President Obama put all his cards on the table yesterday. He made his big announcement on his response to our current fiscal crisis and festering national debt. He wants to raise taxes (Quell surprise!) and will not touch any entitlement program to reduce uncontrollable spending. He has got to be kidding, right? Wrong. The President […]
Distributivism, also known as Distributism, is an economic theory formulated by Hilaire Belloc and G. K. Chesterton largely in response to the principles of Social Justice laid down by Leo XIII in his encyclical Rerum Novarum. Its key tenet is that ownership of the means of production should be as widespread as possible rather than […]
Bethany Hamilton has an extraordinary story to tell. Working hard to enter the ranks of professional surfing, by the age of 13 she already had a sponsor. But her life was shattered one morning in 2003. Out in the water, on a beautiful day, she was attacked by a 15-foot-long tiger shark. The shark bit […]
I’ve always been pretty athletic, but my first introduction to hiking was not especially enjoyable. It occurred during Survival Training at the Air Force Academy and included seven days of hiking about 8-10 hours a day in the mountains of Colorado. We hiked at night so I was not able to enjoy the beautiful views […]
In the age of gratuitous Hollywood sex and violence it’s not surprising that people are starved for family-friendly entertainment. This is not just a matter of opinion. Movieguide, the world’s premier pro-family movie magazine, has established over and again with its annual Report to the Entertainment Industry that wholesome entertainment sells… big time. The report […]
In the late summer of 2000 I entered the doorway of the nearest Weight Watchers and tipped the scale at a little over 200 pounds. After having two little boys within two years of each other, health issues from the first birth experience, and the death of my mother just days after my second son […]
By the time you’re done reading this column, you’ll want to either join my bandwagon or run me out of town. If it’s the former, hop on; there’s plenty of room. If it’s the latter, please be gentle with the clubs and hatchets; I bruise easily. Okay, here goes. I don’t participate in Friday fish […]
“Now after John was arrested, Jesus cane into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mk 1:14-15). I had read or heard these words many times before I was struck by the order. Repentance comes before […]
On the heels of this spring’s yet another sighting of Bigfoot, the holy grail for cryptozoologists and the slightly curious worldwide, I experienced my own sighting—this one took place in my mind’s eye, was limited to print, and included just eleven words: “Our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee, O Lord.” Augustine of […]
I have long wondered what it would take for the Chinese Communist Party to abandon the one-child policy that it instituted back in 1980 when I was first in China. Now we know. It certainly wasn’t the bitter complaints of the Chinese people about this assault on their families and children that changed the Party’s […]
Defenders of the Federal Reserve have been out in force recently declaring the triumph of Money Printing 2, James Grant’s suggested more truthful term for “quantitative easing.” Some pundits point to an 18-percent increase in the S&P 500 since last August, when the Fed’s policy was announced. They also laud a significant increase in inflation […]
What is truth? Truth conforms to reality. What is reality? One definition is: “the state of things as they actually exist“. That is how we determine truth. During Lent, one of the Gospels that is read each year is the story of the Samaritan woman at the well. This was what we would call today, […]
Okay, so the government is about to shut down. Partially. Good. Because if we don’t stop the killing of innocents in the womb inthis country, if we don’t at least show our Almighty and Most Holy and Just God, that we are seriously willing to bear some cost, some pain, or at least some inconvenience […]
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 Five, Fr. Chris Singer God’s ways are mysterious and marvelous. I had the great honor of attending World Youth Day 2002 in Toronto. And it was there that […]
Monday, April 4, 2011 marked the 43rd anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s tragic death. Cut down in his prime by an assassin’s bullet, Dr. King’s legacy is one of perseverance, bravery, and sacrifice. He was a man bold to stand against a culture steeped in racism and institutionalized prejudice. He was a man […]
President Obama’s recent explanation for militarily engaging Libya is yet another example of how U.S. leaders increasingly rationalize their policies via sentimental and idealistic platitudes, rather than reality or the long view—or just plain common sense. In a speech replete with moralizing intonations, Obama did manage to evoke U.S. “interests”—six times—though he never explained what […]
My Mom and Dad are exactly the sort of people you’d love to go on a road trip with. If you happen to be a Benedictine monk. Just kidding, of course. Even Benedictines find Mom and Dad a little austere. Most notorious of their ascetic proclivities is the (in)famous “iron-bladder” straight-through policy. If a trip […]
The budget deficits from the first two years of the Obama administration are of sufficient magnitude to spring Dr. “Billions and Billions” Carl Sagan from his grave. Sagan could sue for copyright infringement for misuse of astronomical numbers. On second thought, the figures now being bandied about are in the trillions, which no doubt would […]
Sometimes, when a major feast is approaching that requires a lot of preparation, it can be a bit difficult to think past it, to the preparations that are needed for what comes next. But we must not make that mistake with Easter and Divine Mercy Sunday, because, as momentous as the celebration of Easter is, […]
A couple of weeks ago a family friend (we’ll call him John) took me by surprise with an unexpected question, “Do you mind if I go to church with you on Sunday?” Mind? Are you kidding me, I thought. I was thrilled! Then came the next question — one that was entirely predictable but ended up […]
In 2008, the Toronto Sun reported that “hundreds of [Greater Toronto Area] Muslim men in polygamous marriages — some with a harem of wives — are receiving welfare and social benefits for each of their spouses, thanks to the city and province, Muslim leaders say.” “Polygamy is a regular part of life for many […]
All the women I know fall into one of two categories: those who can graciously accept a compliment and those who would rather grout tile than graciously accept a compliment. And, of the women I know, there are really only about three who would be able to graciously accept a compliment. That means that pretty […]
When Pastor Terry Jones, 59, announced an intent to burn a Koran on the anniversary of 9/11 in 2010, the U.S. government, fearing attacks on American troops abroad, put intense pressure on him to desist and eventually he called off his plans. Jones, however, did not cancel the ceremonial judgment of the Islamic scripture – […]
The other day, my three-year-old son observed, “Churches have crosses on them.” I looked up, surprised at the connection he had made. Daringly, I decided to push my luck and asked him, “Why do churches have crosses on them?” Astonished, I heard his answer: “Because it’s a sign. It’s a good sign.” I was partly […]
