The media is abuzz with news about humanity’s numbers. Sometime during the latter part of this year or early next year — the exact date is still a little fuzzy — there will be, for the first time in history, 7 billion people alive on the planet at the same time. Left-wing pundits are already […]
What has been the essence of Pope Benedict XVI’s first six years, since his election on April 19, 2005, six years ago? What has been the pontificate’s chief characteristic? If one thinks of the pontificate as a whole, it is clear that the center of Benedict’s papacy is teaching. This pontificate is the pontificate of […]
In the course of the publication of my articles on Latin and the Catholic Church’s memory and identity (part one, part two, part three, part four), commentator “Michael” posed the question, “Can Catholics figure out, by Natural Law alone, the ‘goodness’ or ‘badness’ of some writing?” He also made the claim that, “…in removing the […]
For years, I guarded the kids’ Easter baskets like the soldiers outside of Christ’s tomb. I’d monitor them vigilantly – if I could have rolled a stone in front of them, I would have. I wanted the children to make the contents last and to really appreciate the treats inside rather than just wolfing them […]
What is the common good? The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains: “By common good is to be understood “the sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily”. The common good concerns the life of all. It calls for prudence […]
Have you ever wondered why you aren’t more joyful? I have. I think as a Christian I should be filled with joy, and yet at times I struggle with sadness. Often it is because I can’t seem to balance all the issues I am dealing with. Adam and Eve, before the Fall, had no problem […]
According to a 1991 Book of the Month Club / Library of Congress survey that asked what book had most influenced their lives, the two top picks by respondents were the Bible and Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged. Coincidentally, this is a big week for both Christians and Randians. The former are celebrating the resurrection of Jesus […]
Holy Week can never be the same for me. Not after seeing the Shroud of Turin last year. It’s been nearly a year since the Shroud was placed on public display (for just the 18th time in its history) in Turin, Italy. Never did I imagine I would be among the over two million pilgrims […]
At this year’s Easter Vigil, I get to celebrate my 17th birthday as a Catholic Christian. Seventeen years ago I officially began my faith journey as a Catholic Christian, with the blessing of Cardinal Mahoney and my faith community at Holy Family Catholic Church in South Pasadena, California. So every year at this time, I […]
Dear God, I don’t get it! is the name of my children’s book and it’s also the message I’ve heard through the years when bad things happen to good people. Whenever the weight of the cross presses upon us, we tend to feel somewhat betrayed. Why me Lord? I don’t get it! I pray and […]
The Muslim Brotherhood’s mask is slipping in Egypt. Small “d” democrats there and elsewhere are alarmed by top Brotherhood officials who now aver openly what has been utterly predictable: Once in power they will impose shariah – the totalitarian, supremacist politico-military-legal program practiced in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Somalia, Sudan and increasingly elsewhere. The prospect that […]
Today two ideas collided. It didn’t hurt so much, but it did shake things up. Shaking up can be a very good thing. I remember a quote on our fridge from youth: “Sometimes God knocks us off balance so we’ll take a step forward.” So true. Socrates, Copernicus, St. Francis, Einstein, John Paul II… all examples […]
Was Chief Sitting Bull a Catholic convert? Did he convert William “Buffalo Bill” Cody? That was the scuttlebutt around Catholic circles this past week. From stories, to blogging, to Catholic radio shows, to postings from Facebook friends, I heard it multiple times. As a student of the Old West, having read numerous accounts of Sitting […]
When a conquering hero of the ancient world rode into town in triumph, it was in a regal chariot or on the back of a stately stallion. Legions of soldiers accompanied him in the victory procession. Triumphal arches, festooned with relief sculptures, were often erected to immortalize his valiant victory. After driving out demons, healing […]
One Easter I was asked by some Methodist friends why Catholics have the Crucifix. Their pastor had emphasized that Jesus is not dead. He is risen. Why look at a crucifix? He is no longer on the Cross. So, why do we have the Crucifix? Why do we have the Stations of the Cross? Why […]
Pope Benedict XVI, looking very healthy for his years, turned 84 today. He was born in 1927 in Marktl-am-Inn in southern Germany. But also today, shocking revelations coming out of Belgium, where an archbishop has confessed in a television interview to sexual activity with two of his nephews, continue to reverberate. Reflections on Our Crisis […]
On April 12th the liberal media’s assault on the new English translation of the Roman Missal continued on page 1A of the New York Times in an article written by their long time “religion writer” Laura Goodstein. I’ve addressed the media’s “Global Missal Dissent System” in the past, but at this point their exaggerated claims […]
“[W]e could well take example from Russia,” advised Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger, “where birth control instruction is part of the regular welfare service of the government.” Sanger, racial-eugenicist who spoke to a 1926 KKK rally, whose work included a “Negro Project,” who wished to rid America of “human weeds” and “morons” and “imbeciles,” and […]
Presented in cooperation with Greg Schlueter and JP2Journey.com: The JP2 Generation Tells Its Story, remembering World Youth Day 2002 and the impact of Pope John II. Part Six, Daniel Meola “What is man, that thou are mindful of him?” (Ps. 8:4). These words come to my mind every time I think of World Youth Day […]
Imelda Lambertini was born into a rich family, the only child of Captain General Egano Lambertini and his wife Donna Castora (her name is recorded as Castora Galuzzi in some resources). The family was devoutly Catholic and well-loved by their community of Bologna, Italy. After Imelda was born, her mother had a dream and was […]
With great clarity and even greater charity, Pope Benedict XVI has once again shown how blessed we are to have him as the leader of our universal church! In his most recent weekly Wednesday address, the pope urges all of us to answer our call to holiness and gives us practical advice on how to do […]
Proposition 8 is an amendment to California’s State Constitution. It was passed by a comfortable margin via ballot initiative in 2008. Prop 8 maintained the age-old definition of marriage in the Golden State as requiring binary male-female compatibility. It remains tied-up in Federal Court today. Back in February of 2010 it became rumored that retired […]
Question for those of you concerned about the size of federal debts and deficits: Would you endorse a plan which would add another five or six trillion dollars to the federal debt over the next decade while increasing Uncle Sam’s annual expenditures by $1.1 trillion? If so, you’re in luck. House Budget Committee Chairman Paul […]
Having a large family brings many blessings. One that might surprise some people is the blessing of not having enough money. Most people would not understand how less could be more. After all, part of the reason large families became an endangered species is because so many couples stress about money when contemplating more children, […]
