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All Articles
“Better to be a Criminal in China than a Pregnant Mother”
The Chinese Ministry of State Security must have been asleep on the job. The email that appeared in my Inbox read: “It is better to be a criminal in China than a pregnant mother.” Now, I knew that women who get pregnant outside the state plan are often browbeaten or bullied into abortions and sterilizations. […]
The Cereal Box Principle
What’s the most widely read literature of the 20th century? According to an informal, non-scientific poll (consisting of me and Mom, who happened to be talking about this on the phone), it’s not Pride and Prejudice, or The Lord of the Rings—it’s the cereal box. Now, obviously that’s not because packaging prose is particularly powerful. […]
Complete Joy
A reflection on today’s Sacred Scripture: “I have told you this so that My joy might be in you and your joy might be complete.” (John15:11) Complete joy sounds unattainable in today’s world; after all, who really has it? People do. Jesus says it’s ours if we remain in His love by keeping His Commandments. As Catholics, […]
Paul in Arabia: Saul, Stephen, and the Temple
The Temple authorities cracked down on the Nazoreans. Peter and the Apostles were rounded up and brought before the Sanhedrin, the Jewish Supreme Court. The majority of its members favored a drastic sentence. It was the influential Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, respected by all the people, who took the initiative of securing their […]
Two Anniversaries: “The Hand of Hope” and the “House of Horrors”
Two anniversaries are coming up, one that inspires, one that reveals the depths of human depravity. Michael Clancy, a photojournalist, has spoken at National Right to Life Conventions, been interviewed by yours truly, and had [has] a story that fairly rippled through our collective conscience. You remember him, I’m sure, for the “Hand of Hope.” […]
The Way to Be as Happy as Pharrell Williams (Actually Happier)
The ancients knew we were made for it, we moderns are constantly seeking it: Happiness. It’s often associated with peace, rest, contentment, or completion. It’s the nunc dimittis we all hope to whisper at the end of our day. No matter who you are, where you are, it appears as the Lode Star for all human activity […]
Mothering and Miracles
This past Sunday in the continental U.S. mother’s everywhere were remembered and cherished by cards, calls and candy — not necessarily in that order or limited to those means of gratitude. I too am a mother and now a grandmother, but it wasn’t always so. The road to motherhood was deliberately delayed as I made […]
Is the Church Canonizing the Council?
The announcement that the Church will beatify Pope Paul VI in October has led some observers to declare that Rome is intent on “canonizing” the Second Vatican Council by raising the Popes responsible for that assembly to the honor of the altars. Pope John XXIII who convened the Council was made a saint last month along […]
Vatican tells U.N. Abortion is a Form of Torture
The Vatican had strong words for U.N. experts who accused the Catholic Church of torture because of its teaching on abortion. “The Holy See condemns the torture of anyone, including those tortured and killed before they are born,” said Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, Apostolic Nuncio at the United Nations in Geneva. For the second time this […]
Repentance Points Us to Goodness
Fourth Sunday in Easter Scripture from today’s Liturgy of the Word: Acts 2:14A, 36-41 A reflection on today’s First Reading: “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation!” (Acts 2:40) This verse in the Book of Acts brings an image to my mind of a street activist holding a sign with those words scrawled across it — […]
Poem: “A Mother’s Golden Heart”
A Mother’s Golden Heart Even before the start Of life’s first dawning day I had a golden heart To guide me on my way Shining bright before me Golden as the sun Constant as the certainty Of the new day yet to come Gentle as the morning dew Upon the petals of the rose Patiently […]
A Form of Amputation
Imagine if there were a movement to normalize Body Integrity Identity Disorder instead of treating it (people with BIID are physically healthy but obsessed with amputation). A young woman suffering from BIID, let’s call her Amy, decides to make a video of her amputation. The video is not actually graphic, we only see her face […]
On the “Right and Authority” to “Veto” Scientific Conclusions That Contradict Dogma
In my book Science Was Born of Christianity: The Teaching of Fr. Stanley L. Jaki, I used the word “veto” in the introduction. Like this: “To understand this claim is to understand why the Catholic Church has a legitimate right and authority to veto scientific conclusions that directly contradict divinely revealed dogma.” That word “veto” in […]
A Study of Transcending Disability
I keep a bust of Ludwig van Beethoven on the fireplace mantle in my home. It reminds me of the human capacity to overcome adversity to achieve great things. When I doubt myself in my own acquired disability of multiple sclerosis, I listen to Beethoven — particularly his 9th symphony — written in total deafness, […]
Movie Review: Heaven is for Real
The movie Heaven Is for Real, based on the book by the same name, is the true story of four-year-old Colton Burpo who claims to have seen heaven. First off: Do not watch the trailer if you haven’t already! It’s a great trailer, but it gives away a bit too much. Second off: do see […]
Poem: “Pi”
Pi The admirable number pi: three point one four one. All the following digits are also just a start, five nine two because it never ends. It can’t be grasped, six five three five , at a glance, eight nine, by calculation, seven nine, through imagination, or even three two three eight in jest, or […]
How Did Our Lord Have Humility?
Whenever someone insults us, we usually come tearing back, ready to defend our reputation, our honor, or whatever it was that we perceive was insulted. We might even grant that on some level we deserved the insult, but not from them. “Only God can judge me,”we say. But for as much as this is true, […]
Endless Possibility, Perpetual Discontent
My mother and stepfather were recently privy to a conversation between myself and a good female friend. Both of us are first time mothers navigating the trials and tribulations of our sons’ first years. Stealing a few minutes to enjoy some coffee and dessert while our husbands minded the boys in the next room, I […]
Artificial Reproductive Technology: Constructing a Dystopia
Both the 1932 novel Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and the 1997 science fiction movie “Gattaca” are classified as dystopias because they depict societies riddled with misery, tragedy, and a dehumanizing culture. Both attribute this decline in civilization to manipulations of human genetics and perversions of human reproduction. In Brave New World the traditional […]
UN Official Says Catholic Teaching on Abortion May be a Form of ‘Torture’
During hearings that one participant described as “surreal,” United Nations representatives this week suggested that the Catholic Church’s opposition to abortion in the case of rape and incest constitute a violation of the UN Charter Against Torture. The Vatican was called before a two-day hearing in Geneva so a UN committee could question whether its […]
Jesus Gets His Hands Dirty
Back in the mid-1990’s, before the internet ruined our lives (I’m kidding. Kidding) I was in the seminary, discerning a possible call to the priesthood. They were amazing years, and gave me a solid faith formation, an opportunity to come to know the beautiful heart of the Church from a unique and powerful perspective, and […]
Surrogate Parenting is Wrong
Recently, Christopher White wrote a commentary on the ethical problems associated with “surrogate parenthood for money.” He argued that paying for surrogate parenting is actually a form of human trafficking. His position is an interesting one, particularly because he presents his perspective in the context of many surrogate mothers who have later regretted their decision to carry […]
If Jesus Prayed Judaism’s 18 Benedictions, Why Don’t We?
“The Son of God who became Son of the Virgin also learned to pray according to his human heart. He learns the formulas of prayer from his mother … He learns to pray in the words and rhythms of the prayer of his people.” (CCC 2599) Until five years ago, when I began an intense […]
Book Review: Three Persons, One God
In Three Persons, One God: Growing in Relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Leonine Publishers), Allison Gingras offers a primer in developing a personal relationship with the three persons of the Blessed Trinity. In her introduction, Gingras refers to the Gospel passage of Luke 8:4-15. That parable is about the farmer who went […]
