“Wherever the bishop shall appear, there let the multitude [of the people] also be; even as, wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.” -St. Ignatius of Antioch Pope Francis continues his catechesis this week going over what it means when we proclaim that the Church is both Catholic and Apostolic. In using these […]
The Single Hound I Adventure most unto itself The Soul condemned to be; Attended by a Single Hound— Its own Identity Emily Dickinson
Saint Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians about a year before he died in prison at Rome. In the letter he states concisely what he believes the human heart most longs for, that is, the meaning of life: “For to me life is Christ, and death is gain.” Paul wasn’t suicidal but he did […]
“But that’s not fair!” Most parents have heard this phrase umpteen times. The notion of fairness, also known as justice, is wired into us. It makes us aware that each of us has certain rights that need to be respected. But it also means that we each have duties. If others have the right to […]
St. Andrew Kim Taegon (1821-1846) was the first Korean-born Catholic priest. In the late 18th century, Roman Catholicism began to take root slowly in Korea, and was introduced by laypeople. It was not until 1836 that Korea saw its first consecrated missionaries arrive (members of the Paris Foreign Missions Society), only to find out that […]
Several noteworthy commentaries on the lack of quality Christian filmmaking in recent years are beginning to pose an awkward question for those of us who are both trying to be faithful Catholics and film aficionados. With a few bright spots since Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ like The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe […]
The Guttmacher Institute recently announced a study saying that as of 2012, 40% of pregnancies worldwide are unintended, and that this is not much different from 2008. Predictably, they also say that these “findings highlight [the] need for increased investment in contraceptive services.” Let’s break this down point by point: 1) What is “unintended,” exactly? The paper helpfully provides […]
I am a daughter of aging parents. While I don’t know the day or the hour, I know that the time is coming when I will need to walk with them on their final journey home. Death is part of life, and as a Catholic, I understand that it is the doorway to a different […]
Nowadays, there is much talk of “types” in dating. “He’s a nice guy, but he’s not my type.” “I don’t know a thing about her, but she is definitely my type”. Friends and family chime in as well because apparently they are in tune with your “type.” But what is a “type”? I have come […]
My wife, LaRee, never knew her maternal grandmother: Her name was Dora and she suffered from paranoid schizophrenia. Dora was institutionalized in a mental hospital in 1932 at 34 years of age. Eighty-two years ago the shame and stigma of having a family member in a mental institution was so great that few people in the family […]
At first glance, it may seem odd that social media places a premium on less. The internet makes vast amounts of information and images available instantly, yet Twitter limits “tweets” to 140 characters. Snapchat allows captions on photo and video message “snaps,” but the entire message disappears one to ten seconds after it is displayed. […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Isaiah 55:6-9; Psalm 145: 2-3,8-9,17-18; Philippians 1:20-24,27; Matthew 20:1-16) Bringing Glory to God by Our Thoughts and Actions Conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ. (Philippians 1:27) Paul speaks today about his desire to bring glory to Jesus by the way he thinks […]
Physician-assisted suicide, much like abortion and same-sex marriage, has become something of a cultural bellwether. Support for the right to end your own life indicates that you are a progressive-minded, compassionate person sensitive to the unique feelings and experiences of individuals facing terminal illness or chronic pain. It means you value the right of self-determination, […]
“Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:8). St. Paul’s love discourse is most associated with matrimonial love because it speaks of love’s permanence. It’s often the selected reading at weddings because it teaches the betrothed how to give of themselves and resolve differences by means of the greatest spiritual gifts: faith, hope and love. But since […]
Hospitality really isn’t having folks over for dinner or inviting ladies to tea (although I love to do this); it isn’t making sure our homes are in decent enough order to welcome drop-ins (although this is a good idea). It is much more radical. Much more uncomfortable. Much more beautiful. Reprinted with permission from Catholic […]
On the first Sunday in October every year Life Chain invites people in every city, town and village in North America to stand on a designated local sidewalk and spend 60 to 90 minutes in silent prayer for the pre-born and for an end to abortion. This year’s Life Chain, the 27th annual public witness […]
I made my first vows of poverty, chastity and obedience on August 30, 2014. Visibly not much has changed. The biggest change is the veil I am wearing now. It has cleared up a lot of confusion. When I walk down the street, people now look at me and usually know what I am. In […]
Storming Falluja, Ten Years Ago Fallujans flee, of your fighters be rid, Your city, your honor our GI’s demand, We’ll find them, we’ll kill them, they cannot be hid, Uprising is doomed to sink in the sand. Your town is besieged; we storm and we blast, By land and by air, with engines of war […]
No efforts can overcome a flawed strategy.
In June I had my right hip replaced. Twenty years of running eroded the cartilage in the joint and when the pain became intolerable I elected to go under the knife. Parish elders said, “You’re too young to have hip surgery.” (I’m 43.) In the words of Indiana Jones: “It’s not the years, it’s the […]
ST. JOHN was born at Antioch in 344. In order to break with a world which admired and courted him, he in 374 retired for six years to a neighboring mountain. Having thus acquired the art of Christian silence, he returned to Antioch, and there labored as priest, until he was ordained Bishop of Constantinople […]
Hunger Camp at Jaslo Write it. Write. In ordinary ink on ordinary paper: they were given no food, they all died of hunger. “All. How many? It’s a big meadow. How much grass for each one?” Write: I don’t know. History counts its skeletons in round numbers. A thousand and one remains a thousand, as […]
A year from now, believers from around the world will gather with the Pope in Philadelphia to celebrate God’s gift of the family. Marked by the theme Love is our Mission: The Family Fully Alive, this will be the Eighth World Meeting of Families. Established by Saint John Paul II, these regular world gatherings began […]
