In “Nightmares and Dreamscapes from the Desert,” a These Stone Walls post during Lent last year, I wrote of a recurring dream I’ve had throughout 18 years of imprisonment. The dream had multiple variations and outcomes, all of them anxiety producing, but one version in particular seemed to be an archetype for the dream’s central […]
A just-released global study demonstrates that the diseases causing most of the world’s untimely deaths and illness, especially among children, are not receiving proportionate attention within international policy-making institutions. According to the 2010 Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD 2010) published in The Lancet medical journal in December, over 1.4 million people died from diarrhea […]
I have suspected for a while now that there is little clarity in our culture regarding the goal of chastity. This is probably in part because there is little clarity regarding the difference between abstinence (which ends at marriage) and chastity (which never ends). But it is also probably in part because chastity contradicts the […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Isaiah 62:1-5; Psalm 96:1-3,7-10; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; John 2:1-11) Mary’s Great Faith and Trust in the Lord, A Model for Us to Follow in Prayer Do whatever he tells you. (John 2:5) Can we really change God’s mind? Well, maybe. Let’s take a look at a few […]
Anyone who has seen the latest DROID DNA smart phone ads realizes that such devices have become nearly inseparable from man’s person. As a matter of fact, the ads suggest that the phone is so much a part of the person that even his intelligence will be improved by merely using the phone. These are superb sales […]
The Faith may be ever-ancient, ever new, but calls for it to be amended or abridged are nothing new. Always there are clarion calls that the Church is dying out, and that she must adapt her teachings or face a slow death. A variety of heresies and challengers rise up in every age demanding to […]
It’s personal. It’s painful. And for the millions of people affected by infertility, it can also be very isolating. For those who have never experienced the sorrow and complexity of this condition, it’s impossible to truly comprehend the degree of suffering it causes. I had considered myself empathetic to those who couldn’t conceive, but I […]
“Sorry, No Steeple…but we do have a drive-thru” is what the clever, cool, hip billboard sign proclaims. I wasn’t exactly sure what it meant so I didn’t pay it much never-mind. Then another one popped up with something that was, to me, similarly vague: We don’t accept perfect people. Still, not paying attention. Then a […]
I recently attended a brainstorming session focusing on how to best deliver and follow up much needed care to a growing, vulnerable patient population in the community. Nothing was put on paper at the initial meeting. It was just an exchange of ideas, references, and an intention of good will and future partnership. Later, when […]
During the summer of 1998, our family faced the sudden death of our twelve-year-old son. He was perfectly healthy that morning, but during the night, his airways had a spasm and closed up. We discovered him blue and not breathing. I said “faced” because we came face to face with death; waiting for medical help, […]
In less than two weeks, our nation will mark the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court decision that made abortion-on-demand the law of the land. The milestone is causing many on both sides of the aisle to take a closer look at our changing political landscape and ask, “Does legal abortion have […]
At first glance, the scene makes little sense. John’s strident call to repentance provokes an overwhelming response. People of all shapes and sizes flock to him in the wilderness. They are baptized in the Jordan as a sign of repentance and cleansing. Suddenly, out of the crowd steps John’s cousin, Jesus. Wait a minute! What […]
(Okay, so that’s really an 8-book list.) If you listen my podcast, Among Women, you know I have a passion for three things: first, to encourage women to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ and their Catholic faith; second, to celebrate the beauty and genius of their womanhood; and third, to call women to […]
The doctor performing the ultrasound had a strange look on his face. The newly married couple braced themselves for what they were sure would be terrible news. “Now, don’t scream,” he said in measured tones. “One. Two. Three…Triplets!” Jason and Marie Taylor, both in their 30s, had married only four months ago, in May 2012. […]
The U.S. Supreme Court announced Monday the dates it will begin to hear oral arguments on two pivotal cases on the issue of same-sex “marriage.” On March 26, the Supreme Court will hear Hollingsworth v. Perry, on the issue of the constitutionality of California’s Proposition 8 – the voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage that was […]
Every once in a while, a book lands in your hands at the perfect time. For me, that happened this month when I received my lovely review copy of Cravings: A Catholic Wrestles with Food, Self-Image, and God by my friend and fellow writer Mary DeTurris Poust. The book arrived just in time for me […]
Late last week, House Republicans passed a package of rules that will guide the next (113th) Congress. Contained within these rules was a simple provision stating that “[The] Independent Payment Advisory Board … shall not apply in the One Hundred Thirteenth Congress.” The Independent Payment Advisory Board, or IPAB, has remained one of the most […]
With the passage of each year it appears that more and more Americans are being served a platter of nuanced messages regarding how one is to care for a dying loved one. It is as though death could somehow be made more palatable for those involved. The truth is that death is inevitable; nobody will […]
The National Catholic Reporter (NCR) reports the former Reverend Roy Bourgeois has been formally notified of his dismissal from his religious community and the priesthood. Bourgeois is a vocal proponent of women being ordained priests. In 2008, he participated in the simulation of the Sacrament of Holy Orders involving a woman. Shortly thereafter, says the […]
A peculiar thing happened on the way to the present day from Pentecost: the Church suddenly stopped calling the Jews to conversion. Sure, if we are being honest, we must admit that the Church is now reticent to explicitly call anyone who dwells beyond the fold into the one true religion, but in the decades […]
This past December Pope Benedict XVI warned about the dangers of Gender Theory. Many people may be unaware of the various theories of gender and how each of them is in its own way an attack on reality. Part of the problem is that the theories are not logically consistent, and contradict one another. While the theories […]
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Recently on Facebook, I came across a rather heated discussion about Vacation Bible School (VBS), summertime faith formation programs hosted by many parishes across the United States. These parishes are taking a cue from other Christian communities by offering this kind of special outreach – and at times are even using programs produced by evangelical […]
