“For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things” (Romans 11:36). “I do not endeavor, O Lord, to penetrate Your sublimity, for in no wise do I compare my understanding with that; but I long to understand in some degree Your truth, which my heart believes and loves. For I do not […]
I came home the other day to hear the news from my children: the President of the United States had sent a letter to a “gay” couple in Brooklyn on the occasion of their recent “nuptials.” This forced a conversation that I would rather have postponed – my youngest child being eight years old – […]
As a young adult I was pretty sure about the calling God had in my life. I met the girl that I would end up marrying and knew we would raise a family. I thought about religious life but had a longing for a family. I look at my life now with a beautiful bride, […]
Today on this feast of the Holy Innocents, let’s review why it is impossible to make the claim that you care about the poor or about social justice or about human rights and yet vote for anyone who supports abortion. Those claims are diametrically opposed. It is just a ludicrous as insisting that Herod cared […]
After the most recent GOP presidential debate, reasonable people can disagree as to who came out on top. It was abundantly clear, however, who was smothered beneath the pile. As Ron Paul waxed naive from his perch in Sioux City, Iowa, on issues ranging from foreign policy to judicial activism, one could almost hear his […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Numbers 6:22-27; Psalm 67:2-3,5-6,8; Galatians 4:4-7; Luke 2:16-21) Living Our Lives as Beloved Sons or Daughters of Our Heavenly Father When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman … so that we might receive adoption (Galatians 4:4-5). Our mothers usually know […]
At this time of year, we long to welcome the Christ child into our trembling hearts, these empty mangers aching to be filled; for it is in a child that we first see the face of God in humanity, and through His shocking act of humility that we begin to see ourselves in Him. Blessed […]
Charley had a secret. A secret he had been holding for several months. It was a secret which would bring great happiness, he thought, if people only knew. Charley’s family was suffering. Dad was out of a job. Mom was suffering from an illness, but they really couldn’t figure out what was happening to her. […]
Twelve pro-life nurses have reached a successful agreement with their employer, the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, who they claimed in a lawsuit required them to participate in abortions or lose their jobs. U.S. District Judge Jose Linares said he would “continue to monitor the situation,” according to the New Jersey Star-Ledger, […]
During their brief existence, the Occupy movement has already yielded some benefits on the economic front. As Fr. Thomas Massaro of Boston College puts it: My gratitude to the Occupy movement grows directly out of my identification with Catholic social teaching…. In these years of high unemployment, blocked opportunity, crushing debt, anxieties about future economic […]
I recently strolled down Grant Street in downtown Pittsburgh and was struck by two images. First, there was the stirring life-sized Nativity that each year is displayed on the property of the giant U.S. Steel building. It is an inspiring sight. As I walked along, however, my eyes were distracted by something I was not […]
You know the saying: ”I was a great parent before my kids were born.” No doubt I fell into that category, and was a loving, patient and confident mother 24-7. Then our two little doses of reality arrived: How do I comfort an inconsolable infant in the middle of the night? Manage a fussy toddler throwing a […]
This might be heretical, but give it a chance. God hasn’t struck me dead yet. Walking out of church this morning, a couple of days before Christmas, I happened upon a typical church foyer scene. As two older adults chatted near the door, a vaguely confused little boy of about two years stood looking around […]
As a writer, I find that my thoughts quickly turn into articles in my head. A recent at-rest thought was: What are the worst ideas in the world? High heels were my first thought. Heels prove that vanity lacks wisdom. Feet are for walking; high heels are anti-walking so regardless of what’s in your shoe […]
I chose to review The Catholic Briefcase for three reasons. It is written by a convert, like I am. It is written by a man who successfully integrates his faith in every aspect of his life, like my husband does. When I once carried a briefcase as a career professional, but not yet a Catholic, it […]
A tiny heart beat steadily within the baby boy’s mother. The blood circulating through that tiny heart would save us and change millions of human hearts across the centuries; hearts of stone and violence would melt into hearts of flesh and peace and joy. The infant’s birth was like no other birth. It had been […]
Did you wish all your Facebook friends a Merry Christmas? Sure you did. And probably clicked over to Linkedin, Google+, and Twitter too. Or maybe I am leaving out your favorite social media hangout. Social media is an important part of the online day for many of us Catholics and for many of us it […]
I did most of my growing up in Springville, New York, a small town boasting about 4,200 citizens in the southtowns of Western New York. The nearest big city is Buffalo, which boasts several verypopular sports teams. Buffalo is a sports town, despite a complete lack of national championships in any of them (though the […]
In the days of Caesar Augustus, an era of peace was established in the Mediterranean world after centuries of strife. But this peace was forged by the proud ambition of emperors and the edge of their armies’ swords. Upon this stage appears a baby acclaimed as king by eastern dignitaries. Neither Caesar nor Herod will […]
When I climbed into bed, the sheets felt like thin strips of refrigeration. I pulled the comforter up to my ears and shivered as I waited for my body to generate enough heat to turn my toes from blue to toasty. Now, at 3:35 in the morning, a wave of warmth rolls over me like […]
Tim Tebow haters finally scored on Sunday, when the 23-year-old novice quarterback for the Denver Broncos succumbed to defeat at the hands of 34-year-old Super Bowl veteran and New England Patriots powerhouse Tom Brady. Prior to that 41-23 loss, Tebow had been on an improbable six-game winning streak, pulling off one miraculous fourth-quarter finish after […]
The formal end of the U.S. war in Iraq on Dec. 15 enhances neighboring Iran as a major, unpredictable factor in the U.S. presidential election of 2012. First a look back: Iran’s mullahs already has one opportunity to affect American politics, in 1980. Their seizure of the U.S. embassy in Tehran for 444 days haunted […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Isaiah 52:7-10; Psalm 98:1-6; Hebrews 1:1-6; John 1:1-18) Christmas, A Time to Deepen Our Faith in Jesus Our Lord The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. (John 1:14) For two thousand years, we have celebrated this day—and for good reason. This was no ordinary […]
I am rereading Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, the story about the change of heart wrought upon the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge after he is haunted by four ghosts who help him discover the true meaning of Christmas: peace on earth, good will toward all. In Dickens, the supernatural connects with the terrestrial and a wonderful […]
