in “Annie’s Mailbox” newspaper column, a woman who admitted having no desire for children wrote: “Babies are messy, leaky, smelly and noisy, as well as demanding and expensive.” The woman is accurate. It is not logical to have a child. A baby will drain your bank account and rob you of sleep. It will […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Leviticus 13:1-2,44-46; Psalm 32:1-2,5,11; 1 Corinthians 10:31–11:1; Mark 1:40-45) Knowing and Experiencing the Healing Touch of Jesus “He remained outside in deserted places.” (Mark 1:45) This man wore no shackle or chain, yet he lived every day in solitary confinement. Afflicted with leprosy, he was bound by […]
You may think you have a religious vocation, but do you? A recent post on a Catholic social media website warned of three faulty motivations of those who were attracted to religious life. The post said that the candidate might see religious life as 1) a refuge from a hostile world, 2) an attraction to […]
The 2012 Sundance Film Festival welcomed the premiere of Filly Brown, the directing debut of Youssef Delara and Michael Olmos. Majo Tonorio (a.k.a. Filly Brown) is an aspiring hip-hop musician from the tough streets of Los Angeles. After pairing up with a talented DJ, Majo cuts a recording with a small-time promoter before catching the […]
The problems of euthanasia and end-of-life issues are extremely complicated ones, and trying to solve these problems through legislation is often difficult. While the intentional killing of an innocent human being is always morally wrong, one cannot deny that there are real-world cases where the line blurs between what is permitted and what is not. […]
In His Place III Along the path up Calvary I looked for you but couldn’t see You in the crowd that followed me Up the road to Calvary. I stopped my step and looked around At all the faces, but never found You by my side while I was bound To my cross and thorny […]
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is the story of a boy who loses his father in the Twin Towers on 9/11. Oskar Schell (Thomas Horn) seems to have Asperger’s syndrome, and his dad (Tom Hanks) was the only one who really understood his brainy but socially awkward and phobia-ridden son. Oskar’s relationship with his mother […]
I’ve said it for years: While we pro-lifers have been busy trying to change the laws, the other side has been busy changing people’s hearts. Never has this been more apparent than in the about face displayed this week by Susan G. Komen for the Cure. On January 31, 2012, the Associated Press reported that […]
Anyone who is not yet married give a little cringe when hearing the words of St. Paul in the second reading of the Mass this past Sunday, taken from 1 Corinthians, Chapter 7:32-35. Basically, the advice of St. Paul is to remain unmarried because to marry is a distraction to focusing on the things of […]
Humor me for a moment and just imagine if the following purely fictional (at least as of this writing) HHS press release was issued: Affordable Care Act Ensures Elders Receive End-of-Life Services at No Additional Cost WASHINGTON—The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced today that it is adopting additional Guidelines for Elder Care […]
She arrived pink and plump, sporting a full head of cotton-soft brown hair and that intoxicatingly sweet scent that only newborns have. All gurgles, whimpers and tiny yawns, her delicate fingers gripped mine as I thought of all the things I wanted to give this brand-new baby girl: love and security, freedom, opportunity and the […]
After confusion spread Friday in the wake of further statements from the Susan G. Komen Foundation on its decision to defund Planned Parenthood, pro-life leaders are calling upon the pro-life community to respond with prayer and vigilance in the days and months ahead. The Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) ignited a media firestorm against […]
Recently, my wife, LaRee, and I addressed about 75 Christian medical students who came from across Canada’s three western provinces to hear us. We spoke about our sorrows and grief that have accompanied our twenty-eight years living with chronic, degenerative multiple sclerosis. We shared insights we have gained from our Christian perspectives. I spoke about […]
For the past several years, it is positively maddening to shop during the month of October. I really do love the color pink—in roses especially, and we had a pink living room once, and of course both of our girls went through the pink princess stage—but seeing those pink ribbons, pink Cheerios boxes, balloons, NFL […]
The whole idea behind edgy, independent films is that by prying themselves from the commercial grip of major studios, filmmakers finally have the freedom to tell the truth. Sometimes this works. Last year’s The Redemption of General Butt Naked and Higher Ground were intense explorations of spiritual life. Both films were challenging in different ways, […]
Twenty-six years ago, on January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight,disintegrating over the Atlantic Ocean off the course of central Florida. All seven of its crew were killed, including the “Teacher in Space,” Christa McAuliffe. On this sad anniversary, it’s not space flight I want to talk about, […]
Last week in his State of the Union address, President Obama claimed to share President Lincoln’s opinion “that government should do for people only what they cannot do better by themselves, and no more.” I thought about that today while running errands and noticing that virtually every billboard in my town directs citizens to federal […]
Living Crib Make a manger of my heart, O Lord! Your skillful carpenter’s hands master Grace’s lathe and plane. Chiseled chips of fallen humanity, flash frustration Fly! Falling upon the soil of my soul, Softening it, creating a bed for beasts of burden to lay. Carve a cradle for yourself, my sweet Baby Savior. The […]
It’s a Girl: The Three Deadliest Words in the World is a documentary on the 200 million missing girls in the world today. Aborted, killed after birth or abandoned because they are girls. Deeply-rooted prejudice against girls and ill-conceived government policies against human beings produced this mass slaughter. I haven’t seen the film, but it’s […]
Did you know that our Holy Father wants you to have access to both forms of the Roman Rite Mass? Most Gen X and Gen Y Catholics only know one form of the Mass, but two forms are in use today: the Pauline (after Pope Paul VI) Usage or Ordinary Form (Novus Ordo or “Vatican Two […]
