With today’s writing I want to speak to an audience I don’t normally speak to. We “smart” Catholics like to look down on those who don’t do things the way we do. We look down on those who aren’t there with us every Sunday at Mass. This is the audience I’d like to speak to. […]
In the days of Caesar Augustus, an era of peace was established in the Mediterranean world after centuries of strife. But this peace was forged by the proud ambition of emperors and the edge of their armies’ swords. Upon this stage appears a baby acclaimed as king by eastern dignitaries. Neither Caesar nor Herod will […]
The term Xmas is an indirect reference to Christ.
God’s love came to us in circumstances of radical poverty. The Creator of the universe was born in a stable, poor and homeless. How then has the preparation for the celebration of this miracle come to include Black Friday brawls and countless tips to reduce holiday induced stress? We blame stores for advertising Christmas in […]
My due date was the 26th of December, but by Christmas Eve 1985, I was ready to be done with it. I stretched out on the bed and reluctantly prepared for another night of leg cramps and propped pillows. The Christmas presents were wrapped and ready. The Christmas cookies decorated. The overnight hospital bag was […]
This is it — we’ve reached the Fourth Week of Advent and the fourth virtue for this series. We will conclude with a final summary next week, but for now, please take the time to revisit the past three weeks here and enjoy this last reflection. WEEK FOUR (December 22-24): JUSTICE “Justice … consists in […]
Outrage is one of the more useless categories of contemporary discourse. In fact it is anti-discourse, but no one seems to mind. The media dutifully report that “Victims’ Groups are Outraged” whenever the sub-secretary to the Council of Victims of Bad Things logs onto his twitter account and proclaims his fury at highschool reading lists, […]
On a recent Saturday I went to the grocery store and took a number at the deli. They were on number 49. My number was 62. It was quite a crowd. Some people came in pairs, browsing in front of the glass displays as they waited for their turn, making it hard for me to […]
A recent statement by a US Ambassador demonstrates the wide gulf that exists at the UN on the question of abortion. Ambassador Elizabeth Cousens told the executive board of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) that a series of recent meetings have “helped strengthen our collective understanding of reproductive rights.” It would likely surprise people on […]
The seven Catholic Epistles written by Saints James, Peter, John, and Jude form a small but integral portion of the New Testament. These letters have always interested me, ever since I learned about the epistolary genre of Scripture when I was a boy at Catholic school. I wonder how much attention these writings receive, written […]
In the drama of the incarnation, Jesus is, of course, the star. That’s the way it is at every birth. All eyes are on the baby. The co-star, though, is definitely mom. Without her love and labor, the event could not have happened. In this case, without mom’s faith it couldn’t have happened either. According […]
From time to time in various debates about the liturgy, the principle of lex orandi lex credendi surfaces. While the Latin might be a little off putting, the Catechism of the Catholic Church defines the concept as follows: When the Church celebrates the sacraments, she confesses the faith received from the apostles – whence the ancient […]
ACA only increases the problems.
The extraordinary healing of a baby inside his mother’s womb has been declared medically “unexplainable” by top Vatican doctors, putting Pope Paul VI one step closer to being declared a saint by the Catholic Church. Seventeen years ago, doctors in California offered a woman abortion as the only possible solution for the abnormality detected in […]
As a two-time NCAA Division I All-American and National Champion high jumper, Bill Thierfelder had long been accustomed to raising the bar in a literal sense. Now, he does so in a metaphorical way by promoting excellence and virtue in every aspect of life. In fact, each light post at Belmont Abbey College is adorned with a […]
I came out of the abortion closet in 2008 and I sometimes deal with religious Pro-Lifers who consider that I have committed the unforgivable sin and who lecture me about the past (you were selfish, you should have kept your legs closed etc…). I also deal with secular Pro-Choicers telling me I’m Pro-Life because I’m […]
Who is she that comes forth like the dawn, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army set in battle array? (Song of Solomon 6:10) Does that Scripture really refer to the sweet mother in our crèche? The adoring mother, demurely gazing at the Babe, surrounded by inquisitive shepherds and under […]
It’s that time of year again. It always seems to creep up on me, no matter how much I think I’m prepared. We had a peaceful start: we set up the Advent tree and wreath, and have even managed to start most mornings off with prayer and lighting the wreath. But I know that even […]
A federal judge may have put polygamy on its first step to legal recognition, striking down part of a Utah law that criminalized plural marriage. The lawsuit was brought by Kody Brown, star of the TLC reality series Sister Wives. Brown lives with Meri, Janelle, Christine, and Robyn, and their brood of 17 children. However, […]
As I walked through the lobby of the assisted living facility, I saw him again – the elderly gentleman whom I had greeted three hours earlier. Had he been there all morning? I wondered. I was on patient rounds in the building that day, visiting the residents that staff had identified as needing to be […]
Given the magnitude of the Obamacare debacle, it’s hard to imagine how Republicans could manage to one-up the dysfunction and dissolution of the Democrat party. Much to the delight of the media, however, the GOP has managed to redirect the spotlight away from the train wreck of the Affordable Care Act in exchange for its […]
