At 7:08 pm Rome time, white smoke began billowing from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel indicating that the 115 cardinal electors of the Catholic Church have chosen a new Pope. The new Pope succeeds Benedict XVI, who resigned the papacy February 28. This election comes on the fifth ballot since the cardinals were first […]
Like many faithful Catholics, the resignation of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI left me feeling uncertain and deeply saddened. For a few days, I felt a little weepy and the wet, slushy weather fueled my winter blahs. With a heavy heart, I went to work each morning as a visiting nurse in the community. On one […]
As I write this in mid-March I look forward to soon being with two special families, who because of the depth of their love for a family member, found themselves in the midst of an international spotlight they did not seek, and a fierce conflict they did not shirk. They are the families of Terri […]
As countries are deadlocked over negotiations going late into the night at the UN Commission on the Status of Women, the US and European Union have played a deadly card. One that contradicts a foundational principle of citizens and civilizations worldwide, as expressed in the Declaration of Independence and the UN Declaration of Human Rights. […]
Today is an historic day in the life of the Church and the world; all eyes are on Rome, and in a particular way on a little chimney fixed atop the most famous chapel in the world. Today, or tomorrow, or perhaps the next day, a new shepherd of the one billion plus Catholics scattered […]
“Abraham you called to me, I am ready, Lord, what do you want of me? Take your son, your only son, your joy above all things, you shall journey up the mountain to the place of which I speak, you shall lay him on the altar, you shall give him back to me.” I have […]
Raw video footage shows unconscious women in saris being unloaded from a filthy plastic stretcher and lined up like butchers’ carcasses on the ground to recover from surgeries at a “mass sterilization camp” in India. The Indian television network, NDTV, aired the film in February, reporting that 103 women were sterilized by two doctors in […]
Born in Aquino, Italy, in 1225, at “the Roccasecca, the castle whose name means ‘dry rock or fortress’”, Saint Thomas Aquinas is thought to have been “one of the most powerful thinkers in the history of Western civilization”.[i] In 1231, Thomas was sent by his parents to the Benedictine abbey of Monte Cassino, “in the […]
To pursue, or to be pursued? That is the question. ‘Tis nobler in the mind to date until your breath is taken, or heart is broken… Dating – in the man-meets-woman, man-asks-woman-out way**- may sound outdated to those more liberated in their feelings. Instead, people get to know each other by hanging out and never […]
Some things come as a surprise and others do not. My family and I watched the first episode of The Bible, the History channel’s 5-part series, so it was no surprise to us that it premiered as the #1 cable telecast of the year and the #1 trend on Twitter. It was spectacular; just the […]
The media and pundits, as well as churchmen, use a lot of jargon that many ordinary readers, unaccustomed to romanità, the carefully encoded diplomatic language used by the Vatican and its cadre of experts, will not be familiar with. A lot of the writing leading up to the conclave is about the “priorities” of the new pope. […]
The Girl Scouts’ Law insists that Girl Scouts be “responsible for what I say and do.” When it comes to abortion, however, the Girl Scouts USA “says” the magic words that keep pro-life members in the fold (i.e. that Girl Scouts “does not take a position” on sexuality, birth control, or abortion). What they “do” behind the […]
Warriors, monks, Christians: the Knights Templar were all these things, but according to the pope they were also heretics. These knights for Christ had once been some of the most respected people in Europe and known as models of Christian virtue. But as the world began changing they incurred the wrath of kings and priests […]
4th Sunday in Lent, Cycle C “For our sakes God made him who did not know sin to be sin, so that in him we might become the very holiness of God” (2 Cor 5:21). Some Christians reading these words over the last few centuries have gotten the wrong idea. They’ve put this Scripture together […]
Fifth Sunday of Lent Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Isaiah 43:16-21; Psalm 126:1-6; Philippians 3:8-14; John 8:1-11) Receiving God’s Mercy and Forgiveness Neither do I condemn you. (John 8:11) Every day, we face condemnation, whether it be from an enemy, from a friend, from the devil, or from our own guilty consciences. […]
While getting my hair done recently, I flipped through one of those magazines I’d never buy but enjoy as a guilty pleasure every now and then. One page in particular caught my attention—a list of what’s currently “in” and “out.” I was pleasantly surprised to see that indoor dates are “out” while dates in the […]
Seventh Station Good Friday I can see Him now, coming up this way, Murmuring words no man can say. Worming his way along the path, He trusted all, all for their worth Broken, bleeding, he heard their pleading A mother in love, a Father above, Spittle flying, Love is dying. I hear crying. O My […]
March 6, 2013, Wednesday — Silence Silence, of a sort, has descended over the meeting of the cardinals in the lead-up to the Conclave. The American cardinals today canceled their scheduled press conference at the North American College — the NAC, as it is called, on the Janiculum Hill just above the Vatican. Cardinal Timothy […]
I just returned from a visit to the Memphis, Tennessee 40 Days for Life campaign and am getting ready for a trip to California, where there are currently 33 vigils — the most of any US state! 40 Days for Life has spread to many places, as God took this effort from Texas to 481 […]
Sixth Station Good Friday Come, all you who pass by. Can you hear them moan and sigh? Hot tears, bitter tears, All your fears, All those years, Were they a waste? I will not let it be a waste. Here, man, if you will not turn back, Here is a piece of my own slack, […]
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggesting there really were tears in Barack Obama’s eyes during his Sandy Hook press conference. After all, he has demonstrated utter contempt for human life from the very start of his career. Remember, this is someone who, as a state senator, tried repeatedly to decriminalize the murder of newborn children. […]
My Mother and Father School the Senate “All right,” said my mother, standing before the members of the U.S. Senate, “it’s time for you to get your act together.” “That’s right,” said my father. “You fools haven’t passed an annual budget in more than three years!” “What is this thing you call a ‘budget’?” said […]
