In 1932 an experiment was begun using taxpayer funding. It involved a group of 600 impoverished black men, most of whom had the sexually transmitted disease syphilis, all of whom became human guinea pigs used at taxpayer expense for reasons that are both atrocious and inhumane. To this day, these experiments remain a black mark […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading Acts 2:1-11 2nd Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13 Responsorial: Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-31, 34 Gospel: John 20:19-23 Pentecost, A Time to Say Yes to Work of the Holy Spirit and No to Fear The doors were locked. (John 20:19) Fear can be such […]
There is so much suffering. Homeless men, women and even countless children on the sidewalks of our cities. … Refugees from war-torn Syria and numerous African countries. … Immigrants fleeing dangerous circumstances in Central America and risking everything to sneak into the United States. … People whose lives are turned upside-down by drug abuse – […]
Fr. Peter West also contributed to this article. The month of May is traditionally a time to honor Mary, the Mother of God. This is a fitting time to reflect on the essential role she plays in our salvation and in our missionary apostolate promoting life and family. During this month we should strive to […]
On May 13th, Pope Francis continued his catechesis on the family by reflecting on three phrases: “May I?”, “Thank you”, and “Pardon me”. These simple phrases are difficult to put into practice but “when they are ignored, their absence can cause cracks in the foundation of the family, which can lead to its collapse. If […]
Ave Maria Press recently published two books on chastity. While the books come to the same conclusions, the authors do so from very different viewpoints. The first, Chastity is for Lovers: Single, Happy, and (Still) a Virgin, by Arleen Spenceley, is by a twenty-nine year old woman who is still looking for Mr. Right. She […]
By Oliver Maksan JERUSALEM—Pope Francis’ May 17, 2015 canonization of two Palestinians, Blessed Marie Alphonsine Ghattas and Blessed Mariam Baouardi, “gives hope to Christians in the Holy Land,” said the bishop responsible for the Palestinian territories. In an interview with international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need, Auxiliary Bishop William Shomali said that […]
There are dark days ahead for sick, disabled and depressed people in Canada. The Supreme Court recently struck down the nation’s laws against assisted suicide. The high court’s judges unanimously supported this terrible decision. What sort of society helps suicidal people kill themselves?! The high court defined the scope of assisted suicide to include an […]
The United States House of Representatives has passed a ban on most abortions after 20 weeks’ gestation, ending four months of often vitriolic debate among Capitol Hill Republicans and pro-life activists about the contentious piece of legislation. The bill passed 242-184, largely along party lines, with one member voting present. Four Republicans broke ranks and voted […]
When my family migrated from the Philippines to the United States in 1986, I didn’t want to go. I wanted to finish college at home and settle down with whomever God picked out for me to marry, after a courtship of at least five years. But God laughed at my plans. I met my future […]
“Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” With those words to the apostle Thomas, Jesus bestowed a wonderful blessing upon all of those disciples who chose to follow him yet never actually heard him preach a sermon or saw him heal a leper. While walking the earth, our Lord had contemporaries whom […]
In her apparitions to the shepherd children at Fatima, Mary revealed herself as the Queen of the Holy Rosary and encouraged the daily recitation of the rosary. This devotion to the Mother of God has been recommended to the faithful for centuries. In fact, when one is attached to habitual sin, oftentimes in the confessional […]
“Just a few days ago, I got a case involving a man who was disabled due to a severe beating by local government personnel just because his sister-in-law had had an additional baby without a permit.” — Chen Guangcheng On April 30th, Congressman Chris Smith chaired a hearing on population control in China in the U.S. […]
Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading Acts 1:1-11 2nd Reading: Ephesians 1:17-23 Responsorial: Psalm 47:2-3, 6-9 Gospel: Mark 16:15-20 Experiencing a Fresh Infilling and Release of the Holy Spirit In a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. (Acts […]
Countless articles, memoirs and studies explore why so many marriages in our society deteriorate and ultimately fail. Just recently, a blog post at USA TODAY by Anthony D’Ambrosio gained attention for identifying the top five reasons that marriages don’t work: intimacy issues, financial strife, failure to truly connect, desire for attention, and an obsession with […]
As an avocational historian I spend a lot of time thinking about the past. The days gone by fascinate me and I often wonder what it was like for people who lived in earlier times. Saint Peter writes in his second epistle that, “There is no time with God: a single day: a thousand years: […]
The Geneva Declaration on Perinatal Care recently came to my attention. It is very short, stating: As medical practitioners and researchers, we declare that the term “incompatible with life” is not a medical diagnosis and should not be used when describing unborn children who may have a life-limiting condition. We acknowledge that there exists no […]
Dear Kevin, Thanks for indulging me in my desire to lure traditionalists into ordinary form parishes. While you may disagree with this being a workable solution to the liturgy wars, I hope at least that it starts a conversation about how we should improve relations between traditionalists and the wider Church. Now in your last […]
Pope Francis calls three realities of creation a masterpiece; man, woman, and the family, which is the love between man and woman. To write a gloss, brotherly love is good, and even the love for a child is good, but it is the love between a man and a woman which results in a marriage […]
God gives mothers whatever good they ask for their children. Why? Because they are humble. They are living signs of humility and only the humble are filled with God. Jesus also gifts mothers with a share of His sorrows and passion to be applied to the salvation of their children. “It makes me happy to suffer for you, […]
The last month has, at times, been a blur. After being hit by a car on my bike just over a month ago, I have had to look at life through a different lens. Is there really an “upside” to tragedy? Indulge me as I reflect on the lessons I believe God is trying to […]
On May 1st the Church celebrated the memorial of St. Joseph the Worker. May 1st also inaugurated the Month of Mary. The memorial of St. Joseph almost seems fitting as we begin a month dedicated to Mary because we remember how St. Joseph provided for the Holy Family as a carpenter. To celebrate St. Joseph […]
By Oliver Maksan “At night we often hear gunfire. But luckily we are quite a bit away from the fighting,” Father Steven says. In fact, the town of Alqosh is only 10 miles away from the front line, where the heavily armed Kurdish Peshmerga forces and ISIS fighters are facing off. When the weather is […]
Ex Machina, an updated story on Artificial Intelligence, is a new science fiction classic, with all the bells and whistles of today’s filmmaking, but without a terribly new conclusion about the human or moral ramifications of A.I. A megalomaniac computer scientist (Nathan) has created a top-secret female robot (Ava) and invited a computer coder (Caleb) […]
