The Guttmacher Institute released a brief report titled Unintended Pregnancy and Abortion in Uganda in which they make their case for why increased contraception and access to “safe” abortion will reduce maternal mortality. Briefly, their argument is that unintended pregnancy in Uganda is high, and this is because women don’t have access to contraceptives. Because […]
“Only a permanent formation of the heart and mind can actually create intelligibility and participation which is more than one external activity, which is an entering of the person, of his or her being into communion with the Church and thus in fellowship with Christ.”—Pope Benedict XVI this morning, in his annual address to the […]
Garry Wills [ex-seminarian]: “What we really need are no priests.” James Carroll [ex-priest]: The pope “has seen only a solemn obligation to defend the church.” [Italic added.] Richard Sipe [ex-priest]: “Certainly, he did a lot, but it was all reactionary.” [Italic added.] Daniel Maguire [ex-priest]: The “scandal of the papacy [is] one of the last absolute monarchies in a […]
Liberals are apoplectic over remarks by Dr. Ben Carson at the National Prayer Breakfast. Carson, a prominent pediatric surgeon from Johns Hopkins University, dared to weigh in on healthcare—something he knows something about. In the liberal mind, Carson committed a grave transgression; he disagreed with President Obama on healthcare at a faith venue, and in […]
The recent spate of mass shootings has prompted President Obama and his allies in Congress to pursue new gun control laws with special urgency. Mr. Obama is correct in sensing that the American people are ready for serious action on this issue, but he is mistaken in thinking that they are in agreement with him […]
I sat in my seat in a circle of students in my counseling theories class. Pen in hand and a self-inventory worksheet on top of a book on my lap, I thought about the question at the top of the paper: What did you learn about love from how your parents treated you? This is […]
Sandra Fluke, the champion of free birth control for women, has reached a new low in her quest to shame the American public into believing that when it comes to promiscuity and sex, employers with well-formed consciences are badly in need of government intervention. In addition, Fluke has a serious problem with religious freedom if […]
My kids already know what I’m going to say. I can just picture them mouthing the words as I speak them, “Don’t forget to think about what you’re going to do for Lent, and make sure you do something positive, too.” There, I said it. And, I meant it. Of course I advocate the Church’s […]
It was an emotional day at the Vatican as Pope Benedict XVI, in two of his last public addresses, called again on Christians to continue to defend the lives of innocent unborn and vulnerable people and to uphold the sanctity of natural marriage. In this morning’s regular Wednesday general audience, he warned that Christians will […]
“While the Lord continues to raise up examples of radical conversion, like Pavel Florensky, Etty Hillesum and Dorothy Day, he also constantly challenges those who have been raised in the faith to deeper conversion.”—Pope Benedict XVI, at his next-to-last General Audience, this morning in the Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City Benedict Reaches Out […]
Monday’s announcement by Pope Benedict XVI that he will resign the papacy at the end of this month because of his increasingly frail health has revealed what we practicing Catholics in America have long understood: Our faith remains a mystery. No time has been wasted stirring up a frenzy of speculation about what will happen […]
The narrative some have come to trust from talk radio or from public personalities like Pat Buchanan, Justice Antonin Scalia or libertarians such as Ron Paul and Lew Rockwell, is that it is in our best interest to return to the vision of the American Founding Fathers, who, in their estimate, were God-fearing men, lovers […]
I’ve written about Catholic dating for about five years now and also coach women one-on-one to get to ‘I Do.’ From day one, my approach was a little different because I’m a no-bones-about-it realist. We Catholics love to cling to our ideals! We aren’t always interested in how things are, and prefer to focus on […]
It started with just one hour of prayer in College Station, TX not even ten years ago. Today, 40 Days for Life has grown to a bi-annual 40 day campaign of prayer, fasting, peaceful vigil and community outreach for more than half a million people in hundreds of cities across America and around the world. […]
He approached from the far side of the table taking the seat next to mine and posed this question, “How did I know that Mary really interceded in my life and could the blessings I encountered really be possible?” Perhaps, I could give him some “concrete examples?” I had just finished giving a little personal […]
For Ash Wednesday last year, my wife and I took the kids to mass at Fulton Sheen’s old seminary, the St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul, MN. Located on bluffs above the Mississippi River, with a fine view of the river and the Minneapolis sky line across the water, it has a neat old church […]
Forty years ago today, Navy Admiral Jeremiah Denton was freed from captivity as a POW by the North Vietnamese in Hanoi. In May 2007, Admiral Denton agreed to serve as Chairman of the Thomas More Law Center’s Citizens Advisory Board. Admiral Jeremiah Denton served as United States Naval Aviator during the Vietnam War and was the […]
Today the Vatican announced that its ability to process credit card transactions, interrupted since January 1 by a decision of the Bank of Italy, had been restored. The renewed access to international financial networks comes one day after Pope Benedict announced that he will step down from his office as successor of Peter on February […]
True as they all are, their answers are incomplete. They are means, not the end. Why does God wish to “marry us?” What is the purpose of God providing peace? As always, the answer may be found within the Scriptures
Hey, pallie, what the heck happened to romance? I use the word “pallie” in deference to the great Dean Martin. A few summers ago, just before the annual Dean Martin Festival in Dino’s home town of Steubenville, Ohio, I decided to compare today’s hits with his. I started with the No. 1 song on Billboard […]
Religious Freedom is an important issue. But, it’s the WRONG defense in the fight over Obama’s mandate. And here is a perfect explanation why that is so, found in one of the comments in this YouTube clip: “…As you may know Jehovah Witnesses do not believe in blood transfusions. Do you think a Jehovah Witness […]
Pope Benedict XVI has tendered his resignation effective 28 February, 2013. In making this stunning announcement before the College of Cardinals, the Holy Father cited “advanced age” and a lack of “strength of mind and body” as the factors that led him to conclude that he is incapable of “adequately fulfilling” the Petrine ministry. At […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Deuteronomy 26:4-10; Psalm 91:1-2,10-15; Romans 10:8-13; Luke 4:1-13) Remembering What the Lord Has Done for Us The Lord brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand and outstretched arm. (Deuteronomy 26:8) When we read the story of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness, we may put brackets […]
