Last night I finished reading Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John J. Ratey, M.D (2008). My family physician recommended the book at my annual checkup last month. I told my doctor of my various discomforts and moodiness—I’m pretty healthy, but hadn’t been feeling 100%. He didn’t offer pills or […]
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The Epiphany of the Lord Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72:1-2,7-8,10-13; Ephesians 3:2-3,5-6; Matthew 2:1-12) Being Beacons of Christ’s Light in a Darkened World You shall see and be radiant. (Isaiah 60:5) We’ve all had epiphanies—those times when a sudden insight allows us to grasp something we couldn’t understand […]
Homily for the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God A new year invites us to think of goals we would like to achieve and resolutions we want to make. In short, it seems to be the ideal time for renewal and commitment. However, in all honesty, do we really expect 2013 to be different than […]
It has been a couple of weeks since the death of Robert Bork, which occurred shortly before Christmas and didn’t really get the news coverage that Bork merited. Bork died at age 85. In 1987, he became a national headline when President Ronald Reagan nominated him to the Supreme Court. He was a judicial conservative, […]
2013 is a brand new year, but it also marks the 40th anniversary of the unjust U.S. Supreme Court decisions that imposed abortion on America. Let’s resolve to make this critical year a turning point in our unified efforts to end abortion! If you’ve ever felt called to lead a 40 Days for Life campaign in […]
Dear Brothers and Sisters, “May God bless us and make his face to shine upon us.” We proclaimed these words from Psalm 66 after hearing in the first reading the ancient priestly blessing upon the people of the covenant. It is especially significant that at the start of every new year God sheds upon us, […]
There is something in me which resists popular movies, music, and TV series. That new piece of entertainment that everyone is talking about so often disappoints me by its shallowness or downright offensiveness. “It can’t be good if it’s that popular;” I argue, “we have such abominable collective taste”. A quick view of the cable […]
As the prolife movement contemplates four decades of legalized abortion in the United States and asks itself what really needs doing to halt this hideous scandal, prolifers should consider adding a new word to their vocabulary: ambivalence. According to the dictionary, ambivalence is the state of having mutually conflicting emotions or thoughts about something. And […]
“Is this all there is?” Colleen Carroll Campbell found herself asking that universal question midway through college. Every generation needs to discover the role of faith in their lives and to seek answers to the hard questions such as the meaning of life and the role of suffering. While human nature may remain fairly consistent, […]
Imagine a Kenyan AIDS orphan living in a mud hut with his two brothers and walking several miles to school on an empty stomach. After the devastating loss of both of his parents, facing daily grinding poverty, would he have any energy left to dream of a better future? This boy is not imaginary; his name […]
As a group of crafty Catholic women, joining Pinterest was a no-brainer for many of the Catholic Sistas Ink Slingers. As an Art Major, former Catholic school art teacher, homeschool mother, and now homeschool Nana this was certainly true for me. Therefore, this past Advent and Christmas season brought me to Hobby Lobby more times than I can count. They […]
It’s a mixed up muddled up shook up world … ~ The Kinks Through the secular — ”progressive” looking-glass, the term “sexual orientation” has, in a few short years, evolved to accommodate an ever-expanding fruit basket of carnal appetites. First it was “LGB” — liberal shorthand for “lesbian, gay and bisexual.” Then they added a “T” […]
International Planned Parenthood Federation’s Carmen Barroso sent around an e-mail this week soliciting year-end donations. She illustrates the role IPPF plays throughout the Western Hemisphere by telling the story of Valeria, a young Argentine woman: “This year, we provided vital health services to individuals like Valeria, a young Argentine woman who never received sexuality education […]
My initial response to the outcome of the election was visceral. Fixing my eyes on the heavens, tears pouring down my cheeks, I searched for answers in the night sky. I did a lot of praying for this election. Issues that should abhor any God-fearing human didn’t seem to sway, move or even nudge the […]
As a new year approaches, we naturally reflect on the one past. While it’s easy to get caught up in the negatives of the past year, we must identify and focus on the positive things that have happened as well. When we do this, we see that there are many reasons to look to this […]
There is a plenary indulgence (under the usual conditions, i.e., Confession, Communion, and prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father) for singing or reciting the Veni Creator Spiritus on January 1st. Veni Creátor Spíritus, Come, Holy Spirit, Creator come, Mentes tuórum vísita, From Thy bright heavenly throne! Imple supérna grátia Come, take possession […]
A Very Brief Biography Rev. John Banister Tabb (March 22, 1845 – November 19, 1909) was a Catholic priest and professor of English. Born into one of Virginia’s oldest and wealthiest families, at “The Forest” in Amelia County, Tabb fell in love in his teens, though his marriage proposal to the neighbor girl was declined. He […]
Late last week the Inter-American Court on Human Rights struck down a Costa Rican law that banned in vitro fertilization, ruling that the restrictions violated rights to privacy, personal autonomy and “sexual and reproductive health” under the American Convention on Human Rights (ACHR), commonly known as the Pact of San José. The Court further ruled that that […]
On the British tabloid Daily Mail Online, there recently appeared an article by Chris Rogers and Marshall Corwin concerning the six alleged seers of Medjugorje. Rogers and Corwin write a fairly simple article that recounts some basic history of Medjugorje. It also mixes the authors’ own experience with Medjugorje and the alleged seers. I would […]
Ginaldiel, the angel, scowled at the bookshelf. It was half as tall as he was, and twice the width of his music stand. “Same old, same old,” he muttered, tapping a long forefinger against his lip. He counted the binders again. Twelve. “Twelve binders of music to sing and all eternity in front of […]
The Catholic Church’s stance against birth control has catapulted to the forefront of today’s news, as it is utterly shocking to modern day folk that anyone could be against birth control. The contraceptive mentality is held in high esteem as it is considered wholly responsible and good across all walks of life. Allow me to step […]
With nothing but the angel’s words as confirmation of her condition, she hastened toward her cousin’s house to see if the impossible had indeed come to pass. It had. Amazingly, inexplicably, the devout old woman positively glowed as she regarded her much younger kin, at once gratified and awestruck at the hidden miracles that rested, […]
The calendar reads December 27th. Secular society has us fully ensconced in “after-Christmas” sales and is already prepared to move us along to Valentine’s Day. And yet we Catholics know that in terms of the liturgical season of Christmas, we’re just getting started. Some of you may fall prey to the “after Christmas blues” that […]
