When a conquering hero of the ancient world rode into town in triumph, it was in a regal chariot or on the back of a stately stallion. Legions of soldiers accompanied him in the victory procession. Triumphal arches, festooned with relief sculptures, were often erected to immortalize his valiant victory. After driving out demons, healing […]
On April 12th the liberal media’s assault on the new English translation of the Roman Missal continued on page 1A of the New York Times in an article written by their long time “religion writer” Laura Goodstein. I’ve addressed the media’s “Global Missal Dissent System” in the past, but at this point their exaggerated claims […]
Imelda Lambertini was born into a rich family, the only child of Captain General Egano Lambertini and his wife Donna Castora (her name is recorded as Castora Galuzzi in some resources). The family was devoutly Catholic and well-loved by their community of Bologna, Italy. After Imelda was born, her mother had a dream and was […]
I’ve always been pretty athletic, but my first introduction to hiking was not especially enjoyable. It occurred during Survival Training at the Air Force Academy and included seven days of hiking about 8-10 hours a day in the mountains of Colorado. We hiked at night so I was not able to enjoy the beautiful views […]
In his engaging new biography, Johnny Appleseed: The Man, the Myth, the American Story, journalist Howard Means scrubs away nearly two centuries of rumor and myth to uncover the truth about 19th-century pioneer nurseryman John Chapman, a national folk hero whom most of us know only from Disney cartoons and children’s books. Means’ meticulous research […]
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutolu grandiloquently proclaimed a few days ago that, “If the world is on fire, Turkey is the firefighter. Turkey is assuming the leading role for stability in the Middle East.” Such ambition is new for Ankara. In the 1990s, it contentedly fulfilled its NATO obligations and followed Washington’s lead. Starting about […]
By the time you’re done reading this column, you’ll want to either join my bandwagon or run me out of town. If it’s the former, hop on; there’s plenty of room. If it’s the latter, please be gentle with the clubs and hatchets; I bruise easily. Okay, here goes. I don’t participate in Friday fish […]
Some find it hard to accept that God would love some people more than others. That wouldn’t be fair, they say. But God became man. If he did not love some more than others, Jesus wouldn’t be fully human. For human beings have family and friends. While we can do good and even risk our […]
I firmly believe God created Man and Woman in His likeness—but with distinct, logical differences. Women can give birth. Men are strong enough to hoist those heavy boxes up into the attic. Women, have a superior sense of smell, which, based on life in my household, men do not. Yes, we woman are not only […]
We have an abundance of free software options that can help us make better use of our PC’s and Mac’s. Several of them are based in the “cloud” which means our information stays static while we are portable – we can access it wherever we have Internet access. My favorites can make your digital life […]
My Mom and Dad are exactly the sort of people you’d love to go on a road trip with. If you happen to be a Benedictine monk. Just kidding, of course. Even Benedictines find Mom and Dad a little austere. Most notorious of their ascetic proclivities is the (in)famous “iron-bladder” straight-through policy. If a trip […]
A few years ago, our pastor talked to us during homily about receiving the Eucharist reverently. He noticed that more and more receive communion than ever before with very few being conscience of the sin in their lives. Fewer are coming to confession, he said, yet are coming up for communion. Sin has taken a […]
The military intervention in Libya by the United States and NATO offers new evidence that the just war theory stands in need of rethinking. The theory is fine as far as it goes. The problem is it doesn’t go far enough. People who say the just war theory should be scrapped because modern warfare makes […]
A couple of weeks ago a family friend (we’ll call him John) took me by surprise with an unexpected question, “Do you mind if I go to church with you on Sunday?” Mind? Are you kidding me, I thought. I was thrilled! Then came the next question — one that was entirely predictable but ended up […]
All the women I know fall into one of two categories: those who can graciously accept a compliment and those who would rather grout tile than graciously accept a compliment. And, of the women I know, there are really only about three who would be able to graciously accept a compliment. That means that pretty […]
When Pastor Terry Jones, 59, announced an intent to burn a Koran on the anniversary of 9/11 in 2010, the U.S. government, fearing attacks on American troops abroad, put intense pressure on him to desist and eventually he called off his plans. Jones, however, did not cancel the ceremonial judgment of the Islamic scripture – […]
The crime alone was heinous enough. According to police in Cleveland, Texas, an 11-year-old girl there was gang raped six times last fall by a total of at least 19 assailants, some of them boys, some of them ex-cons more than twice her age. Her assailants documented their attacks using cell phone videos and photos […]
I often point out that our youth are not simply the “future leaders” of the pro-life movement. They are leaders here and now, in more ways than one. Often I am asked to speak about the role of youth in the pro-life movement, and to encourage parishes and pro-life organizations to focus more on recruiting […]
Let him who is wise understand these things; let him who is prudent know them. Straight are the paths of the LORD, in them the just walk, but sinners stumble in them. (Hos 14:10) This passage from Hosea reminds me of a lesson my dad taught me when I was in my early teens. I […]
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 […]
The Lion of Judah is no tame lion. Neither is he predictable. While walking along the streets of Jerusalem one day, Jesus sees a common enough sight in the Holy City. There is a disabled person by the side of the road begging (John 9). What else is the poor man to do? He has […]
“Thanks Mom,” said my daughter as I handed her a pile of clean laundry. “You’re welcome.” I turned around to fold the Fruit of the Looms but she continued. “Thanks for bringing me into this world, for clean laundry and for helping me through hard times.” And then she was gone. I peered out around […]
“How do you do it all?” a friend asked me years ago about my schedule. “I’m a lousy housekeeper,” was my answer. This year for Lent, besides thinking of what we were giving up, I tried adding something for our family: a deep clean of our house, a room a week. We have our daily […]
When we think about God’s voice, do the Old Testament images come to mind? Do we think only about the prophets of old who seemed able to perceive God’s voice directly? That was then; this is now. God doesn’t speak out loud to people anymore. Or does he? Perhaps he doesn’t come swooping down on […]
