UN population experts promoting low fertility were dumbfounded when asked what lies ahead for countries that will grow old before they have a chance to become rich. At a UN panel last week an expert from Harvard University said, “There are economic and health benefits from fertility decline.” During a presentation to UN delegates at […]
It can be quite tempting for husbands to misuse their authority as the head of the household in relating to their wives. Within my own therapy experience, I have seen men misquote Scripture as justification for disregarding their wives’ opinions and wishes. The fifth chapter of Ephesians is a popular source for this kind of […]
Consider for a moment the sheer gravity of this truth: that a society is fully capable of being blinded to the clear and absolute evil of an ideology, practice, or undertaking. Just think about it, regardless of your views; there is simply no denying society’s capacity for the normalization of that which even the most […]
Any writer or speaker who offers his opinions on a topic does so with the implicit promise that he is an expert in the subject and can offer insight not generally available to the general public. But I am forced to take a different tack, since I am about to opine on a subject—two subjects, […]
I’ve read many term papers in my day. Most of them are no more than a patchwork of quotes. That’s because college students are smart enough to know that they really can’t say much on their own authority–to make their case, they have to lean on the authority of others more learned than themselves. That’s […]
When my grief counselor asked me to explain why I felt the loss of my mother so acutely, I couldn’t come up with my own language for it. It was all so natural and obvious to me. She was my mother! But not everyone has a mother like my mother, I learned, so first we had […]
President Obama’s State of the Union address was predictable for a President nearing the end of his second term. It was filled with lots of partisan legislative ideas that will never see fruition in a Republican Congress. It hearkened back to his original campaign ideas of bringing Washington together, which comes off as amusing when you […]
Twenty-four states say Yes, he has.
Sometimes new parents will half jokingly complain that their precious new charge did not “come with an instruction manual”. They may be overlooking something. They don’t even have an instruction manual for their own selves. Think about it. Even the simplest utensil or small appliance nowadays comes with pages of instructions, often in multiple languages. […]
I recently read the story of a daughter’s anguished eyewitness account of her mother’s death. It was a death chosen for the mother by her son and oldest daughter, who decided that starvation was the best thing for a beloved mother who had suffered a stroke. It was painful to read this account, and as the writer […]
Does American Sniper glorify war? Does the film pretend to take very seriously the colossal cost of war, the human toll on both sides, the fact that “war is an adventure from which there is no return” (John Paul II)–but actually delights in it? Kinda, sorta. Even though Clint Eastwood insists he’s more of a […]
Is Europe Losing Control of its Borders?
“You received Holy Communion this morning and that is well, but you must do more, make a general confession and offer your communion for the conversion of sinners.” These were the words the Queen of Heaven spoke in 1859 to a Belgian immigrant named Adele Brise in Champion, Wisconsin. In 1917 the children in Fatima […]
Less than two months after 13 women died in the neighboring state of Chhattisgarh, 43 women were sterilized in unsanitary and inhumane conditions in Chatra, a northern district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. Knowing the facility had no electricity, the sterilization camps coordinator rented a generator to operate theatre lights. When the generator failed, […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Deuteronomy 18:15-20 2nd Reading: 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 Responsorial: Psalm 95:1-2,6-9 Gospel: Mark 1:21-28 Overcoming the Temptations of the Evil One He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him. (Mark 1:27) So many people—especially those living in the West—have dismissed the existence […]
With Christmas busyness behind, the yard in winter dormancy, and tax season still far enough ahead not to be urgent, it’s that time of year when thoughts turn to home organization. Our God is not a God of confusion and disorder, but a God of peace (1 Cor. 14:33). Order brings peace to our minds and […]
In silence, we are better able to listen to and understand ourselves; ideas come to birth and acquire depth… Deeper reflection helps us to discover the links between events that at first sight seem unconnected… For this to happen, it is necessary to develop an appropriate environment, a kind of ‘eco-system’ that maintains a just […]
Medical experts say targeting risky behaviors like smoking, excessive drinking, and over-eating could dramatically reduce premature deaths. But when it comes to the well-documented dangers of prostitution, a prestigious medical journal calls for it to be legalized, enabled, and even embraced. This week The Lancet called for the worldwide decriminalization of “sex work” to address […]
She was 19 years old. Still in college. Had a job, though not yet a career. Still living at home with her parents. She was young and beautiful and intelligent and fun – and in love. She and her fiance planned to be married in about nine months, and they were deep into plans for […]
Saint Paul wrote two letters to the church at Corinth in ancient Greece. According to Paul “time was running out.” God was here and now and we who believe must reconsider how we think about our faith. Let nothing take precedent over our preparation for the kingdom of God. Paul describes two forms of time: […]
Peter and Andrew were businessmen. So were their neighbors, James and John. They tried to wring a living out of the Sea of Galilee, and it probably took nearly all of the time and energy that they had. So it would have been easy to pass on the chance to hear some new prophet proclaim […]
All of us need reminders of how much God loves us and how much He desires that we give Him our hearts. Our weak and distracted human nature all too often is pulled in many different directions at once and we forget that the invisible, immortal God took on flesh, suffered in all the ways […]
The history of human knowledge as it relates to the human body is a fascinating and terrible thing. In every age, the ability for physicians and other medical practitioners to effectively treat wounds or combat disease has been constrained by the technology – or lack thereof – available at the time. In the past, people […]
The Gospels recount Jesus’s healing of a paralytic who is lowered through the roof of a house. Initially, Jesus tells the man “Your sins are forgiven.” This upsets some scribes and Pharisees who ask themselves, “Who is this man who blasphemes and forgives sins?” But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil […]
