“There’s trouble in Midgard again,” said the Watchman. “They need a Hero.””Very well,” replied the Director. “This is a job for Chase Hardrock.””But sir, Mr. Hardrock is out on leave.” “Balls. Send in Bob–from Accounting.” “Er. . . yes, sir.” And so, Bob from Accounting set out on his great Adventure. The Galleons had sailed when he came to the harbor, and he […]
My favorite food is peanut butter. I eat it every day. I don’t need bread or jelly—I eat it from the jar with a spoon. Every year I think about quitting during Lent but I never do. Like an addict, I cannot think about life without peanut butter but I know life cannot go […]
Some find it hard to accept that God would love some people more than others. That wouldn’t be fair, they say. But God became man. If he did not love some more than others, Jesus wouldn’t be fully human. For human beings have family and friends. While we can do good and even risk our […]
The United States burned diplomatic bridges during this year’s UN Commission on the Status of Women by using force and deception to pass an unpopular resolution calling for international access to contraception. Countries accused the US of manipulating the negotiations process from start to finish through proposing the initial text of the resolution on maternal […]
Santa Claus? Check. Easter Bunny? Check. Tooth Fairy? Check. Even Leprechauns. My 5-year-old believes in all these things. Yet last Sunday on the drive to Mass she announced: “I don’t think Jesus is real. I think he’s made up.” Wwwhat?! I thought I had till at least 10 or 12 before that started (or what […]
A cheerful crowd of young people with Down syndrome and their proud families filled a UN conference room on Wednesday to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day. Brazil and Poland hosted the event showcasing the achievements of differently-abled people who are allowed to live up to their potential. About 7 million people worldwide have Down syndrome, […]
The U.S. Supreme Court is now poised to review the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, better known as “Obamacare.” The nine Justices will hear oral arguments totaling an unprecedented five-and-a-half hours beginning on March 26, 2012 and concluding on March 28. The usual allocation of time for Supreme Court oral arguments is just 60 […]
In his masterpiece, An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman at the age of fifteen describes his initial conversion toward the teachings of the Catholic Church where he, “Fell under the influences of a definite creed, and received into my intellect impressions of dogma, which, though God’s mercy, have […]
During Pope Benedict XVI’s General Audience on March 14 about praying with Mary, he pointed out times in Mary’s life that were pivotal to salvation history and in which she demonstrated particular aspects of prayer. When I read the Pope’s words, I was inspired to take them a step further and to explore ways in […]
I don’t recommend many movies, but today one that you really should see is coming into theaters nationwide. It’s called October Baby, and it deals in a masterful way with a difficult topic — abortion. Abortion is not and should not be an abstract debate. When I’m asked how the pro-life battle has evolved over […]
Radical environmentalism and transhumanism are the two movements that I think are very pernicious. Radical environmentalism wants the plague of humanity to be reduced (or disappear all together) so the Earth can be “healthy” again. Transhumanism wants to radically engineer man to be “posthuman” which includes, but is not limited to, living forever through enhancements. […]
Half of Iraq’s indigenous Christians are gone due to the unleashed forces of jihad, many of them fleeing to nearby Syria; yet, as the Assad regime comes under attack by al-Qaeda and others, the jihad now seeps into Syria, where Christians are experiencing a level of persecution unprecedented in the nation’s modern history. Likewise, some […]
Reading about two free speech cases now before the Supreme Court, I found myself thinking of Cardinal Newman. I’ll get to Cardinal Newman in a minute, but first let me say a word about those cases pending in the court. The basic issue in FCC v. Fox Television Stations and FCC v. ABC is the […]
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? […]
Today is World Down Syndrome Day, a day to celebrate the lives of those who have an extra 21st chromosome. It’s also a reminder that we should love and value all people with disabilities. Speaking of which, a couple of my fellow contributors over at the Ignitum Today blog have been asking for lots of prayers […]
Dr. Vincent Fortanasce knows the field of medicine as well as anyone. He has studied psychiatry at Yale, neurology at the University of Southern California and orthopedic rehabilitation at Rancho Los Amigos Hospital, one of the top rehab centers in the country. He has spent decades treating thousands of patients, including world-class athletes and celebrities. Many […]
In recent years, American liberals’ love-affair with all things contemporary Western European (sans Margaret Thatcher and Benedict XVI) has acquired an increasingly desperate edge. As evidence for the European social model’s severe dysfunctionality continues to mount before our eyes, the American left is acutely aware how much it discredits its decades-old effort to take America down […]
The association of being a Christian and a Catholic comes with a great personal responsibility. It is no doubt an expectation of those who know us to be a Christian that we act like one. This is a natural expectation. People seem to lose the focus about what they expect from a Christian when it […]
Flowers in My Garden (by A Mother) Am I allowed to mourn my child who was never born? The one upon whom my eyes will never gaze, probably because of my advanced maternal age. Can I cry for you? You are a part of me. But you, you were to be Number Thirteen. The world […]
We’ve all heard Planned Parenthood’s trite mantra that “only 3%” of their services are abortion procedures in order to downplay the pivotal role that “service” has to their financial stability. Their supporters (and sadly, many pro-lifers) have succumbed to believing that abortion is merely a small part of what Planned Parenthood is all about. Here […]
Goldman Sachs executive Greg Smith made headlines last week with a public letter of resignation from the legendary firm. Smith’s letter chronicled the ethical decline that led to his departure, and has sparked renewed interest in the culture of unmitigated greed that animates the world of high finance. In his letter, Smith refers to a […]
I was mourning my third miscarriage and seeking a book that would offer me comforting words from a Catholic mother who had also lost a child. I found Letters to Gabriel by Karen Garver Santorum. In the pages of this book I got to know Karen as she spoke to her son Gabriel, who is […]
Ezekiel, caught up in the Spirit of God, has a vision of the Temple. Water pours from beneath the Temple threshold. This water is clean and live-giving, restoring everything it touches. It flows east, east toward Eden, so that the garden may be purified and man redeemed. Ezekiel does not realize that this Temple is […]
I remember falling to the floor when I felt a sharp, jabbing pain in my lower abdomen. I curled up into a ball and could hardly move. All I could think was “Oh my God!” and then my mind went blank as I tried to remain conscious. I was only about 16 and didn’t know […]
