Pope Francis dedicated the catechesis of his Wednesday general audience to three Gospel texts that help us to enter into the mystery of one of the truths professed in the Creed: that Jesus “will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead”. The three texts are: the parable of the ten virgins; […]
A few years ago I was working in a small office of five or six people. Everybody in the office knew I was Catholic. It was hard to hide, considering I went to Mass nearly every day, a blessing afforded to me by the fact that my parish was one block away from the office. […]
Wolves prowl the streets of abandoned cities. Only prostitutes are left to take care of the elderly. War is looming. This is 2013 and the global population is aging. These are only a few of the alarming anecdotes retold at a conference last week. Decades of policies to reduce the number of people on our […]
It is the incoherence of the faithful and the pastors what undermines the witness of the Church. The apostles were simple people, but they were not afraid of anything or anyone. Those were the concepts at the center of Pope Francis’ homily during a Mass at the Church of Saint Paul Outside the Walls earlier […]
Please, open your heart and consider this situation. Brian Gadbois is a permanent deacon and his wife Nissa has just, as in today, given birth to their ninth child. A couple of years ago a dream that they had nurtured for many years came true when they purchased a foreclosed and abandoned farm property. As a […]
The French National Assembly voted for the text legalizing same-sex “marriage” and adoption by 331 votes against 225 on Tuesday afternoon. The Socialists were joined by the Greens, the Communist party and the Radicals and other leftwing groups, but also by Centrists and two members of the opposition UMP (ex-president Sarkozy’s party), in adopting what […]
Did any of you catch the recent “Princeton mom” flap? Princeton alumna Susan Patton, in an open letter to women attending Princeton, advised that they should find a husband in college–otherwise they’d wind up divorced from a not-very-smart man they’d meet later in life. (Ouch!) Then Kathleen Gerson fired back, countering that it’s objectively better for young women to marry later in life. And then Ross Douthat turned […]
There are strong feelings being expressed about church architecture today. It is my hope in writing these articles that the reader will feel empowered to think for himself and not feel obligated to follow directions established by art and architectural historians who intentionally and sometimes unintentionally use their ‘special’ language and terminology to make the […]
A healthy classroom engages students in a rich debate of ideas
Dr. Kermit Gosnell is on trial for his life in Philadelphia because of how he ran his medical clinic, the “Women’s Medical Society” at 3801 Lancaster. That impressive establishmentarian-sounding title belied a business which reflected the abortion philosophy lived to its fullest expression and logical conclusion. In the final analysis, the Gosnell case reveals much […]
One of my simple pleasures in life is reading Victoria magazine. The May/June 2013 issue features an article called “Destiny’s Detour.” The editors had asked readers to share stories of how their lives had turned out compared to what they thought life would hold for them when they graduated from high school or college. Victoria […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Acts 14:21-27; Psalm 145:8-13; Revelation 21:1-5; John 13:31-35) Loving Others as Jesus Has Loved Us I give you a new commandment… . As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. (John 13:34) They say couples who have been married a long time start […]
When last we met, we looked at Rerum Novarum, Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical which inaugurated modern Catholic social thought. We now continue our magical mystery tour by turning our attention to Pope Pius XI’s Quadragesimo Anno of 1931. Before we explore the major themes of this incredibly important document, however, it would serve us well […]
Two Mothers, and One More Until she squawked, preened her feathers and skittered away, I didn’t see her, As I jogged around the perimeter of the field On which my children played. I continued running, occassionally turning my head Making sure my little ones were safe And “boo-boo” free. During my second loop around the […]
Dustin, before we get started talking about the conjugal act of marital intercourse, why don’t you introduce yourself for a moment. Are you married? How many kids do you have? How do you bring home the bacon? What is Engaged Marriage? DR: Thanks for having me! I’m 33-year-old Midwestern who’s been married to my high […]
I do quite a bit of reading. Up until recently, I was convinced that paper books were the way to go. And then I thought an iPad would solve all my “I want to read it electronically” problems. Then, slowly, I started to think about how some of the “just like real paper” e-readers might be […]
Get this: Social media are making us ruder. According to Reuters, social media users face “an increase in rudeness online with people having no qualms about being less polite virtually than in person.” I think our rudeness began ticking up with the introduction of another technological innovation: the telephone. As phones became commonplace in American […]
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The Dark Night of the Soul (How does my love look when she sleeps?) How does my love look when she sleeps? She sleeps quietly, not snoring, Soon sighing as she is dreaming. When the nightmare and terror disturb That quiet surrender to peace, She stirs, moans, and cries out for Me. Her face distorts, […]
She’s fearless. She’s charismatic. She’s radiant. A modern evangelist, Annie basks in Christ’s love and shares it with a simple, winsome touch. A heart overflowing with love is a powerful testimony, I’ve learned. “We love because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19). Annie’s love spills over, mysteriously opening hearts long shut to God’s mercy […]
Do you ever feel competitive with your spouse? If you enjoy a friendly challenge involving word games, board games, or sports games, why not try a spiritual challenge based on advice from St. Paul? Although St. Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians contains his most well-known wisdom on love, his Letter to the Romans also teaches […]
I would like to look at the matter from a different angle. I don’t really want to focus on a biblical rationale for every aspect of the sacrament of confession, not yet at least. Instead, I’d like for us to ponder why it is fitting that God chooses to use priests in the forgiveness of sins through the confessional.
