Months ago, when I first heard that Noah was coming out, I, like the biblical Sarah, laughed to myself. “It’ll be this big, ugly, off-the-mark extravaganza, just trying to make money off believers, and it’ll flop.” Like Sarah, I had to eat crow. Not literally! (Noah is a vegetarian in the film.) Noah, written and directed […]
The Muppets are at it again. The clever new caper takes us to a gulag in Siberia, Russia and several other international cities, as The Muppet Show reunites for a world tour. But all is not as it seems. All is not well. Constantine–the World’s Most Dangerous Frog–who looks exactly like Kermit, but with a […]
The latest children’s book, penned by a transhumanist, is really going well beyond the reality that we know as human beings. The book, entitled Death Is Wrong, is explained thusly: If you have ever asked, “Why do people have to die?” then this book is for you. The answer is that no, death is not necessary, […]
I’m so excited this week about Devin Rose’s newest book The Protestant’s Dilemma, excited in a way that I honestly didn’t think I could muster again after my passion for his first book If Protestantism is True. Both, in my opinion, are must reads, but the format and fullness of Dilemma are really perfected and so I’d […]
The term “theistic evolution” is used in contrast to the atheistic idea of evolution. It means evolution set in motion by God or under the direction of God, and seems appropriate for a believer who admits some truth to evolutionary science. But I don’t like the phrase because it’s a confusing redundancy. Think about it. If you’re a […]
“By faith man completely submits his intellect and his will to God” (Dei Verbum, 5). Our Screwtape Tendency You may be wondering how the Screwtape Letters can possibly help us in becoming better disciples. If we take the time to carefully dissect what Screwtape’s intent is with the “Patient”, we see the very thing Screwtape is […]
Elizabeth Ficocelli, raised as a non-practicing Lutheran, did not become Catholic until she was preparing to marry her Catholic boyfriend, but even as a child, she felt that God was leading her to a special mission. To fulfill that mission, Ficocelli states that “God had in store for me amazingly heavenly helpmates who would be […]
Are we all agreed that Saving Mr. Banks is the Worst. Movie. Title. Ever? Good. First: Who is Mr. Banks? He’s the father of the little family in Mary Poppins, and the filmmakers must have assumed that we all had massive group recollection on that one. Second: “Banks” rhymes with “Hanks” who plays Walt Disney. […]
In Emilie Barnes book More Hours in My Day I read the story of a woman who was upset because her husband wanted her to pack his lunch everyday. She didn’t want to do it. Then Emilie asked her, “If the Lord were to ask you to pack Him a lunch, would you do it?” Her […]
Ever “evolving”, “progressing” — or so he believes — the modern intellectual mentality slithers out of the sea of mystery, clambering from arrogant skepticism to jaded cynicism, until exhausted of wit and verve, it reaches the hard shore of “reason”. And there on the flat landscape it flutters, just out of reach of the lapping […]
Last month, in a Letter to Families, Pope Francis asked families to pray for the success of October’s Synod on the Family, when bishops, priests, religious and lay experts assemble to consider the “pastoral challenges of the family in the context of evangelization.” So that the synod may have a better picture of the problems […]
The Lenten season is upon us once more, and like many Christians, in an attempt to honor God’s faithfulness to his Church and in the hopes of deepening my own faith I have decided to engage in a fast of sorts. Inspired by a good friend of mine, I will for the duration of Lent […]
When Chaunie Marie Brusie faced an unplanned pregnancy in her senior year of college, she didn’t know where to turn for help. Now an obstetric nurse, married mother of three, and founder of TinyBlueLines.com, she is working hard to make sure that other young women have resources to help them cope with this unexpected and […]
I believe that God uses people at certain junctures in history to speak to their generations when they’ve lost their moral way. God used Abraham Lincoln to set slaves free in America. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke for racial equality. Dr. Bernard Nathanson (and many others) exposed the corruption of the abortion industry. During […]
Electronic devices are everywhere. We know about the negative effects of too much TV, but now kids are watching videos in the car and accessing games and social media on computers and mobile devices. There was a time when kids would snuggle up with a good book to read or have their parents read to […]
There are less people spending time with the Bible than with Facebook. Having the Word of God get passed over by social media is sad. Yet, as mere flesh and blood we are so easily distracted. But it’s Jesus we are talking about—our Savior who suffered and died for us. Can we have a little […]
My husband watches the new TV show Intelligence starring Josh Holloway (previously Sawyer from Lost) as Gabriel, a man with a rare genetic mutation (or some such) that allowed the U.S. government to put a chip in his brain. This chip gives Gabriel unlimited access to the Internet directly into his consciousness. As an agent […]
This week in Confirmation class we talked about the Rosary, and about how prayer is an important part of Christian life. Here are some of my favorite books on prayer and the saints. 33 Days to Morning Glory by Michael Gaitley. This “do-it-yourself” retreat is a wonderful introduction to Marian devotion (including the Rosary) and Christian […]
It’s not often an epic film on the life of Christ hits the Big Screen. In fact, exploring the canon of great American cinema brings two features to mind: Martin Scorcese’s The Last Temptation of Christ and Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ. Now, of course the latter was more biblically sound and visually […]
A trip to my local Giant grocery store the other night brought an unpleasant surprise. Back near the store’s beer coolers, clerks were stacking case upon case of a new beer. It’s name? “Sweet Baby Jesus,” a ‘craft’ beer brewed and bottled by a local Baltimore company, DuClaw Brewing Company. “Sweet Baby Jesus,” launched about a year […]
This week I started teaching a class to prepare a small group of teens to be confirmed at the Easter Vigil this year at St. Basil the Great Parish in Kimberton, PA. So for the next few months — through Lent — I’ve decided that “A Mother on the Road Less Traveled” will be taking […]
Wacoal, a Thai lingerie company, is redefining beauty with its “Beauty Inside” campaign. The short 7-minute videos tell stories, based on actual events, of women whose quiet sacrifices — including for an unborn child — win the admiration of men who tell the stories. And, tears from viewers. The message? Virtue is gorgeous. “Beauty Inside” […]
Her movies reflected what was good and decent in this country.
Spike Jonze’s film Her, currently out in theaters and an Academy Award nominee for Best Picture, is a cautionary tale of the future that awaits us if we continue to hail technology as our savior. Set in the not too distant Los Angeles, Tom Twombly (masterfully portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix) is reeling from a failed […]
