Go to Part 1. Tentative Exit Plan What an exceptional nation America was! In 1945 Germany’s foremost rocket scientist, 34 year old Wernher von Braun, led his team of scientists and engineers along a war ravaged route from Peenemunde to Bavaria, where they surrendered to U.S. forces. His team of rocket scientists (developers of the […]
One of my favorite shows is “Mayday,” a documentary which recounts stories of plane crashes and near crashes. My favorite episodes are the ones where everyone (or most) survives. Survival usually depends on the skill and precision of the pilots and flight engineers. I find it fascinating just what can bring a plane down and […]
I attended a half-day Advent conference entitled The Silence of Mary. The morning was a much needed retreat from the maddening rush and noise of a city caught up in pre-Christmas frenzy. It was also the day after the horrific school shooting in Connecticut and the stabbing of 22 school children and one elderly woman […]
Fourth Sunday of Advent Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Zephaniah 3:14-18; (Psalm) Isaiah 12:2-6; Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 3:10-18) Mary and Elizabeth, Our Model for Responding to the Holy Spirit “Blessed are you who believed!” (Luke 1:45) When something exciting happens, you can’t contain yourself; you simply have to share the news with […]
A couple of weeks ago a friend recommended to me the book Sons of Cain by Val Bianco. After being told the general storyline, I was interested in reading it and was able to do so. I was delighted as I very quickly became wrapped-up in a page-turning book that left my emotions flying and […]
From the beginning of the one-child policy, the Chinese Party-state has tried to blame the myriad cruelties of this barbaric policy on “out-of-control local officials.” This is nonsense, of course, since local officials are only following orders on pain of punishment. So it was that when Chinese academic Yan Li tried out this excuse in […]
On the last Saturday before Christmas break, I introduced the belief of a forgiving God to my First Communion class. The lesson was based on a re-telling of The Prodigal Son. As usual, the class, the full complement of twenty-one this particular Saturday, participated eagerly in the discussion. The students had many questions: what if […]
I wasn’t going to write about Friday’s sad events, instead simply choosing to pray. My heart has been heavy, and I knew others would write about it with more eloquence. My words and thoughts weren’t necessarily needed. But then, I was drawn into the conversation and realized that there was indeed something I needed to […]
On Wednesday, on the twelfth day of the twelfth month, in the year 2012, my parish and I celebrated the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. As I write, there appears to be no significance to that factoid of the series of the twelves, though it was interesting enough to deserve a mention from the […]
The latest unemployment figures are again depressing, but not for the usual reasons. They provide further confirmation of Barack Obama’s fundamental transformation of America, specifically through his creation of a growing government class. The numbers show a massive increase in government jobs created over the last five months—621,000, to be exact, dwarfing private-sector job growth. […]
3rd Sunday of Advent (Year C) On the third Sunday of Advent, the penitential purple of the season changes to rose and we celebrate “Gaudete” or “Rejoice!” Sunday. “Shout for joy, daughter of Sion” says Zephaniah. “Draw water joyfully from the font of salvation,” says Isaiah. “Rejoice in the Lord always,” says St. Paul. “Do […]
Please read the first part of this article here: How Not to Throw Stones in an Argument, Part One Christ does not end the conflict simply by “cooling down” in these various ways. He also chooses to show mercy to the woman caught in adultery. It is significant that Christ doesn’t simply forgive any such […]
Each one lovely, unique, and irreproducible; wildflowers and people alike. Today the unthinkable happened, and as I sat only half-listening to the news as I worked, I couldn’t imagine the connection between a shooting somewhere in Connecticut and Sandy Hook across the bay from me in New Jersey. Then the sickening reality hit me that […]
Reading post-2012-election news reports can be hazardous to one’s mental health, particularly for the sanity-challenged among us. But perhaps the singularly most prescient comments come from long ago—from the pen of America’s most profound novelist, Herman Melville, whose words in his powerful novel of deception and intrigue, “The Confidence Man: His Masquerade,” echo across the […]
The United States Department of Education (DOE) is investigating a junior ROTC instructor who is reported to have said that the Bible condemns homosexuality. An excerpt from the report states: “On Nov. 21 the DOE sent a letter to James Robinson, director of GLBT Advocacy and Youth Services, which says the department will be investigating […]
As the twentieth anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) approaches, abortion activists are marking out their priorities for governments to adopt for the next 20 years. To that end, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), along with various non-governmental organizations hosted, ICPD Global Youth Forum in Bali last week, touted by sponsors […]
For Christians, Advent is a penitential season. As a penitential season, it is a specially designated time to reflect on our sins and try to break free from those sins as we await the coming of the light of the world, Jesus Christ. I would, therefore, like to meditate on perhaps one of the most […]
Much has been said lately about how to do evangelization. I’ve contributed a bit to that myself. Now I begin to think that, instead of always stressing niceness, it might be good to give tough religion a try. That idea was inspired by a reading of Eric Metaxas’s biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the Lutheran theologian […]
A few weeks ago, on All Soul’s Day, Father Kean – a exuberant young priest at our parish – preached from the daily reading from Revelation 7: After this I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and […]
After repeatedly reintroducing the legislation for 14 years, the Philippines lower House has voted 113 to 104 to pass the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill at second reading – the most difficult stage. “This is a very dark day for the Philippines and for the fight for life and family around the world,” said Human […]
“Peace on earth and good will to men.” This is the season where we reflect on Christ’s offer and promise of His peace. But why do so few seem to have it? Why is it that some people rant over such things bad drivers and delayed appointments while others walk peacefully through life’s storms? I […]
While Jen found it a little bit awkward to tell you about this new mini-series of hers, I’m tickled pink to tell you why I think you’ll love the series. She gave me a little sneak preview since we both engage with atheists and we both are converts. We have other things in common: We both […]
A recent Family in America conference in D.C. lays out the problem, and speaker Jennifer Roback-Morse provides a solution. Past generations of American pioneers, known for their openness to life, would not have believed it. They would be astonished to learn that, in the second decade of the twenty-first century, a woman’s fertility is not […]
