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Pope Francis Calls for a Day of Prayer and Fasting for Peace on Saturday

“Do you fast? Then feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, visit the sick, do not forget the imprisoned, have pity on the tortured, comfort those who grieve and who weep, be merciful, humble, kind, calm, patient, sympathetic, forgiving, reverent, truthful and pious, so that God might accept your fasting and might plentifully grant […]

Good Old Neighbors

I drove through my old neighborhood last week. It is like many suburban neighborhoods that sprouted up in the 1960s. Many of the people who moved there grew up in the city. All of them wanted big yards in which their kids could play. Many wanted to be near St. Germaine Catholic Church and its […]

Poem: “Triple Sisters”

Triple Sisters Summer leaves already flying, Autumn in a rush this year, Yellow foliage is dying, What’s the season that draws near? August maybe or September Downward, onward swiftly falling, That which nothing holy hinders Equinoctial and appalling Who are we? The triple sisters Past and present, future claim, Threads of history the scissors Cut […]

Holy Land: Between Hope and Skepticism

When it comes to the current peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians the Jerusalem Auxiliary Bishop William Shomali feels torn between hope and skepticism. Talking to the international Catholic pastoral charity, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Bishop Shomali, who is responsible in the Latin Patriarchate for the Palestinian areas, said (last Friday): “My […]

Dealing with Distractions

I have tinnitus. The more common term for it is “ringing in the ears.” It’s not a disease but rather a symptom of many, many things. There’s no easy way for me to trace what it is that is causing the persistent, high-pitched sound inside my head. It could be my depression and anxiety; it […]

Gumdrop Catechesis and Marshmallow Sermons

I really can’t remember the last time that a homily made me squirm in my seat and cast a downward glance at being convicted of my sinfulness. I can’t call to mind ever leaving mass with a zeal and fiery passion to go make a difference that was so hot I wanted to jump in […]

Decided to Homeschool but Super Scared?

Have you decided to homeschool but are super scared to do so? Here are a few thoughts and tips to help you overcome your doubts and launch into the amazing, one-of-a-kind experience known as homeschooling: 1-    You are doing the BEST thing ever for your family! If you feel called to homeschool, want to homeschool, […]

Pope Francis, Other Christian Leaders Condemn Western Intervention in Syria

Pope Francis, as well as other Christian leaders in the Middle East and around Europe are sounding the alarm of a possible global conflict should the US and other western powers launch an attack on Syria. In an interview with Vatican Radio yesterday, the Syrian Chaldean Catholic bishop of Aleppo, Antoine Audo, said that armed […]

Prayer, Preaching and the Pain to Come

When was the last time any of us stood on a street corner or walked into a room filled with people and passionately proclaimed: “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand!” (Matthew 3:2)?  The truth is that most of us never have or ever will.  But these words, preached by St. John the […]

The Catholic Factor in Schooling

Suppose your son is a sixth grader and his male teacher just married another man.  If it happens at a Catholic school, the teacher would be fired as has happened at schools in Ohio and California. If it is at a public school, it is likely a non-issue to administrators. In the latter case, you […]

Judge Allows Lawsuit Against Pastor for Opposing Homosexuality

A U.S. judge is allowing a lawsuit by a Ugandan homosexual group charging an Evangelical pastor with a “crime against humanity.” The American pastor is accused of violating international law for speaking against homosexuality and discussing legislation with Ugandan leaders. Scott Lively, an attorney and author, runs the Holy Grounds coffee house in Massachusetts where […]

Three Traps Set by Satan Against Goodness

Time for some depressing thoughts on demons and demonology! Demonology is one of my favorite topics in theology (I know. Freaky). I’m not obsessed with it, I simply treat it as a piece of spiritual and practical knowledge, because hey, the Devil exists! Saint John Climacus, also known John Scholasticus, John Sinaites, and John of […]

Why Obamacare Is Good for Me

I hate to say it, but ObamaCare has been good for me. Now, I know our economy is still struggling — Gallup says the unemployment rate just jumped to nearly 9 percent — and I know ObamaCare uncertainty is making many employers wary of hiring. But I also know that new opportunities exist for people […]

King vs. Alinsky

Tabb’s Poetry XXXII

Five poems by John B. Tabb.

How Moms Can Get Help

I never met a mom who thought she had enough help. So here’s a few ideas to make your days a little easier. Some ideas come from me, and some from other moms, but they’re all offered from someone who’s been there, done that, and wants to pass on what she’s learned. 1. Ask for […]

Emasculating the Faith of Our Fighters

“There are no atheists in foxholes.” When Barack Obama ran for President, he promised to “fundamentally change” America. Over the last five years or so, the American people have gotten a pretty good idea of exactly what those words meant. We’ve seen that President Obama’s vision of America is one in which we are entirely […]

Martyrdom in America

Cardinal John O’Connor was known for many things during his tenure as Archbishop of New York City (1984-2000). I think of him often, but most recently I was reminded of O’Connor’s courage when I remember how he handled being confronted by a group of homosexuals while celebrating Mass in St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The cardinal conducted himself with absolute respect […]

Poem: “Time and Eternity”

Time and Eternity III Departed to the judgment A mighty afternoon; Great clouds like ushers leaning, Creation looking on. The flesh surrendered, cancelled, The bodiless begun; Two worlds, like audiences, disperse And leave the soul alone. Emily Dickinson

Olympic Bronze Medalist Transformed Through Crucible of Suffering

If things had gone according to his original plan, Mario Ancic would have played tennis at the Olympic Games in London last year. However, his life took a different course than he expected. The 6-foot-5-inch Croatian was riding high at the end of 2006. He was already an Olympic bronze medalist, a Wimbledon semifinalist and […]

Wrapping ‘Summer Love’ into a New School Year

I’ll admit it’s work, but I love it. I love camping…. the dust clouds and the cicadas’ rhythmic swell and the  sun leaking into  the thin tent nylon in the early morning, insistent. Our rusty old  camp grill and the Coleman  torch that scatters just a bit of an ethereal Hey-summer-we-survived-this-year’s-algebra-and-ancient-history-and-disappointments-and-triumphs-and-we’re-back-to-settle-in-your-scheduleless -rustic-August glow. The whispers […]

Gestational Serfs

Good science fiction tells a morality tale about the dangerous directions in which contemporary society is heading. For example, Brave New World—perhaps the most prescient novel ever written—warned against the dystopian impact that using biotechnology to perfect the human race would have on society. Similarly, the Dune novels—which feature a breeding device known as an […]

A Theology of Women? What Does Pope Francis Mean?

During his now-famous impromptu interview while returning to Rome from World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro, Pope Francis declared the ordination of women a question settled definitively by Blessed Pope John Paul II, but suggested that women’s gifts might be used in other ways. His suggestion that a deeper “theology of women” might have […]

The Greatness of St. Pius X

The only way to describe something is “great.” Babe Ruth was great at baseball and anything less than great simply wouldn’t do it justice. Likewise, if you describe the pontificate of Guiseppe Sarto as anything below “great”, you should probably have your head examined. By any possible metric, his pontificate was a success, and there is a reason he was the first Pope to be canonized a saint since the 16th century.