A few weeks ago, I planted seeds for tomatoes, leeks, onions, basil, parsley, peppers, and eggplant. I’m expecting to buy plants for most of those veggies and herbs at local plant sales when I give up hope on my seedlings at the beginning of May. I’m not being pessimistic here, but realistic. For the past […]
They forgot the God who had saved them, who had done great deeds in Egypt” Why Do We So Easily Forget? Today our readings remind us that the Israelite’s very easily forgot the love of God and the wonders he performed to bring them out of Egypt. In my own life I can look back […]
Last week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc case. As virtually everyone is aware, the CEO of Hobby Lobby is contesting the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act’s contraception mandate. The company’s refusal to comply with the mandate stems from a religious objection to birth control and […]
Months ago, when I first heard that Noah was coming out, I, like the biblical Sarah, laughed to myself. “It’ll be this big, ugly, off-the-mark extravaganza, just trying to make money off believers, and it’ll flop.” Like Sarah, I had to eat crow. Not literally! (Noah is a vegetarian in the film.) Noah, written and directed […]
Joseph Conrad once coined the term “heart of darkness” to describe the atrocities of the Belgian colonial rule in what today is the Democratic Republic of Congo. Nowadays, however, the heart of darkness seems to be closer to home: in Belgium itself. By adopting a law that makes euthanasia available for minors, Belgium has surpassed […]
The readings for today give hope to the humble. They proclaim the mercy of God for those who emerge from their darkness by revealing Jesus as the man who dares to call God His Father . In the first reading from Isiah, God promises a covenant to the peoplethat will restore the land. In issuing this covenant, The […]
What is the best way to teach the faith? This is a question that has been on the mind of many thinkers lately, especially in light of what Ralph Martin calls the “institutional collapse” in American Catholicism. This question should be considered anew in light of recent research into the behavior of young Catholics in […]
It was a rainy, inside day, so I went to the craft boxes to see what I might find. Cereal boxes—perfect! I generally try to save cereal boxes for just such occasions when you find yourself unexpectedly confined indoors—you can do a million different projects with those things—and today, with some markers and scissors, construction […]
You’ve probably heard the news by now that yet another state has lost the latest round in the battle over marriage. On Friday, March 21st, a district judge in Michigan decided that the state’s ban on same sex marriage was unconstitutional, despite a measure that was approved by a majority of voters several years ago; […]
There are so many ways we can be sick — physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, we even use the word to refer to being fed up with something. Most people do not wish to or like to be sick. As a mother, I am often heard saying, “I don’t have time to be sick.” As a […]
The Gospel accounts are full of good examples. Today’s Gospel features a counterexample, a cautionary tale, albeit one which ends happily. It is one which demonstrates the answer to the old question: Why do bad things happen? The answer, as always, is this: They leads towards salvation. Many Galileans had been at the wedding feast […]
I watched a thirty-seven year marriage end. It was a tragedy for everyone involved. The husband’s infidelities came to light and his wife was overwhelmed by deep and justifiable feelings of betrayal and grief. She was an emotional wreck: One moment she was shouting and stomping around her house, the next moment she was sad […]
Earth Hour: dumbest idea ever?
A reflection on today’s Sacred Scripture: Psalm 51 was recently given to me as my penance after a confession heard by a young visiting priest to our church. “What is Psalm 51?” I asked. He said, simply, “It is beautiful.” He shared with me that he always adds this Psalm to whatever penance he is […]
The call to the priesthood is “the desire to serve others in the things that come from God,” Pope Francis told 50,000 gathered in a rainy St. Peter’s Square for his General Audience on Wednesday, March 26, 2014. A priestly vocation is “the wish to spend your whole life in service to catechize, baptize, forgive, […]
The Lion of Judah is no tame lion. Neither is he predictable. While walking along the streets of Jerusalem one day, Jesus sees a common enough sight in the Holy City. There is a disabled person by the side of the road begging (John 9). What else is the poor man to do? He has […]
At the request of Pope Francis, the Diocese of Rome and other dioceses throughout the world will begin the weekend with a sustained period of heightened Lenten reflections and devotional practices termed “24 hours for the Lord.” The Pope announced the initiative from the window of the Papal Apartments after praying the “Angelus” last Sunday. […]
Don’t ever imagine that infidelity can’t happen to you. The Internet is abuzz with a duel of sorts between Patheos blogger Simcha Fisher and young, engaged-to-be-married Emma Smith, who wrote on Catholic Exchange that she knows for a fact that she and her husband will never have to face the issue of infidelity. “God is faithful, but we’re not […]
Today’s Gospel comes from Mark 12:28-34. In the Gospel a Scribe asks Jesus, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” And Jesus replies, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this; love your neighbor […]
Pope Francis and President Obama met in Rome today, and the meeting has naturally generated commentary, both before and after the fact, including by the President himself at the National Prayer Breakfast last month. I am confident that the meeting itself will bear good fruit. I am not so confident that the commentary about it […]
Do you think government today can’t get anything done? Check out James Fallows’s piece in The Atlantic this month. He writes a great article on a pair of Mayors who are doing big things in their cities. It’s exciting: efficient, local, credible political action – actual change you can believe in! Forget placing your hope […]
Before my conversion I engaged everyone I knew to see what they thought about everything I was discovering about Catholics. I had just finished reading Scott Hahn’s Rome Sweet Home and wanted to employ some of the tactics and sayings that worked for him on my opponent. The usual reaction was one of apathy and […]
This happened to me 20 years ago and I can’t tell you how many times I have heard or read the same story from both pro-lifers and pro-choicers: You just told him that the pregnancy test is positive but your boyfriend says it’s not a good time to have a baby, so let’s just get […]
The Muppets are at it again. The clever new caper takes us to a gulag in Siberia, Russia and several other international cities, as The Muppet Show reunites for a world tour. But all is not as it seems. All is not well. Constantine–the World’s Most Dangerous Frog–who looks exactly like Kermit, but with a […]
