A Baby’s Cradle with No Baby in it A baby’s cradle with no baby in it, A baby’s grave where autumn leaves drop sere; The sweet soul gathered home to Paradise, The body waiting here. Christina Rossetti
A friend wrote me: I’ve been talking to someone who is interested in what the Church teaches but has a BIG problem with the Church hierarchy. Basic argument: If we love God we keep His commandments. Keeping His commandments out of love is BETTER than keeping them out of fear. And following God’s rules are […]
We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders which he has wrought. He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children; that the next […]
The video produced by an abortion mill, Northland Family Planning Clinics, “Every Day, Good Women Choose Abortion” sought to persuade young women facing unwanted pregnancies that abortion is a “good” and “normal” decision. However, when two pro-life organizations, Center for Bio-Ethical Reform (“CBR”) and The Apologetics Group produced parodies of their video, the outraged […]
~As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.~ One of my favorite Biblical passages. We all know it. A simple, beautiful verse from Joshua. A path of service and generosity of spirit? It clearly assigns value to these. Yet when this path is chosen on a “full time” scale, it is denigrated […]
When Slate.com editor Allison Benedikt wrote last week that the pro-choice movement in America needs to stop being squeamish about sex-selection abortions and just accept it, I thought my head might explode, but ultimately I said nothing. One can only respond to so many outrageous things said by the abortion industry and its advocates, and […]
Sunday Morning The cat looks at The world outside its window The grass looks good for stalking in For hiding till ready to pounce at dragonflies and mice Tall brown trunks with green tops that flutter Seem so delightful for climbing Flying feathered creatures and small furry scuttling things Look playful and maybe tasty too […]
In 32 States We the People of the United States have managed to bring the issue of traditional marriage to a vote. So far we’re batting 1000. But if a State exists in the USA where same-sex-marriage might win approval from a majority of the voters, that electorate is out west in Washington. The culture […]
Today begins the U.S. Catholic bishops’ “Fortnight for Freedom,” a two-week period of prayer and social action organized in response to President Barack Obama’s contraception mandate. Rallies and prayer vigils for religious liberty are planned in nearly 100 dioceses across America. If the virtual blackout of last month’s anti-mandate lawsuits is any indication, though, national […]
If you have not seen the briefing paper from the Catholics for Choice (CFC) organization regarding the place of the Holy See in international politics, stop reading now and move on. It just isn’t worth your while to read garbage. But if you have and need some clarification, then you may want to learn about the […]
Fr. Carlos was a dear family friend and spiritual director for both Mark and I before and also after we were married. German-born, but having been stationed in Argentina for fourteen years, Fr. Carlos had an amazing German-Latino accent that was endearing and sometimes frustrating to those who didn’t know the origin of his unique […]
On the eve of the Fortnight for Freedom, there are those within the Catholic Church who are denying that the two-week observance has anything to do with the Church’s teaching on contraception and everything to do with upholding the First Amendment guarantee of freedom of religious expression. That’s a false dichotomy and misattribution of the […]
With Jennifer Kimball Watson. The Second International Patient Privacy Summit took place in Washington, D.C. recently. Dozens of leading experts gathered from across the United States to discuss how electronic health records can be protected from the numerous government agencies and private companies that want to collect, mine, and market them. (If you don’t yet […]
For children of anonymous sperm donors yearning for a connection to their biological father, the world can be an unwelcome place. Instead of meeting compassion, many say that society treats their pain with a dismissive or even hostile attitude – a rift caused by lack of awareness as much as by the brute force of […]
The rise of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and elsewhere in the Middle East has caused many Americans to reflect on that group’s stated ambition to impose worldwide the totalitarian,supremacist Islamic doctrine known as shariah. Particularly unsettling is evidence of the group’s goal in America, namely of “destroying Western civilization from within,” as documented in […]
Snow White and the Huntsman is a delicious, delightful, old-timey, coat-of-mail-clanking, halberd-swinging, plucky princess story that we’re already familiar with! The 21st century special effects make the film all the more nifty. Dark-haired Kristen Stewart (“Bella” in the Twilight series) plays Snow White with her trademark Kristen Stewart stillness and seriousness. Blonde-haired, Oscar-winning Charlize Theron […]
This week, summer is upon us. It is a time to relax and take life at a bit slower pace. Most children are out of school at this point and eager to have some fun. That fun can take many forms, including camps, or family vacations, or simply playing outside, reading a book, swimming in […]
Heroic deeds. Quiet sanctity. Courageous martyrdom. These virtues present themselves over and over again in the stories of the many martyrs for the faith. The movie in theaters now, “For Greater Glory,” awes the public with its gutsy stories of the religious and lay martyrs of Mexico, who chose horrible torture and death rather than […]
Fermi’s Question Answered They’ve come. They’ve come. They’ve found us, Those Earth-devoted visitors from space Or somewhere off the world apart and luminous, It may be in a time not present here or anyplace Why don’t they come to Earth, descend? Our leaders, soldiers, dignitaries wait With florid ceremonial, agreeable intent And speeches of the […]
During a presentation of the worldwide financial crisis three years ago, none other than Queen Elizabeth asked the best question “How come no one could foresee it?” She was not alone; the worldwide economic recession has upended many sacrosanct beliefs about how finance and economics really work. This country is currently in its worst economic […]
Bear with me here while I make a point. Vagina, vagina, vagina. There. I said it. The “V-word” has been typed repeatedly for effect, and of course, as expected, this gesture means exactly nothing. Because it’s not what you say, but how you say it and for what reason that really counts. Yet here in […]
In many respects, what is going on in Rio de Janeiro right now during the UN Conference on Sustainable Development is nothing other than the proverbial “blind leading the blind”. As countries hurry to make politically expedient and alarmist statements about climate change, the green economy and reproductive rights, very few delegations exhibit the poise […]
Many years ago, I was asked to give my personal testimony to a church. I would like to share some of what I said that day, and expand on it. It’s rather long, so I will break it up into parts. Please forgive my self-indulgence. I hope you find a kernel of truth from my experience to help […]
