To pursue, or to be pursued? That is the question. ‘Tis nobler in the mind to date until your breath is taken, or heart is broken… Dating – in the man-meets-woman, man-asks-woman-out way**- may sound outdated to those more liberated in their feelings. Instead, people get to know each other by hanging out and never […]
Some things come as a surprise and others do not. My family and I watched the first episode of The Bible, the History channel’s 5-part series, so it was no surprise to us that it premiered as the #1 cable telecast of the year and the #1 trend on Twitter. It was spectacular; just the […]
The media and pundits, as well as churchmen, use a lot of jargon that many ordinary readers, unaccustomed to romanità, the carefully encoded diplomatic language used by the Vatican and its cadre of experts, will not be familiar with. A lot of the writing leading up to the conclave is about the “priorities” of the new pope. […]
The Girl Scouts’ Law insists that Girl Scouts be “responsible for what I say and do.” When it comes to abortion, however, the Girl Scouts USA “says” the magic words that keep pro-life members in the fold (i.e. that Girl Scouts “does not take a position” on sexuality, birth control, or abortion). What they “do” behind the […]
Warriors, monks, Christians: the Knights Templar were all these things, but according to the pope they were also heretics. These knights for Christ had once been some of the most respected people in Europe and known as models of Christian virtue. But as the world began changing they incurred the wrath of kings and priests […]
4th Sunday in Lent, Cycle C “For our sakes God made him who did not know sin to be sin, so that in him we might become the very holiness of God” (2 Cor 5:21). Some Christians reading these words over the last few centuries have gotten the wrong idea. They’ve put this Scripture together […]
Fifth Sunday of Lent Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Isaiah 43:16-21; Psalm 126:1-6; Philippians 3:8-14; John 8:1-11) Receiving God’s Mercy and Forgiveness Neither do I condemn you. (John 8:11) Every day, we face condemnation, whether it be from an enemy, from a friend, from the devil, or from our own guilty consciences. […]
While getting my hair done recently, I flipped through one of those magazines I’d never buy but enjoy as a guilty pleasure every now and then. One page in particular caught my attention—a list of what’s currently “in” and “out.” I was pleasantly surprised to see that indoor dates are “out” while dates in the […]
March 6, 2013, Wednesday — Silence Silence, of a sort, has descended over the meeting of the cardinals in the lead-up to the Conclave. The American cardinals today canceled their scheduled press conference at the North American College — the NAC, as it is called, on the Janiculum Hill just above the Vatican. Cardinal Timothy […]
I just returned from a visit to the Memphis, Tennessee 40 Days for Life campaign and am getting ready for a trip to California, where there are currently 33 vigils — the most of any US state! 40 Days for Life has spread to many places, as God took this effort from Texas to 481 […]
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggesting there really were tears in Barack Obama’s eyes during his Sandy Hook press conference. After all, he has demonstrated utter contempt for human life from the very start of his career. Remember, this is someone who, as a state senator, tried repeatedly to decriminalize the murder of newborn children. […]
Andrea Maglio-Macullar is a Catholic artist whose religious art has appeared in many venues, including publications by Loyola Press and Our Sunday Visitor. Her art is bright, colorful, and eye-catching. Many of her pieces have a stained-glass quality to them which makes them very appealing. Maglio-Macullar has been drawing since she was a young child. […]
#Julia’sCaesar Even Me & Folly Cartoons has felt the ravages of SEQUESTER!! Due to a minor cut in our projected budget we’ve had to sell off all our inks and paints and send our cartoonist to work in a salt mine in Puerto Rico. We still had enough money for crayons, pencils, and this budget-slashing […]
Kermit Gosnell, the late-term abortionist charged with eight counts of murder for allegedly snipping the spinal cords of newborns and overdosing one patient at his squalid Philadelphia abortion facility, has rejected a plea bargain agreement that would have spared him the death penalty if convicted. Gosnell was brought to court on Thursday from a jail […]
“I hope we get a nice pope,” a good Catholic woman told me soon after Benedict XVI announced his resignation. “I don’t care whether he’s nice or not,” I replied. “I just hope he’s strong.” Actually, I’d be glad if the next pope were nice, with a winning smile and a friendly manner. But vastly […]
This past week, health care journalist Charles Ornstein wrote a compelling piece for the Washington Post detailing his personal experience with heart-wrenching end-of-life medical decisions. Ornstein’s story of his mother’s death highlights the complexity of this little-discussed topic, and should serve as a wakeup call to every American family: End-of-life issues should not be avoided […]
ANALYSIS/OPINION: From this week’s e-mail, a message from a dad whose ex-wife doesn’t share his concerns about the influence of the culture on their high schooler and preteens: To: Marybeth From: A concerned dad How do you suggest defending against the culture’s assault on childhood when it starts coming via an “inside job”? My soon-to-be ex […]
Imagine my surprise when a friend who works with the parish youth group asked me to give a chastity talk to the middle and high school aged girls. “Who, me?” I said, raising an eyebrow suspiciously. I thought, Why not someone who has actually lived chastely her whole life? Me? I did it all wrong. […]
Our first parents, endowed with every good gift and living in friendship with the benevolent Creator, yielded to the temptation to assert an autonomy that was never their own, exalting themselves over God. Thus, as illustrated in the masterwork of St. Augustine, was the “city of men” set in conflict with the “City of God.” […]
This is the third in a series in which I attempt to address the question, “What is purgatory, and why is it necessary?” by expanding on the simple answer that Purgatory is the state, place, or process by which a soul is purified for entrance into heaven. Part 1 is here and Part 2 can be found here. “So […]
The topic for discussion at my local Theology on Tap recently was evangelization and Christ’s instructions to His Apostles to go out and spread the Good News: Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in […]
When a civilization destroys its families, then it destroys itself.
On February 21 it was reported that the German Bishops of Trier released a statement announcing that emergency contraception known as the “Morning-after Pill” (MAP) can be used in cases of rape if it does not induce abortion. Politically progressive readers heard this news and rallied around these bishops for conceding to the use of […]
Comments agitating for “women in the priesthood” are found throughout the media, voiced largely by outsiders to the Catholic Church, either non-Catholics or those who have willingly distanced themselves from the Church, so when I read this headline – “Exclusive: Women deserve bigger role in Church, says key cardinal” — my visceral reaction was negative. […]
