Be Ready for the Infant King Who will come to the stable On Christmas Day? And what will they take away? Wise men, steadfast and earnest, came, Instead of palace music, They heard the donkey brae. A lowly sound and sight, Yet their wonder unallayed. Many come rejoicing, To behold the Newborn King, Bowing low, […]
An elderly woman stands at the votive candle area and lights eight large candles. She says a prayer and then finds her place in the pew. On exiting the Church, a young girl, no more than ten years old, lights a small candle with her dad watching on. Her dad told her to say a […]
On Human Rights Day, homosexual activists converged on UN headquarters to make the case that “LGBT rights are human rights.” But only a few countries within the United Nations agree. Undersecretary General Jan Eliasson called the promotion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender rights (LGBT) an “unfinished human rights revolution.” He lamented the lack of international […]
Exodus–the story of Moses–proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that atheists make the best Bible movies (see my review of Noah). I don’t know that atheists necessarily make the best contemporary movies about faith or people of faith, but they certainly do the oldies well. Perhaps this is in part because they mine an […]
During a November 4th 2014 university panel discussion in Indiana on the topic “Life versus Choice”, Wesleyan Professor Gregory Fiebig stated “This is our belief, that life begins at conception. It is not the world’s belief. And so if we start telling the world how to live their lives, and hold them to a morality […]
The Catholic leader of the Central African Republic embodies his Church’s commitment to peace and national reconciliation. Archbishop Dieudonné Nzapailanga, the president of the bishops’ conference and archbishop of the capital city of Bangui, recently visited a camp where former members of the Seleka Muslim rebel militia are housed, along with their families. For several […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8-12,14,16; Psalm 89:2-5,27,29; Romans 16:25-27; Luke 1:26-38) Advent: A Time to Give Glory to God The Lord … will establish a house for you. (2 Samuel 7:11) Imagine David’s surprise when God denied his request to build a temple but promised instead to build […]
Birthday So much world all at once – how it hustles and bustles! Moraines and morays and morasses and mussels, The flame, the flamingo, the flounder, the feather – How to line them all up, how to put them together? All the tickets and crickets and creepers and creeks! The beeches and leeches alone could […]
When I was a child I always said I wanted 9 children. In fact, I said I wanted 9 boys! I would tell people I wanted my own baseball team, not a softball team, a baseball team. Family was important to me and I hoped and prayed that one day I would find someone who […]
After decades resisting even mentioning the word, governments and advocates extolled the “family” at two special sessions at the UN last week. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the International Year of the Family. Pro-family advocates feared it would pass unnoticed, a casualty of the culture war. Some at the UN portray the family […]
In a recent post in his blog The Next Right Step, Charlie Johnston writes: “There is a lot of theological incoherence rising right now.” A few days ago I realized that a friend of mine — whose friendship I treasured since the time of my conversion — is into some form of Sedevacantism. This is hard to understand […]
What are the four greatest Christmas gifts parents can give to their children year-round? Certainly we have the obvious one, love. But how do we love? How do we manifest our love, this love which should be poured out as agape love, a love of total self-giving, a sacrificial laying down one’s life and complete […]
Did the bishops gathered for the October Synod on the family “quarrel”? Pope Francis pondered that question during his General Audience in St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday, December 10, 2011. “Well, I don’t know if they quarreled,” Francis said. “But they spoke strongly,” he added, prompting the laughter of the audience. Anyone who followed those […]
Quiet Must be in Me If I am to touch Him, I must be at peace. If I am to love Him, Quiet must be in me. For turbulence does not invite the Lord, Nor does anger or hate. Peace is the gateway to Christ. Love is the avenue to the Most High Holy One. […]
THE mother of St. Lucy suffered four years from an issue of blood, and medical help failed. St. Lucy reminded her mother that a woman in the Gospel had been healed of the same disorder. “St. Agatha,” she said, “stands ever in the sight of Him for Whom she died. Only touch her sepulchre with […]
Milk and toothpaste. That’s all that was left on my shopping list as I maneuvered myself, two shopping carts (one of the race car variety) and my five youngest sons toward the back of our local supermarket. The oldest boy was big enough to push a cart, only occasionally racing down an aisle or bumping […]
Ninety-eight years ago, Edgar Lee Masters penned his famous Spoon River Anthology, a towering work of poetry set in the graveyard of mythical Spoon River. It is a small town whose deceased residents speak frankly from beyond the grave about the gritty reality of what was their life on earth. The most haunting and instructive […]
The impending retirement wave of Baby Boomers and its impact on American society is something that the Center for a Just Society has been discussing for several years. The issue of a rapidly aging society combined with a rapidly shrinking worker base may not be a sexy topic, but it’s an extremely important one that […]
Dear Kevin, Thank you for organizing this discussion. I am grateful to you and the other good folks at Catholic Lane for providing this platform. The Latin Mass is a topic I’ve been interested in several years now – ever since I went to my first Latin Mass at St. Stanislaus Oratory in Milwaukee, WI. […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Isaiah 61:1-2,10-11; Luke 1:46-50,53-54 (Responsorial Psalm); 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24; John 1:6-8,19-28) What it Means to Pray without Ceasing Pray without ceasing. (1 Thessalonians 5:17) Without ceasing? At all times? Obviously, Paul is not talking about praying all day long. Rather, he is calling us to faithfulness in […]
I think future generations will look back on our insane notion of “reproductive rights,” and they will be horrified. Back in the 70s reproductive rights meant terminating a life you already started. Today it also means creating life however you see fit and tossing out whatever doesn’t suit your desires. So not only have we […]
Dutifully, Catholics go on the hunt each year for the highly coveted, purple and pink candle ensemble vital to any serious Advent wreath. I’m eighty-seven percent sure that I buy a replacement set after Christmas in anticipation of the following liturgical season. I proudly congratulate myself for thinking ahead, taking advantage of the sale price, […]
Pope Francis starkly warned European leaders last month they have lost trust by enacting policies that are “insensitive” and “harmful,” giving Europe the image of a “grandmother, no longer fertile” and breeding “certain rather selfish lifestyles.” They must guard against misusing the concept of human rights, he stated. One European Parliamentarian called it “a timely […]
You all know the drill–every December, stuff starts to find its way into your house. You throw a Christmas party and people bring you hostess gifts. You do a gift exchange at work and bring home more kitsch. Then there’s Christmas morning, plus the rounds to the relatives’ houses where you collect more stuff to bring […]
