Category: Featured

Reflections for Sunday, January 29, 2012
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Reflections for Sunday, January 29, 2012

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Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Deuteronomy 18:15-20; Psalm 95:1-2,6-9; 1 Corinthians 7:32-35; Mark 1:21-28) Being Alert to the Attacks of the Evil One  “Quiet!” (Mark 1:25) Today’s Gospel warns us to be on guard because evil spirits are con­stantly at work tempting us and harassing us. This warning is even more urgent […]

Girl Scouts Leadership: Pro-Choice, Pro-Gay Ideologues
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Girl Scouts Leadership: Pro-Choice, Pro-Gay Ideologues

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Who’s calling the shots over at the Girl Scouts? And where’s the organization headed? The questions matter for two reasons. First, it’s cookie season. Any day now some cute little girls wearing green sashes and bright smiles will knock on your door and sweetly seek support for their projects, badges, and activities. Do you write […]

Reverberations of Roe v. Wade Go Far Beyond Abortion
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Reverberations of Roe v. Wade Go Far Beyond Abortion

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Thirty-nine years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled, in Roe v. Wade, that the laws outlawing abortion in Texas were unconstitutional because a woman had a right to privacy, guaranteed by the Constitution.  Suddenly, the unborn had no legal protection in the United States.  But Roe v. Wade did not just deny legal protection to […]

People Are Silently Dying for Big Money
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People Are Silently Dying for Big Money

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The politically approved scientific use of human embryonic stem cells (hESC) for research and experimentation has plagued our quest for recognition of intrinsic human rights ever since the first such experiment became public in 1993. In 1998, a University of Wisconsin press release touted a discovery by UW researcher James Thomson and stated, “The dream […]

Bloody Good News
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Bloody Good News

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Before seminary I worked as a reporter.  In the news business we used a saying to determine whether a story merited front-page coverage or should be placed on the back page.   “If it bleeds, it leads.”  In newspaper jargon, it means, “If you want blood, we’ve got it,” and never let the facts get in […]

Literally Unconscionable
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Literally Unconscionable

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Friday, January 20, 2012, the Obama administration announced that faith-based institutions must cover free contraception for employees. While mainstream media tries to pass this off as merely covering “the pill,” it also includes sterilization and abortifacients. (See the AP story here.) Regardless, Catholics (and other religious denominations) are being forced to accept insurance coverage for […]

Quintessential Moral Relativism
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Quintessential Moral Relativism

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Republican Presidential Candidate Newt Gingrich’s comments during the Presidential Republican debate on January 19, 2012 and the audience’s reaction are telling, and saddening. An angry Newt Gingrich criticized the media at the start of tonight’s Republican presidential debate for focusing on questions about his personal life, including allegations that he asked for an “open marriage” […]

Reaching Out to a Love-Starved World
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Reaching Out to a Love-Starved World

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An interview with Catholic author, Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle, on Blessed Teresa of Calcutta. Welcome , Donna-Marie! As you know, I’m a devoted fan of your books, so it’s an honor to have you join us to chat about your absolutely superb new booklet through Ave Maria Press, Bringing Lent Home With Mother Teresa: Prayers, Reflections, […]

Muslim Brotherhood Declares 'Mastership of World' as Ultimate Goal
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Muslim Brotherhood Declares ‘Mastership of World’ as Ultimate Goal

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Although many Muslim leaders openly articulate their efforts as part of a larger picture—one that culminates in the resurrection of a caliphate adversarial by nature to all things non-Muslim—many Western leaders see only the moment, either out of context or, worse, in a false context built atop wishful thinking. Among other things, this myopia causes […]

Of Obituaries and Lives...
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Of Obituaries and Lives…

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My husband gets a local newspaper generated from the town in which his parents and grandparents resided. There is a feeling of “keeping in touch” with his roots in this, that I envy. His mother’s extended family still get together every so often for reunions and we’ve always enjoyed attending these and catching up with […]

HHS Contraception Decision: Craven Attempt to Avoid SCOTUS Humiliation
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HHS Contraception Decision: Craven Attempt to Avoid SCOTUS Humiliation

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Yesterday, according to press reports, the Obama administration refused to change a controversial rule that would require religious institutions, in violation of their conscience, to pay for contraceptive drugs— including those that could cause an abortion. Instead, the administration merely delayed the effective date of the rule by one year. The rule is currently subject to […]

Obama's Contempt for Religious Liberty
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Obama’s Contempt for Religious Liberty

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Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on today’s announcement from the Obama administration that it is going forward with its original “Obamacare” policy that mandates coverage of sterilization and contraceptive services in most healthcare plans: Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius said today that aside from houses of worship, all other religious agencies […]

How Vulture Capitalism Endangers America's Elderly
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How Vulture Capitalism Endangers America’s Elderly

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GOP presidential hopefuls – most notably Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry – have been attempting to derail Golden Boy Mitt Romney’s campaign momentum by attacking his background as a venture capitalist, deriding as “vulture capitalism” the practice of acquiring businesses through leveraged buyouts and attempting to increase their value through cutting costs, laying off workers and […]

Science Works, Just like Theology Said It Would
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Science Works, Just like Theology Said It Would

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University of Chicago biologist Jerry Coyne has an interesting post over at his blog “Why Evolution Is True,” which hits on something I care a lot about: science and religion.  Specifically whether they go together or not. Coyne mentions two posts from the New York Times blogs, one against naturalism and one in favor of […]

AUL’s Life List: Where Does Your State Rank?
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AUL’s Life List: Where Does Your State Rank?

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Americans United for Life (AUL) has released its seventh annual “Life List” — a ranking of all 50 states based on the way each deals with a comprehensive list of life issues — from abortion to euthanasia.  For the second time in three years, Louisiana tops the list, followed closely by Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Nebraska, and […]

The Ripples of Generosity, Unseen
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The Ripples of Generosity, Unseen

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Generosity is dramatically exemplified by the coming of the Magi to Bethlehem. I’m guessing their arrival on the scene was a surprise to Mary and Joseph, an unscheduled blessing. Nothing announced the Magi’s coming. They read the signs of their times—and the stars in the sky—and took it upon themselves to visit and offer gifts […]

#MarchForLife — Social Media Spreads The Message Of The March For Life
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#MarchForLife — Social Media Spreads The Message Of The March For Life

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This weekend, close to half a million souls will descend upon Washington D.C. Teens will stay up all night Saturday, praying and praising in our national Shrine. Housewives from the south will stand next to University presidents from the north in the freezing cold, while businessmen from the east mingle with college students from the west, […]

The Clarity of Clare
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The Clarity of Clare

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Every parent should consider their child a gift and a miracle, because every human life is an unrepeatable, absolutely incredible, physical manifestation of God’s image and His love in this world. Our daughter Clare is a miracle because of that truth; but there’s something even more miraculous about her story that merits repeating. In this […]

Pope's Address to US Bishops During "Ad Limina" Visit
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Pope’s Address to US Bishops During “Ad Limina” Visit

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Dear Brother Bishops, I greet all of you with fraternal affection and I pray that this pilgrimage of spiritual renewal and deepened communion will confirm you in faith and commitment to your task as Pastors of the Church in the United States of America. As you know, it is my intention in the course of […]

Gay Marriage Coming After the Church
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Gay Marriage Coming After the Church

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A Gay Marriage Equality bill (read SB 6239) has been introduced this month in Washington State. The measure is deceptive and exceedingly dangerous. It represents a radical shift in the definition of marriage, and it would pose a serious threat to religious freedom. … The bill’s introduction says it would not force clergy or churches to marry […]

Kids’ Reaction to Perry is What’s Shuddering
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Kids’ Reaction to Perry is What’s Shuddering

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The subject line of the email from my daughter read, “I shudder.” The text said only, “You won’t believe this,” and included a link to a video that my 14-year-old freshman, Amy, wanted me to see. The video that prompted her concern was an episode of “Teens React,” a YouTube series from Fine Brothers Productions, […]

Two Priests Kidnapped in Sudan
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Two Priests Kidnapped in Sudan

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Fears are growing for the safety of two priests from Sudan who have been abducted. Fr. Joseph Makwey, in his 40s, and Fr. Sylvester Mogga, in his mid-30s, were seized on Sunday, January 15th, by men who smashed through the gates of their parish compound and broke down the presbytery door. According to neighbors, the […]

The Problem with Compassionate Conservatism
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The Problem with Compassionate Conservatism

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The rise — at least temporarily — of Rick Santorum has given rise to speculation of late, most notably by David Brooks, that it might facilitate a rethinking on the right about how America addresses some of the hard-to-deny social pathologies that characterize much of American society. Chiming in to this debate is Michael Gerson. He argues […]

Curbing Morning-After Pills to Combat Sex-Selective Abortions
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Curbing Morning-After Pills to Combat Sex-Selective Abortions

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One city in China has introduced a surprising measure to deal with the consequences of the government’s cruel one-child policy.  It’s cracking down on the morning-after pill. Bloomberg reports that on December 21, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of Fuzhou, the capitol city of Fujian Province, ordered pharmacies to register the names, phone numbers […]