Her conversation went something like this… “So-and-so is writing a book about her search for the meaning of life. Her story line is, that having left her Catholic faith as a teen, she took the ‘best of’ from all the various religious practices she could find. Then she designed her own spirituality.” And so it […]
Imagine the crushing judicial power of a modern nation coming down upon you, trying you, sentencing you, and then planning your execution – all while the charges against you remain secret. You might recall that as the plot of Franz Kafka’s paranoiac novel, The Trial, the protagonist of which is a 30-year-old bank clerk. Under […]
My husband and I homeschool our children. This has changed in the last several years from Mom doing all the schooling with Dad’s support, to a true collaborative family effort. At this point, both Mom and Dad are working, so the structure of “school” has changed. Mom manages our middleschooler, who now does most of […]
In the first transplant of umbilical cord stem cells in Spanish history, a four year old girl has been cured of a brain tumor, according to Spanish media sources. Alba Martinez was born in the province of Cádiz in 2007 and despite her good health, her parents say they decided to provide her with “life […]
Some may remember the scene from the film Moonstruck in which Cher slaps Nicholas Cage upside the head and yells “Snap out of it.” Somebody better slap the conservative community upside its collective head before the federal government spends all its time cooing at homosexuality. Recently, the lovestruck Department of Justice, White House, and Congress […]
“Mom, that’s cheating!” our 15-year-old son reprimanded me. “Well, whatever works, right?” I tried to defend myself. “Yeah, but it doesn’t really count if you don’t do it on your own,” he insisted. “I still think it’s cheating.” “Fine. You can see it anyway you want, but I don’t see it as cheating so I […]
The other night, I had the pleasure of watching You Again, a fun, lighthearted comedy that will appeal to anyone who ever found herself at the bottom of the social ladder in high school. Featuring such stars as Jamie Lee Curtis, Sigourney Weaver, Kristen Bell, and Betty White, it explores what happens when women are […]
Part One, Latin and the Catholic Church: Recently I obtained the Latin text of Cardinal Lambertini’s (Pope Benedict XIV) treatise De Servorum Dei Beatificatione Beatorum et Canonizatione (“De Servorum”). After going over a couple of passages of interest, I reflected upon the treatise itself. My thoughts revolved around the place of the treatise in Catholic […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Genesis 12:1-4; Psalm 33:4-5, 18-20,22; 2 Timothy 1:8-10; Matthew 17:1-9) Meeting Christ in a Deeper Way During Mass It is good that we are here. (Matthew 17:4) How ironic! We first see Peter gushing over how good it was to witness Jesus’ transfiguration. How magnificent it […]
“Dear Karen, I’m so happy spring is in the air—I’m even looking forward to spring cleaning! At Home Made Simple this month, we’re enjoying the burst of energy and inspiration—and we hope you are, too. Best Wishes, Julie B.” And so begins another highly personal, newsy email from my overflowing inbox. It was in good […]
Pennsylvania’s new governor, Tom Corbett, has submitted his first annual budget to the state legislature. It includes proposals for spending cuts and no new taxes. In some ways, the budget is a model of what must be done nationwide. Gov. Corbett also claims that it cuts spending, but that depends on how the numbers are […]
From Congressman Keith Ellison’s emotional breakdown to Congresswoman Jackie Speier’s accusations of “racism,” last week’s hearings on Muslim radicalization have made it clear that those who oppose the hearings have little of substance to offer. Still, the tactics used by such apologists—namely, appeals to emotionalism and accusations of racism—are influential enough that they need to […]
by Shawn Carney, Campaign Director, 40 Days for Life When people hear about babies saved from abortion, it motivates them to trust God — and participate in 40 Days for Life. After all, how often do you have an opportunity to literally help save a life just by peacefully praying? It’s already happened in this […]
That Tsunami The wall of seas came rolling in Deliberate, unstoppable A massive wave of gray This is how the dead come forth From all their graves On Judgment Day The weight of them, the mass of them Rolling on and on And who can hide The vanity of living things Illusion and the pettiness […]
Our Lady of Akita, pray for us. St. Peter Baptist, martyr and patron of Japan, pray for us. St. Francis Xavier, patron of Japan, pray for us. St. Paul Miki, martyr, pray for us. St. Anthony Dainan, martyr, pray for us. St. Anthony Ishida, martyr, pray for us. St. Francis Nagasaki, martyr, pray for us. […]
I always find the lyrics of the song “Red River Valley” to be haunting and beautiful. Written in Iowa, and making reference to frontier days, the song is often performed as a cowboy song. The song makes reference to the frontier days in Canada, and an expedition through the Red River Valley of the north, and […]
Sacrosancta Lateranensis ecclesia omnium urbis et orbis ecclesiarum mater et caput. Of all the churches in the city and the world, the Most Holy Lateran church is the mother and the head. This phrase is inscribed above the entrance to Saint John Lateran. Surely this is a mistake, right? Isn’t Saint Peter’s Basilica the mother and […]
As I crossed the great divide of puberty, I formed a vivid image of God.. He was a grumpy old man on a throne with a frown on his face. Every time anyone tried to have a little fun, he’d shout “Thou shalt not!” But to really live and not just exist, you had to […]
As someone new to praying the liturgy of the hours, I never before fully understood the place of the psalms in the prayer of the Church. “In [Christ],” the Catechism says, “the psalms continue to teach us how to pray”, so much so that the Church calls the psalms a “school of prayer” (2587 and […]
Just a few blocks away from the craziness that is Piazza Navona sits the church of Sant’Agostino. Originally, the titular church of San Trifone sat nearby. The property was given to the Augustinians and construction on the current church, dedicated to Saint Augustine, began in 1296. Just a few short years later, in 1446, the […]
Adam and Eve really did have it easy. They were so comfortable in their human skin. More to the point, they were comfortable in their human skin which had a spiritual soul. This did not seem odd or cause them any kind of dilemma, stress, or confusion. They were created to be perfectly at ease […]
If you will, you can keep the commandments, they will save you; if you trust in God, you too shall live; he has set before you fire and water to whichever you choose, stretch forth your hand. Before man are life and death, good and evil, whichever he chooses shall be given him. Immense is […]
I long to take just one little bite as I watch the melted cheese slowly ooze out of the golden, toasted bread. My children wait with eager anticipation for my famous grilled cheese sandwiches. The clock reads 12:30, and today is Friday. On my periodic fast days, I make it a priority to not eat […]
