The Chinese Ministry of State Security must have been asleep on the job. The email that appeared in my Inbox read: “It is better to be a criminal in China than a pregnant mother.” Now, I knew that women who get pregnant outside the state plan are often browbeaten or bullied into abortions and sterilizations. […]
What’s the most widely read literature of the 20th century? According to an informal, non-scientific poll (consisting of me and Mom, who happened to be talking about this on the phone), it’s not Pride and Prejudice, or The Lord of the Rings—it’s the cereal box. Now, obviously that’s not because packaging prose is particularly powerful. […]
A reflection on today’s Sacred Scripture: “I have told you this so that My joy might be in you and your joy might be complete.” (John15:11) Complete joy sounds unattainable in today’s world; after all, who really has it? People do. Jesus says it’s ours if we remain in His love by keeping His Commandments. As Catholics, […]
IN the beginning of the fourth century great levies of troops were made throughout Egypt for the service of the Roman emperor. Among the recruits was Pachomius, a young heathen, then in his twenty-first year. On his way down the Nile he passed a village, whose inhabitants gave him food and money. Marvelling at this […]
The Temple authorities cracked down on the Nazoreans. Peter and the Apostles were rounded up and brought before the Sanhedrin, the Jewish Supreme Court. The majority of its members favored a drastic sentence. It was the influential Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, respected by all the people, who took the initiative of securing their […]
Two anniversaries are coming up, one that inspires, one that reveals the depths of human depravity. Michael Clancy, a photojournalist, has spoken at National Right to Life Conventions, been interviewed by yours truly, and had [has] a story that fairly rippled through our collective conscience. You remember him, I’m sure, for the “Hand of Hope.” […]
The ancients knew we were made for it, we moderns are constantly seeking it: Happiness. It’s often associated with peace, rest, contentment, or completion. It’s the nunc dimittis we all hope to whisper at the end of our day. No matter who you are, where you are, it appears as the Lode Star for all human activity […]
This past Sunday in the continental U.S. mother’s everywhere were remembered and cherished by cards, calls and candy — not necessarily in that order or limited to those means of gratitude. I too am a mother and now a grandmother, but it wasn’t always so. The road to motherhood was deliberately delayed as I made […]
The announcement that the Church will beatify Pope Paul VI in October has led some observers to declare that Rome is intent on “canonizing” the Second Vatican Council by raising the Popes responsible for that assembly to the honor of the altars. Pope John XXIII who convened the Council was made a saint last month along […]
The Vatican had strong words for U.N. experts who accused the Catholic Church of torture because of its teaching on abortion. “The Holy See condemns the torture of anyone, including those tortured and killed before they are born,” said Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, Apostolic Nuncio at the United Nations in Geneva. For the second time this […]
Fourth Sunday in Easter Scripture from today’s Liturgy of the Word: Acts 2:14A, 36-41 A reflection on today’s First Reading: “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation!” (Acts 2:40) This verse in the Book of Acts brings an image to my mind of a street activist holding a sign with those words scrawled across it — […]
A Mother’s Golden Heart Even before the start Of life’s first dawning day I had a golden heart To guide me on my way Shining bright before me Golden as the sun Constant as the certainty Of the new day yet to come Gentle as the morning dew Upon the petals of the rose Patiently […]
Celebrate Mother’s Day a Different Way (Originally published in CL 5/7/13 With Mother’s Day approaching, like any modern day mom, I am looking forward to celebrating the day. I must admit, I love breakfast in bed, I love receiving the gifts, the flowers, the homemade cards. I particularly enjoy enjoying relishing in the graces of […]
Missionary priest, born at Tremeloo, Belgium, 3 January 1840; died at Molokai, Hawaii, 15 April 1889. His father, a small farmer, sent him to a college at Braine-le-Comte, to prepare for a commercial profession; but as a result of a mission given by the Redemptorists in 1858, Joseph decided to become a religious. He entered […]
Pope Francis continues his catechesis at the General Audience Wednesday morning in Saint Peter’s Square on gifts of the Holy Spirit. After having examined wisdom and understanding the last two weeks, this week he discusses the often misunderstood gift of counsel. The pope reminds us that “we must make room for the Spirit, so that […]
Imagine if there were a movement to normalize Body Integrity Identity Disorder instead of treating it (people with BIID are physically healthy but obsessed with amputation). A young woman suffering from BIID, let’s call her Amy, decides to make a video of her amputation. The video is not actually graphic, we only see her face […]
In my book Science Was Born of Christianity: The Teaching of Fr. Stanley L. Jaki, I used the word “veto” in the introduction. Like this: “To understand this claim is to understand why the Catholic Church has a legitimate right and authority to veto scientific conclusions that directly contradict divinely revealed dogma.” That word “veto” in […]
I keep a bust of Ludwig van Beethoven on the fireplace mantle in my home. It reminds me of the human capacity to overcome adversity to achieve great things. When I doubt myself in my own acquired disability of multiple sclerosis, I listen to Beethoven — particularly his 9th symphony — written in total deafness, […]
The movie Heaven Is for Real, based on the book by the same name, is the true story of four-year-old Colton Burpo who claims to have seen heaven. First off: Do not watch the trailer if you haven’t already! It’s a great trailer, but it gives away a bit too much. Second off: do see […]
Pi The admirable number pi: three point one four one. All the following digits are also just a start, five nine two because it never ends. It can’t be grasped, six five three five , at a glance, eight nine, by calculation, seven nine, through imagination, or even three two three eight in jest, or […]
Whenever someone insults us, we usually come tearing back, ready to defend our reputation, our honor, or whatever it was that we perceive was insulted. We might even grant that on some level we deserved the insult, but not from them. “Only God can judge me,”we say. But for as much as this is true, […]
My mother and stepfather were recently privy to a conversation between myself and a good female friend. Both of us are first time mothers navigating the trials and tribulations of our sons’ first years. Stealing a few minutes to enjoy some coffee and dessert while our husbands minded the boys in the next room, I […]
Both the 1932 novel Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and the 1997 science fiction movie “Gattaca” are classified as dystopias because they depict societies riddled with misery, tragedy, and a dehumanizing culture. Both attribute this decline in civilization to manipulations of human genetics and perversions of human reproduction. In Brave New World the traditional […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Acts 2:14, 36-41; Psalm 23:1-6; 1 Peter 2:20-25; John 10:1-10) Being Cut to the Heart by the Good News of Jesus Christ They were cut to the heart. (Acts 2:37) What a vivid image! But this is not the only place in Scripture where we see this […]
