A few years back, a Princeville, Illinois family I know hosted an Italian teen for the summer. This young man enjoyed many parts of his summer, but was mystified by the weather. In the rural Midwest, during the summer, a storm can pass every few days or so, so that at least three or four […]
They are at it again. In this Sunday’s gospel Jesus’ opponents enlist a lawyer to do what lawyers do best- ask a question that puts a person on the hot seat. “Which commandment of the law is the greatest?” (Matthew 22:34-40). If the law consisted in only the Ten Commandments, this would be tough enough. […]
“What the Catholic Church in the United States really needs to stiffen its backbone is a good persecution.” How often, I wonder, have I heard somebody say something like that? How often have I said something like it myself? Be careful what you ask for—you may get it. The persecution of religion in America has […]
We continue our reflection on the mysteries of the rosary as a means of entering more deeply into sacred mysteries made present in Holy Mass with an examination of The Sorrowful Mysteries 1. The Agony in the Garden And going out, he went, according to his custom, to the Mount of Olives. And his disciples […]
Call it an occupational hazard, but I can’t look at the Occupy Wall Street protesters without thinking, “Who parented these people?” As a culture columnist, I’ve commented on the social and political ramifications of the “movement” – now known as “OWS” – whose fairyland agenda can be summarized by one of their placards: “Everything for […]
What is it with women’s curiosity to know what’s in a celebrity’s purse? You know that feature found in the back of magazines — like some reward we get for reaching the last page: “We caught up with Brooke Shields and convinced her to ‘Spill it all’ for us!” Then we get to be shocked […]
Despite their flattering words, they were trying to trap him, to force him into a no win situation. Consider the circumstances. They are living under the iron boot of a brutal empire which filled the earth with its idolatry. Patriotic Jews longed to throw off the tyrants’ yoke. They prayed for an anointed king who […]
Catholics make up about a quarter of the American electorate and have backed the popular-vote winner in every presidential election since 1972. That track record continued through 2008: While weekly churchgoing Catholics slightly favored Sen. John McCain, Catholics as a whole backed President Barack Obama by a margin of 54 to 45 percent. Given the […]
The Joyful Mysteries continued… 3. The Nativity of the Lord And it came to pass that when they were there, Mary’s days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her first born son and wrapped him up in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger: because there was no room […]
Oh, look: Another study conducted on what the undervalued, average American Housewife/ Full Time Mom would earn if she actually received an annual salary. Oh, look: More bank executives getting paid millions of dollars to not work. That’s right, Bank of America just fired Sallie Krawcheck, (now former) president of wealth and investment management and […]
Twenty-six years ago today, I gave birth to our first born. Amazing how those years slipped by so quickly. Now he’s a grown man with hopes and dreams of his own, and I feel privileged at being able to witness how they unfold. I remember the day I found out I was pregnant with him. […]
I hate to say it, but watching the various YouTube videos of the “Occupy Wall Street” protests and reading accounts of protesters’ goals and “demands” prompts me to shake my head with a resigned “I told you so.” I’ve been warning this was coming. Recently, Regnery Publishing released my new book, Don’t Let the Kids […]
Every child deserves to be the most important person in the world to someone. The ever pithy Lou Holtz, who said of himself: “I’m so old I don’t even buy green bananas anymore,” once made an observation to the effect of: “80% of people don’t care about you one way or the other. 19% of […]
When my family visits other parishes during our travels, we’re touched and uplifted spiritually. If I copied Geoffrey Chaucer and his tales of Canterbury, I could call them Biever Tales. But then people would think of something else, and my purpose would be lost. In Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, many pilgrims share stories on their journey. In their […]
Lately it seems that many of my friends are either returning from a pilgrimage to a holy site in Europe or planning one. I long to make a pilgrimage too, but since it’s not in the budget right now, I’ll have to settle for living vicariously. Fortunately, a new movie titled The Way, starring Martin […]
At age 16, my life was about rock ‘n roll. If my own band was not performing on Saturday night, I was out in the audience, watching another band. It would have never occurred to me to spend my Saturday nights at a Catholic conference or retreat. True, no matter how late I was out, […]
Draw yourself an organization chart representing the Catholic Church. What you’ll get is a sketch of an ecclesiastical institution that on paper looks like a genuine world class internal communication machine. Those boxes and lines could lead the beholder to suppose that if the Pope says something on Monday morning, then by the following Sunday […]
If you’ve been too busy holding down a job (or two), juggling the demands of a busy family, engaging in community service and occasionally taking the wife and children out for a pizza on a Saturday night, you may not have noticed that several thousand protesters have “occupied” Wall Street, the District and other locations […]
Robert Guillaume, 83 years young, provides the unique voice of Rafiki in Disney’s classic film The Lion King. Mr. Guillaume’s 50-plus year career includes accolades in both theater and TV. He won two Emmys (for Soap and Benson) and received a Tony nomination for his role in Guys and Dolls. I recently interviewed the charming […]
Over the years I’ve shared many an undergarment adventure–from the Invisible Underwear investigation to the Perfect Panty my niece insisted I buy (yes I still talk to her). Finally, it appears my quest for THE brand has ended. And you know me, I’ve even found where to buy them at a discount. I mean please, […]
A few years ago, I toured northern England. There, stretching 73 miles from coast to coast, the Roman Emperor Hadrian built a massive wall. Constructed of stone, it was built to last, since it marked the northernmost boundary of the greatest empire the world had ever known. Soldiers from every corner of the world were […]
Barely enough time has passed for bologna sandwiches to begin rotting in school lockers, yet the 2011-2012 school year is shaping up to be one of the stinkiest ever, if we’re measuring in episodes of putrid political correctness and radicalism. Already: • A group in Brookline, Mass., is working to ban the Pledge of Allegiance […]
U.S. law enforcement agencies have generally responded to 9/11 with a pretend counterterrorism policy. They insist that naming the enemy as Islamism causes terrorism, that Islamist violence is just one of many co-equal problems (along with neo-Nazis, racial supremacists, et al.), and that counterterrorism primarily involves feel-good steps such as improving civil rights, passing anti-discrimination […]
If knowledge is, as they say, power, then you will find great empowerment in Teresa Tomeo’s latest book Extreme Makeover (Ignatius Press, October, 2011). Extreme Makeover: Women Transformed by Christ, Not Conformed to the Culture offers an excellent combination of facts, statistics, and personal testimonies to make this the sort of book that any reader […]
