As I sat in Mass, exhausted, just happy that I got there on time I realized that three candles were lit. Yes, the pink one, too. This rosy candle is supposed to tell us “Rejoice! Gaudete! Our Savior is almost here!” Instead, what I heard was, “Oh no! It’s almost Christmas and I still have […]
The Culture of Death reminds me of the dragon from the Book of Revelations; it is an “enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns” (NIV Rev 12:3). Two items in this week’s news reveal just how the Culture of Death masquerades as something supposedly good as it rears two of its ugly heads—the […]
If you have a sibling or more than one child, chances are that you have dealt with the ugly green monster that is sibling rivalry. In a perfect world, children born of the same parents or adopted into the same family would always love, honor, and respect each other. They would share without complaint, applaud […]
Do you feel that you are dating someone who strikes you as having an overly high moral, education, or even cultural standard? Do you feel like your every action is being observed? Is the person overly critical of you? Are they quick to find fault in you but not in themselves? Do they make you […]
Some of the worst feminists are men. The classic feminist is a woman, of course. She emerged as a public spectacle about a century ago and has become something of an institution in our own time—thanks to the state-supported propaganda of our public schools and the history-by-pictures that passes for education. She is pictured as an […]
Like any good Catholic kid growing up in the ’60s, I had favorite saints, those holy people who brought me comfort and fed my curiosity and imagination. How I loved the Blessed Virgin Mary! Then there was Saint Anthony, who stood there in his plaster glory, with all the old ladies standing around the base […]
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith. For the sake of the joy that […]
If any one type is removed from the system, the cycle can break down, and the community becomes dominated by a single species. (Dr. Richard Lankau, “Loss of Genetic Diversity Threatens Species Diversity”) Leticia, I’d like to discuss your recent re-coining of the term “Genetic Diversity,” which I think is an important step toward reclaiming […]
If you do an Internet search for “Catholic Fatherhood” how much data would you find in comparison to Panda Bears, Applied Linear Algebra, and Welding Theory? According to John Clark, author of Who’s Got You, Catholic Fatherhood comes in last. The results respectively were 1,914, 1,706, and 284. Catholic Fatherhood netted 270 results. Clark surmised […]
“My 4-H achievement record is a waste of time that no one will ever look at,” a teen grumbled at me this summer. I disagreed. Now that I’m the mother of a daughter on the quest for college acceptance letters and scholarship offers, I can back up my disagreement. Each college has its own questions […]
Four decades ago, American neurologist Fred Plum and Scottish neurosurgeon Bryan Jennett were searching for a jargon-free term to classify severely brain-damaged patients whom they considered awake but unaware. They combed through the Oxford English Dictionary and settled on “vegetative,” noting that the adjective describes “an organic body capable of growth and development but devoid […]
[This document was prepared on behalf of a group of Catholic parents to address issues locally that may also be going on elsewhere in the country. It is published here as a resource for parents who may find it useful.] Teaching Tolerance in the Catholic School: Parental Concerns and Suggested Remedies When Pope Benedict authorized […]
Last week I wrote an article on Deer Season a half century ago, focusing on my grandmother’s town in the mountains of Emporium, Pennsylvania. Each year, my grandmother and other households opened their doors and kitchens and beds to perfect strangers who came to town to shoot a deer—and there were no problems. The piece […]
Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness. At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his […]
Five years ago from my bed at Swedish Hospital, I wrote the journal entry below. It sounds a bit like goodbye-instructions, my last will and testament, a ‘please-raise-the-kids-right-when-I’m-gone’ plea. However there was no imminent danger of my death. On the contrary, we were awaiting the gift of new life. Though she wasn’t due for about […]
After doing my treadmill workout, I sat on the couch with my oldest son so we could go over some World Literature questions. We read through the poems, discussed them and, as happens many times in my homeschooling experience, we ended up on an entirely different topic. The poems were of a religious nature, but […]
One morning last winter I was driving my teenager to school and she asked me the question I had been dreading and avoiding . “Mom, did you wait?” I debated whether I should lie and preserve her image of me as a good example or tell the truth. I told her the truth. Not only […]
Yes, the to-Santa vs. not-to-Santa debate within the realm of our Catholic Christian community is fresh, real and has turned heated. How did this develop? I believe that just as suddenly-well-meaning friends and acquaintances exhibit concern over homeschooled children ‘missing’ a grand social experience, as in some variation on the well worn and ever predictable: […]
Human beings have a desire to impose order on the universe. But much like a parent’s desire to impose order on their kids’ toys, it often goes unsatisfied. With the toys, at least we have a fighting chance (depending on the age of the kids and the volume of plastic flowing in from grandparents – […]
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. And these words which I command you this day shall be upon your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your children, […]
During the Sixties, dime stores sold baby painted turtles. The little green sea creatures were displayed in a big open tank just next to the tropical fish. Children could pick them up or just watch them climb all over one another. I loved those little turtles and still to this day, they evoke a nostalgic […]
Jamaica’s Prime Minister and his wife recently decided to homeschool their two sons after noticing that their youngest was falling behind. Critics were quick to complain that this suggests that the public and private schools are inadequate. The Prime Minister’s defense highlights the important role of parents. Andrew Holness became Prime Minister two months ago, […]
Readers on my Facebook page got into a discussion one day recently about the CNN “Belief Blog.” The general consensus was that it’s actually more of an “UN-Belief Blog”: The point of the feature seems to be to identify a particular teaching or practice of the Catholic Church that is unpopular this week, then pontificate […]
I know that some people don’t allow their children to believe in the Santa myth for a variety of reasons. My parents fell into this category. But, when my children were little, I decided to allow them to enjoy that magic while making sure that they were truly aware that the true reason for Christmas […]
