Dozens of agencies and organizations, including the FBI, rescued 16 juveniles from sex trafficking rings in the two weeks prior to Super Bowl XLVIII. More than 50 adult women were rescued, and 45 pimps were arrested. Huffington Post reports the efforts took several months, and required “training for legions of law enforcement personnel, hospitality workers, […]
Is it better to be Prudent or not? When discussing the infamous educational system of St. John Bosco (Preventive System) one cannot help to see how prudent he was in helping the children of Turin. The Method of St. John Bosco A striking characteristic one encounters upon reading about St. John Bosco and his Preventive […]
Last fall, the Supreme Court agreed to review two religious liberty cases surrounding the Obama Administration’s contraception mandate. Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties maintain that the federal requirement is an unlawful infringement upon religious liberty, and this year we’ll find out if the highest court in the land concurs. In support of the cases, […]
Death is always a hardship, and death by any means besides natural causes is a tragedy. So, when the body of actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman was found Sunday, February 2 in the bathroom of his Greenwich Village apartment, it was a tragedy. Hoffman, 46, had died of an apparent drug overdose. A friend found him […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflectoin/Group Discussion (Isaiah 58:7-10; Psalm 112:4-9; 1 Corinthians 2:1-5; Matthew 5:13-16) What it Means to Demonstrate the Power of God to Others … with a demonstration of spirit and power. (1 Corinthians 2:4) Christians are called to be kind and generous, to serve those in need, and to be honest and […]
The Catholic blogosphere, which is frequently uplifting and inspiring, can also be dreadfully depressing. If you’re lucky, you will run across tips for enriching your spiritual practice, putting your faith into action, and learning about the splendid tapestry of the church we have inherited. Unfortunately, to get to the good stuff, you may have to […]
Imagine yourself standing on a beautiful beach. You’re near the spot where the ocean tide rolls up to meet the sand. Your back is to the water, your face to all the beach activity. It’s a bright, sunny day, the kind that makes you feel glad to be alive. People are soaking in the warm […]
I recently led a group of pilgrims to Jerusalem. As we stood at the foot of the Temple Mount and remembered the Presentation of Jesus, several people had questions. There were questions about the redemption of the first-born son. About the rite of purification after childbirth. About how to put Matthew and Luke together in […]
A local Catholic expressed his hopes and concerns regarding the proposed building of a wall in the Holy Land that could result in Christian families losing their homes. Speaking on Monday, Jan. 27, with international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Auxiliary Bishop William Shomali of the Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem hopes […]
In today’s polarized Church, we like to label that which we don’t like. We need to tell people we are the pure, and they are the impure. A lot of Catholics do this by labeling those they disagreed with “radical traditionalists” or “radtrad”, even though more often than not these Catholics were faithful Catholics in […]
According to a local bishop, the “brutal” crackdown on demonstrators in Ukraine is acting as a recruitment agent for the protest movement. “It is hard to imagine a more prayerful [protest] in 21st century Europe,” says Bishop Gudziak,describing the country as being engaged “in a battle for dignity.” Bishop Borys Gudziak, Eparch of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic […]
Meditation and Questions for Refelction and Group Discussion (Malachi 3:1-4; Psalm 24:7-10; Hebrews 2:14-18; Luke 2:22-40) The Presentation of the Lord in the Temple, A Pointer to the Cross … and you yourself a sword will pierce. (Luke 2:35) Did you know that this day has several celebrations associated with it, including one that involves […]
As every mother knows, a newborn takes at least eight hours a day to nurse, burp, rock and comfort, bathe and change. Then a mother must wash loads of clothes which tend to get covered in vomit, and other nasty surprises. The lack of sleep leads to a rather narrow existence where the best days […]
Stop me if you’ve heard this one: A lawyer, a cop, and a journalist enter Blessed John XXIII Seminary together. The lawyer ends up leaving to resume his practice but the cop and the journalist get ordained. Two out of three isn’t bad. You can take the man out of the law but you can’t […]
Coptic Catholic Bishops in Egypt have hailed the result of the referendum on the country’s new constitution, saying the document amounts to a crucial step towards religious freedom and other civil liberties for people of all faiths, including the country’s Christian minority. In interviews with Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need, Bishops Kyrillos […]
I remember sitting with my father in a boat on the middle of a still prairie lake. It was August of 1969 and I was sixteen years old. A cool mist rose from the surface of the lake that August morning. Fishing was good just after sunrise and so there we sat still half-asleep, casting our […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Isaiah 8:23–9:3; Psalm 27:1,4,13-14; 1 Corinthians 1:10-13,17; Matthew 4:12-23) The Power of Forgivness in Healing Divisions I urge … that you be united. (1 Corinthians 1:10) The Corinthian church was out of control. Some members were visiting prostitutes. One was even having an affair with his stepmother! […]
Aimed at greater intimacy than the one-flesh union, married love “leads to forming one heart and soul,” states the Catechism. (Section 1643). How do married couples become one in heart and soul, especially when the demands of daily life keep getting in the way? Becoming One Heart Talk to your beloved about what’s in your […]
The death of Jesus Christ—the liturgy par excellence, the supreme oblation and fulfillment of Israel’s sacrificial system—occurred outside the holy precincts of the temple, thus demolishing the rigid dichotomy between the sacred and the profane. The Christian knows no “temple” but his body, wherein the Spirit dwells individually; and the church, wherein the Spirit dwells […]
One of the things I enjoy the most about my job here is interacting with priests. It’s really humbling to know that some of the guys who instruct the souls from the pulpit every Sunday work with me on publishing their next column, or even read my columns and take some of the advice. Lay […]
The leader of Catholics in Syria has issued an urgent appeal to the faithful in Syria, and people throughout the world, to pray for the success of this week’s Geneva II peace conference to be held in Montreux, Switzerland. Damascus-based Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch Gregorios III has called on every Syrian Catholic, whatever their circumstances, […]
John the Baptist stood waist deep in the Jordan River. Thousands of faith-seekers came to be baptized by John for the forgiveness of sins. John believed that baptizing was his calling in life, the reason that he was born; indeed it was. Then one day Jesus arrived and the life and mission of the Baptist took on a […]
I attended an ecumenical prayer service for Christian unity in 2011. A Baptist pastor, United Church of Christ pastor, United Methodist pastor and our parish priest took part. As we prayed together, my heart went out to the Protestant ministers. I see them, and I think of my dad, the Protestant minister. Simultaneously, I find […]
As in seasons past, our recent Advent, Christmas, and New Year’s celebrations are now only distant memories. The weather remains quite frigid and winter has not yet let go of its grip. But even if the days remain dark, we know that spring is ever closer and the sun will shine brighter with each coming […]
