True story. Hand to God. An acquaintance was having neighbor trouble. As often happens, things escalated rather quickly. What had begun as an issue where two sides were taking tough stands and no one was willing to budge swiftly careened into a legal battle. The acquaintance—a woman of great faith who diligently tried to live […]
Last week at a speaking engagement in Illinois, I asked my audience of parents to tell me about their kids. Not just “tell” me about them, but brag. I gave them permission to boast. Pull out the smartphone, if they wanted, to show off the photos. I had to cajole them into doing it. Hard […]
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C There is a myth that we must lay to rest, once and for all — the myth that Protestants are all about the Bible, while Catholics are all about the Sacraments. While I can’t speak for my Protestant brethren, I can say this with certainty: the Catholic Church […]
Defenders of traditional marriage may not believe it, but the Supreme Court’s apparent intention to decide two important same-sex marriage cases by midyear may be a stroke of good fortune for their side. This timing means the Supreme Court’s first head-on tangle with this issue almost certainly will come before President Obama gets an opportunity […]
In this, 40th year of legalized abortion in America, Hollywood and Planned Parenthood want you to know abortion is no big deal. That’s the message we’re to infer from the recent episode of NBC’s hit show “Parenthood” titled “Small Victories,” in which the teen character Amy casually decides to abort her baby because, as she […]
With Barack Obama’s second inauguration, liberals are touting an altogether new epoch: the end of the Reagan era. Unfortunately, I believe they are largely correct. We are witnessing a period of left-wing ascendance, marked by gay marriage, forced taxpayer funding of abortion, an exploding government class, and big government. As to the latter, Ronald Reagan […]
As I write, the weather station says that it’s 1° F, but it feels like -17°F. With the wind chill, it’s expected to drop as low as -30°F tonight. Tomorrow will more of the same. Even with the furnace chugging away, the perimeters of the house are cold. Upon passing by the windows and doors, […]
From a sermon by Bl. John Henry Newman: It is the death of the Eternal Word of God made flesh, which is our great lesson how to think and how to speak of this world. His Cross has put its due value upon every thing which we see, upon all fortunes, all advantages, all ranks, […]
One of two articles for Gun Appreciation Day. Violence may be justified in the service of self-defense, even to the point of killing an unjust aggressor: this has been settled Catholic teaching for hundreds of years. The most recent restatement of the Church’s teaching on self-defense is in the second edition of the Catechism of […]
One of two articles for Gun Appreciation Day. The federal constitution prohibits the federal government from depriving individual citizens of their right to possess and use firearms for lawful purposes, including self-defense. This right is not, however, unlimited: it may be withdrawn, for instance, from felons and the mentally ill, and it may be restricted […]
I had an odd response to the 2012 presidential election: I stopped watching the news. I also stopped reading the news on the Internet. In fact, not a single television show appealed to me and the blackened screen simply became a piece of ubiquitous furniture in the center of the room. At that point I […]
I’m working my way through a book called Everyday Sanctity, written by Schoenstatt Sister of Mary, M. A. Nailis. With texts from it’s founder, Fr. Joseph Kentenich, this volume addresses one of the pillars of the Schoenstatt Apostolic Movement, everyday sanctity, which is the practice of giving everyday life the character of holiness. Although it’s become […]
I’m always on the hunt for positive news, there being such consistent media focus on the bad stuff. Most days, headlines essentially read, “Handbasket full; hell in sight.” So a recent headline caught my eye because of its positive tone: “Survey: Big drop in those who say being gay’s a sin.” According to Lifeway Research, […]
“Sorry, No Steeple…but we do have a drive-thru” is what the clever, cool, hip billboard sign proclaims. I wasn’t exactly sure what it meant so I didn’t pay it much never-mind. Then another one popped up with something that was, to me, similarly vague: We don’t accept perfect people. Still, not paying attention. Then a […]
At first glance, the scene makes little sense. John’s strident call to repentance provokes an overwhelming response. People of all shapes and sizes flock to him in the wilderness. They are baptized in the Jordan as a sign of repentance and cleansing. Suddenly, out of the crowd steps John’s cousin, Jesus. Wait a minute! What […]
A peculiar thing happened on the way to the present day from Pentecost: the Church suddenly stopped calling the Jews to conversion. Sure, if we are being honest, we must admit that the Church is now reticent to explicitly call anyone who dwells beyond the fold into the one true religion, but in the decades […]
The disruptive results for individuals and society spawned by the revolution in attitudes and behavior regarding sex, marriage, family, and childbearing that erupted a half-century ago have become too obvious to ignore. These things were predictable–in fact, some people actually predicted them from the start–but by now their impact has grown so painfully apparent that […]
This year, rather than making resolutions to lose weight, read more books and floss for more than just the few weeks after a dental cleaning, America’s mothers and fathers should resolve to do better to raise our next generation of citizens. The result? A resurgence of skilled and solid parenting could be the key to […]
It has been a couple of weeks since the death of Robert Bork, which occurred shortly before Christmas and didn’t really get the news coverage that Bork merited. Bork died at age 85. In 1987, he became a national headline when President Ronald Reagan nominated him to the Supreme Court. He was a judicial conservative, […]
As the prolife movement contemplates four decades of legalized abortion in the United States and asks itself what really needs doing to halt this hideous scandal, prolifers should consider adding a new word to their vocabulary: ambivalence. According to the dictionary, ambivalence is the state of having mutually conflicting emotions or thoughts about something. And […]
The early Church had a rough go of things. In addition to the refining of orthodox understanding of Christ’s teaching and intentions regarding the Church it was a challenging time internally, as some controversy resulted from those who felt that converts should be required to undertake the entire law. The Council of Jerusalem resolved many […]
4th Sunday of Advent (Cycle C) The Beatitudes rank high on the list of all-time favorite Bible passages. But what is “beatitude,” anyway? In the bible, a “blessed” person is someone who has received gifts of the greatest value, gifts that lead to true fulfillment and lasting happiness. If I were to ask you […]
The Year of Faith is in full swing, a year during which the Holy Father is encouraging the faithful to undertake an exploration of the Council documents with renewed vigor. Bravo! The simple fact that far too few among us have actually taken the time to read the conciliar texts is one of the primary […]
During Advent, Christians gather around the Manger, as yet empty. “Come, Lord Jesus, do not delay,” the Church’s liturgy prays. Just as the Baby in the Manger represents for us the greatest Gift God brings, so the emptiness of the Manger represents the deep needs of the human heart — needs that not only we […]
