Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Acts 3:13-15,17-19; Psalm 4:2,4,7-9; 1 John 2:1-5; Luke 24:35-48) Opening Our Minds and Hearts to Jesus and the Scriptures “He opened their minds to understand the scriptures.” (Luke 24:45) We all love to have our minds stretched in new directions. There is nothing more exciting than listening […]
When Christ came in the Hidden Room… When Christ came in the hidden room He still had wounds to show, This world’s wounds are slow to heal As we the living know Even Christ who conquered death But had not yet ascended Showed the wounds in limbs and side, On Earth they had not mended […]
Amidst all the tales of chivalry from the Titanic disaster there is one that’s not often told. It is that of Fr. Thomas Byles, the Catholic priest who gave up two spots on a lifeboat in favor of offering spiritual aid to the other victims as they all went down with the “unsinkable” vessel. A […]
The late medical essayist Lewis Thomas once described Alzheimer’s as “the worst of all diseases, not just for what it does to the patient, but for its devastating effects on family and friends.” For anyone who has witnessed the ravages of Alzheimer’s firsthand, as I did during the dozen-plus years that my father battled it, […]
The Prisoner in His Cell The Spirit sighed When you were born And loved you even then It watched you as A little child Playing with your toys And wasn’t blind To your surprise When you received those blows Then the Spirit Wailed like you When you found they didn’t care And through the years […]
A new study from China shows that women who have experienced induced abortion have omnipresent mental health problems during a subsequent pregnancy. It also confirms that adverse mental health effects of induced abortion are far more severe than those of miscarriage and they persist longer. The most recent study published in the Bulletin of Clinical […]
If you haven’t yet seen the film October Baby yet, find the time to do so. I can’t recommend it strongly enough. It’s one of the best films I’ve ever seen. I’m not going to critique the film or focus on the obvious pro-life aspect of the story (that’s for you to discover for yourself), […]
Occasionally, a book perfectly marries expert insight with the tone and interests of its audience. Mary Eberstadt’s Adam and Eve After the Pill: Paradoxes of the Sexual Revolution (Ignatius Press) is just such a serendipity. In a rejoinder to decades of sexual liberation barbs and sexually libertine behavior, Eberstadt’s thin but illuminating volume introduces female […]
There’s a new kind of film coming to a cinema near you–film that is Christian, made by Christians, but (proudly) not part of the “Christian film genre.” The movie is rated PG-13 but was almost rated R because of its “realness” with regard to campus life. Lots of language and mature themes. Director Steve Taylor […]
On Holy Thursday, Melinda Gates publicly professed her Catholic faith and then personally attacked her Church over its position on contraception. I could not help but be reminded of Judas and his mysterious betrayal of Christ that night, sealed with a kiss. In fairness to Mrs. Gates, her speech wasn’t expressly about the Church. It […]
When I was a kid, I got in trouble almost daily. I often was sent home from school with notes from the teacher, informing my parents about my latest crimes. One day, I had to deliver a note to my parents from my fifth grade teacher that stated I was constantly disrupting her class and […]
Last month, I was invited by the editors of These Stone Walls to write a “Special Report” about a new development in the case of Father Gordon MacRae, a priest of the Diocese of Manchester, New Hampshire whom I believe – to a moral certainty – has been wrongly imprisoned for nearly 18 years. My […]
Pennsylvania State Rep. Babette Josephs, a Philadelphia Democrat, recently attacked her pro-life women colleagues in the state legislature for supporting a bill that would allow women a chance to see an ultrasound of their unborn child before an abortion, calling them “men with breasts.” But who are the real “men with breasts”? As one of […]
When President Obama made his famous declaration about how he was confident that “that the Supreme Court will not take what would be an unprecedented, extraordinary step of overturning a law that was passed by a strong majority of a democratically elected Congress,” many observers figured the chief executive missed April Fools’ Day by a […]
The poor remodeler, he was so uncomfortable that I thought he might break into a sweat. In fact, he might already have been sweating, but I dared not look too closely, lest my scrutiny escalate his discomfort. He’d come to bid on our kitchen reconstruction and walked into more than he’d bargained for. However, the […]
The Hunger Games is set in a way beyond dystopia future in which the rulers living in the Third-Reich-like “Capitol” keep the peons in the “Districts” in fear and subjugation by holding gladiatorial games each year. The combatants are children and teenagers, picked at random to fight to the death, each representing their District. And […]
Best Friends Inspired by John 11:1-44 The cave held him in a damp embrace. Again, he heard his name called. Louder, more insistent. He knew it was time – Time to leave the dark cave. Slowly he stepped out Into the bright sunshine Squinting in the warmth and light of the sun. A crowd had […]
The following is an excerpt from Jack Spring’s novel, The Rapture of Darkness. For more information about the book, please visit www.jackspring.com . CHAPTER TWO SILENT NO MORE “By my lively voice, I drive away all harm.” ~ Common Inscription, English Church Bells St. Patrick’s Catholic Church East Side, Honolulu, Hawaii […]
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) currently has before it an unprecedented number of cases relating to abortion. Because the principles established by the Court in its case law are binding on the 47 member states, the next few months will be decisive for the respect of human life and dignity. The European Center for […]
Apologists often try to explain away Islamic terrorism as a byproduct of something else. The usual argument is that, because Muslims are politically, socially, or militarily weak—the archetypal example often given is Israel vis-à-vis the Palestinians—they have no choice but to resort to terror to strike at their stronger adversaries. In other words, they resort […]
A troubling pattern of putting U.S. and allied security interests second to the Obama administration’s political priorities is now well-established. If allowed to continue, it will not only make the world more dangerous. It is going to get people killed – probably in large numbers and some of them may be Americans. A prime example […]
Last week, President Obama made news when he suggested that it would be “unprecedented” for the Supreme Court to declare unconstitutional a law passed by a “strong majority of a democratically elected Congress.” His comments were prompted by the less than favorable reaction of the Supreme Court during oral arguments on the constitutionality of his […]
In 1968, cigarette maker Philip Morris launched a brand of smokes just for women. Marketed with the provocative slogan, “You’ve come a long way, baby,” Virginia Slims offered an elegant profile and an image that suggested freedom, empowerment and equality. Unfortunately for women, “Skinny Ginnys” were not a cultural or political statement, they were just […]
The movie version of The Hunger Games debuted on March 23, and it is breaking all records. What follows is a review of The Hunger Games Trilogy by author, Suzanne Collins. **Spoiler Alert—The plot is discussed here in detail for parental benefit. The level of detail is to help facilitate a discussion with your child […]
