Nearly 800 years ago, Pope Gregory IX, responded to shouts of “Santo Subito” (“Sainthood Now”) when he left the Lateran Palace in Rome and made the 120-mile arduous journey to Assisi (shown at left) to canonize St. Francis. Francis just wanted to be a humble hermit yet died a very public death in 1226, bearing the […]
The modern secular world puts pressure on us to leave our faith at the office door lest we offend someone or appear to be forcing our beliefs on others. Yet we should seriously consider that our work is a vocation, a calling from God to serve others regardless of what career field we have chosen. […]
“How bad are expert predictions? Almost predictably bad. In 2005, Philip Tetlock, a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, published the results of a magisterial 20-year analysis of 27,450 judgments about the future from 284 experts. He discovered that the experts, in aggregate, did little better, and sometimes considerably worse, than ‘a dart-throwing […]
No means No. Duh! you might be thinking. What else could it mean? Well, for some men “no” translates to mean, “yes”. And for law enforcement officials, “no” could mean a charge of rape. But I’m getting ahead of myself. This all begins with Shannon Deitz’s book, Exposed: Inexcusable Me, Irreplaceable Him. It is a […]
The greatest fear now is… the weather. Because the weather reports on Friday afternoon in Rome say that there will be light rain Saturday night, and light rain showers on Sunday morning. And if there is rain, everything about this historic beatification, which is shutting down all auto traffic in the entire area around St. […]
Matt Swaim is one of my favorite authors. For me this is an easily quantifiable statement. It is important that when I pick up a book I learn something new, am given a new insight or dimension on something that I already know or in some way am edified. Swaim delivers on all counts. Matt’s […]
You don’t have an invite to the Royal Wedding and can’t make the beatification of John Paul II this weekend? Well, all is not lost. You can still salvage your weekend by going to see Hoodwinked Too, Hood vs. Evil. And thanks to this article on Catholic Lane, you can enjoy the show even more knowing […]
It’s fitting that the beatification of Pope John Paul II will take place on Divine Mercy Sunday. His very presence on the global stage exemplified Divine Mercy. There have been 265 popes in the life of the Church. Eighty-one of them are saints. On May 1, Divine Mercy Sunday, God willing, Pope Benedict XVI will […]
There’s no shortage of morons and scoundrels in the world, on almost every side of almost every issue. But some of them operate by painting a background which so colors the dialogue that it is almost impossible even to communicate opinions successfully. Here’s an offer: You can say the hateful morons represent the anti-abortion culture […]
I have a confession to make. Recently, I made a solemn vow — never again to participate in another voting contest. I promised this to all my friends and family but before I carried out the vow, I begged them to vote for my ugly floor. It was an ugly floor contest and the prize […]
I am thrilled to present a review on Linking Your Beads, The Rosary’s History, Mysteries, and Prayers, by Patricia Ann Kasten. Sometimes I pick a book to review because I want to learn about the subject, other times I chose a more recreational topic since I read and write mostly serious stuff. This time I […]
Imagine if a top American historian appeared on the MSM insisting that the only reason Europeans conquered the Americas was to “defend” the Native Americans—who somehow had adopted Christianity centuries before Jesus was born—from being persecuted by heathen tribes. While that would create a maelstrom of outrage and derision in the West, in the Arab […]
According to a 1991 Book of the Month Club / Library of Congress survey that asked what book had most influenced their lives, the two top picks by respondents were the Bible and Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged. Coincidentally, this is a big week for both Christians and Randians. The former are celebrating the resurrection of Jesus […]
Holy Week can never be the same for me. Not after seeing the Shroud of Turin last year. It’s been nearly a year since the Shroud was placed on public display (for just the 18th time in its history) in Turin, Italy. Never did I imagine I would be among the over two million pilgrims […]
Professor Rebecca Vitz Cherico has edited eleven stories of former atheists who received the gift of faith and converted to the Catholic Church. These men and women tell their faith stories about how they came to believe in Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church. Some of these people started out as nominal Christians, but over […]
Dear God, I don’t get it! is the name of my children’s book and it’s also the message I’ve heard through the years when bad things happen to good people. Whenever the weight of the cross presses upon us, we tend to feel somewhat betrayed. Why me Lord? I don’t get it! I pray and […]
Bethany Hamilton has an extraordinary story to tell. Working hard to enter the ranks of professional surfing, by the age of 13 she already had a sponsor. But her life was shattered one morning in 2003. Out in the water, on a beautiful day, she was attacked by a 15-foot-long tiger shark. The shark bit […]
In the age of gratuitous Hollywood sex and violence it’s not surprising that people are starved for family-friendly entertainment. This is not just a matter of opinion. Movieguide, the world’s premier pro-family movie magazine, has established over and again with its annual Report to the Entertainment Industry that wholesome entertainment sells… big time. The report […]
Fraser Clarke Heston is the son of the late actor Charlton Heston and his wife of over 60 years, Lydia Clarke. Fraser directed his Oscar-winning dad in several films, including the recently released DVD set, Charlton Heston Presents The Bible. Fraser also played the role of baby Moses in The Ten Commandments. I recently spoke […]
“I’m not a priest or a scholar. I’m an actor. I tell stories.” These words spoken by the legendary Charlton Heston summarize the theme of the re-released 4-disc DVD set, Charlton Heston Presents the Bible. The DVD titles include Genesis, The Story of Moses, Jesus of Nazareth and The Passion. In the mid-1950’s, the actor […]
When our children were young, my best friend shared a VeggieTale movie with us saying, “Your kids will love it; mine do!” She was right, not only did they love it, but my husband and I enjoyed them too. The characters are fun to watch and the Bible stores come to life in a way […]
with Sue Formica In true Veggie Tales Fashion, Bob and the Gang bring a familiar bible story to life. “Jonah”, a 2002 “Big Idea” production, takes the viewer on a not-so-straight voyage into the ancient city of Nineveh, into the well-known tale of “Jonah and the Whale.” The story begins with bickering, jealousy, teasing and contention, […]
Have you ever attended Mass angry at a member of your immediate family? And then you have to offer them peace! Thankfully, the sign of peace comes toward the end of the liturgy and I have usually calmed down somewhat by that point. Still, extending a greeting and saying those words “Peace be with you” […]
The first time I saw the book, Consoling the Heart of Jesus — A Do-It-Yourself Retreat, I thought, “How could I, a mere mortal console the heart of God?” I wasn’t sure how anyone could console our Lord and Savior’s heart at the cross. It didn’t make sense to me, so I deemed the book unbelievable; that was […]
