Archive for October, 2013

John B. Tabb - Priest-Poet
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Tabb’s Poetry XXXIX

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Five poems by John B. Tabb.

Traditionalist, not Utopian
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Traditionalist, not Utopian

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Sometimes I think we traditionalists get far to caught up in the details of this or that crisis in the Church today that we forget why we are fighting. We become very much like the dystopians of the Old Testament. We aren’t fighting to restore some golden age. We are fighting to reach the golden age promised to the faithful in Heaven. If we can use the things of this world and this present age to reach that point, then even better.

New Movie: <i>Mary of Nazareth</i>
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New Movie: Mary of Nazareth

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I recently attended a sponsored screening of the new motion picture Mary of Nazareth, which has just been released by Ignatius Press. First off, let me tell you:  I loved it.  This full-length feature film about the life of Mary, the mother of God, was filmed in Europe and shot in English in high definition.  It […]

All Creatures Great and Small
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All Creatures Great and Small

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“The righteous care for the needs of their animals….” Proverbs 12:10 (NIV) Here at the Center for a Just Society we spill a lot of ink discussing issues that touch upon questions of human dignity and the sanctity of life. The guiding principle underlying our position on abortion, assisted suicide, euthanasia, elder abuse, and other […]

Alexander Hamilton Quote
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An Historical Aside on the Debt Ceiling

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The Confederation Congress could not tax, but it could borrow.

Health Care Law Takes Aim at Reducing Spending, But at What Cost?
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Health Care Law Takes Aim at Reducing Spending, But at What Cost?

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The notion at the heart of the Obama Health Law is that Americans spend too much money on health care, and if there were a way to reduce spending, there would be overall positive impact. However, two articles from the Washington Post out last week show that when Americans are forced to spend less money […]

The White Spider
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The White Spider

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My family usually accompanies me to Pro-Life events. My children are 6, 4, 2 and a baby to be born anytime now. Sometimes, at home, my four year old, who saw me sharing my testimony, brings me a piece of paper and says: “Mommy, that’s for you. You go talk to the people.” Anthony, My […]

Park Rangers
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Privatizing the National Park Service

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This recommendation will anger NPS employees.

Mercifully Killing Our Cat
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Mercifully Killing Our Cat

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A few days ago, a dear friend and fellow pro-life warrior Ione Whitlock, author of the Belbury Review blog, sent me this e-mail: I took my cat to the vet for a checkup. While I waited to be seen, I noticed an elderly couple apparently also waiting. We struck up a conversation. The woman was […]

Blood Brothers in Christ
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Blood Brothers in Christ

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Growing up, I always knew what I wanted to do for a living. I also had a ready list of things I would never pursue as a career. Carpentry, for one. I tended to have all thumbs when it came to hammers and saws and wrenches. Schoolteacher, for another. Not nearly enough patience. I wouldn’t […]

Levin’s Liberty Amendments: Struble’s Critique, Part Three
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Levin’s Liberty Amendments: Struble’s Critique, Part Three

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Go to Part 1, Part 2, Part 4, Part 5 You can’t manufacture a silk purse from a sow’s ear. With Mark Levin’s powerful first chapter we enthusiastically agree: the archipelago of Federal pigpens positioned around the country and headquartered in Washington, D.C. is breeding a boorish nation. The solutions proposed in Levin’s recent book, […]

The Real Deficit’s in Leadership
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The Real Deficit’s in Leadership

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“Man, this government shutdown is making America look foolish.” “I agree with you. I am certainly no fan of the shutdown. But the division in Washington is a reflection of the division in our representative republic.” “I think it’s a reflection of a total lack of leadership among our politicians in Washington.” “You speak the […]

The Moment of Choice: Recognizing Human Dignity in Difficult Circumstances
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The Moment of Choice: Recognizing Human Dignity in Difficult Circumstances

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In every country, at this very moment, women who have become pregnant — either because of decisions they made or as victims of assault through no fault of their own — are faced with making the choice of life or death for their child. Some of these women are financially stable, some are in financial […]

Government Shuts Down Catholic Services on Navy Base
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Government Shuts Down Catholic Services on Navy Base

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In the wake of the government shutdown, despite provisions in the Pay Our Military Act, Catholics at Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base in Georgia are being denied religious services. The Catholic priest who serves this community has been prohibited from even volunteering to celebrate Holy Mass without pay, and was told that if he violated […]

Transgendering Children
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Transgendering Children

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Groucho Marx used to tell of a man who went to see a psychiatrist: So you see, doctor, the problem is that my brother thinks he’s a chicken. Well, have you told him he’s not a chicken? No. Why not? Because we need the eggs! As the implosion of Western Civilization accelerates, the once unthinkable […]

Poem: "A Corymbus For Autumn"
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Poem: “A Corymbus For Autumn”

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A Corymbus For Autumn Hearken my chant, ’tis As a Bacchante’s, A grape-spurt, a vine-splash, a tossed tress, flown vaunt ’tis! Suffer my singing, Gipsy of Seasons, ere thou go winging; Ere Winter throws His slaking snows In thy feasting-flagon’s impurpurate glows! The sopped sun–toper as ever drank hard – Stares foolish, hazed, Rubicund, dazed, […]

A Mother's Blessing
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A Mother’s Blessing

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Five years ago, I stepped into a room to cover a news story for work. I was flustered because I was almost late getting there. I’m only going to be interviewing children, I thought to myself. It shouldn’t be a big deal. The session began. Fifteen children sat in a circle, an adult with them. […]

Pope Consecrates World to Immaculate Heart of Mary
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Pope Consecrates World to Immaculate Heart of Mary

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The Pope celebrated mass in St Peter’s square this morning in honour of the Marian Day, an event organized as part of the Year of Faith on the anniversary of the final apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima (13th of October 1917). He also consecrated the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. […]

Social Security Trust Fund
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SSA: Say What?

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Who’s zooming whom?

Is Christian Education an Oxymoron?
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Is Christian Education an Oxymoron?

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Today in many intellectual circles, Christians are viewed with condescension and derision. We are seen as naïve simpletons who lack the courage to accept the world at face value. We insist on weaving elaborate theologies and worshiping a God who is invisible because we are too weak to cope with the fact that existence is […]

Reflections for Sunday, October 13, 2013
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Reflections for Sunday, October 13, 2013

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Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (2 Kings 5:14-17; Psalm 98:1-4; 2 Timothy 2:8-13; Luke 17:11-19) Allowing Jesus to Heal us of Spiritual Leprosy Jesus, Master! Have pity on us! (Luke 17:13) Until recently, a diagnosis of leprosy was a death sentence—a long, slow sentence marked by physical deformity, social isolation, poverty, and […]

Poem: "Rather, I Wish to Blend"
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Poem: “Rather, I Wish to Blend”

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Rather, I wish to Blend Father of Heaven and earth, hear my cry. Let my words come to you pure, Not tarnished by selfish desires, Rather, pure of purpose and need. Let me cry out to you, my God, Of the needs in this simple life. Let my voice be heard. Let my needs be […]

The Ways of God for Fathers - Introduction
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The Ways of God for Fathers – Introduction

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Some years ago a group of men from my parish were providing escorts and security for an all-night Eucharistic Adoration vigil for life. I drew one of the wee hours. My relief didn’t show up, so I stayed on for some more hours. I brought with me a little book: The Ways of God by […]

On Unemployed Youth and Forgotten Elderly
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On Unemployed Youth and Forgotten Elderly

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There’s a great line in the book: Ten Dates Every Catholic Should Know, by Diane Moczar. In writing about the downfall of Rome, she quotes an historian’s description of the Roman Empire before its demise: “a terrifying sluggishness of the whole population.” For me, this phrase denotes aimlessness, a lack of motivation and initiative, a […]