By Eliane També ALEPPO, Syria—War rages on in Syria. Aleppo, the country’s major business center—what’s left of it—is a city at war, subject to regular bombardments by various factions fighting for dominance. Last year, a mother of two sons, 48-year-old Joumana Jarjour, a Melkite Catholic, was gravely wounded by scrapnel from a rocket that landed […]
Population control advocates are miffed that the UN Climate Summit in Paris will not address fertility reduction. “It’s pretty hard to reduce your carbon footprint when you keep adding more feet…” said Population Media Center in a newsletter, a population control group that lingers on the fringes of the Paris negotiations. The group says world […]
Pope Francis reflected on his first Apostolic Visit to Africa during his Wednesday Address on Dec.2. He travelled to Kenya, Uganda and the Central African Republic with a message of hope in the Risen Jesus, calling Catholics to the mission field, “Please don’t exclude this possibility of becoming a missionary, to bring love, humanity and […]
For some time now, a group of theologians has opined about “Theological Silence About White Racism.” In words of accusation that could not be stronger or more vigorous, this sin is condemned as injustice, institutional violence, group dehumanization, troubling social evil, social subjugation, race-based wrongdoing, social sin, habitus of white superiority, tragedy, social inequity, unjust […]
“Have you been saved?” Maybe you have been asked that by one of our Protestant brothers or sisters. If our Blessed Mother had been asked, she could have given the loudest “Yes!” the world had ever heard. Her personal salvation from the stain of Original Sin is celebrated today. Mary praised God’s salvation in her Magnificat and […]
If you already know how the Hunger Games saga ends, you may want to skip this third installment — unless you are fond of tedium. The beginning gets off the ground well enough with lots of dialogue and ominous music that is just setting the stage for future action scenes. However, said action scenes drag […]
It was Thanksgiving and my then-girlfriend was meeting my family for the first time. Much to my surprise, all five of my siblings were able to be there, and we enjoyed – or so I thought – our usual holiday dinner with the typical excited-aggressive talking that Italians tend to do. Later that evening, I […]
I like wine, red and dry. My preferences are Chianti and Merlot. A bottle of Cabernet, Pinot Noir or Petite Syrah will do in a pinch. Some brands and years taste better than others, but I’m not a connoisseur. I’m not picky about the wine coming from Italy or California. For me, good wine is […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading Baruch 5:1-9 2nd Reading: Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11 Responsorial: Psalm 126:1-6 Gospel: Luke 3:1-6 Advent, A Time to Respond to God’s Good Work in Us The one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it. (Philippians 1:6) Every winter, the […]
For the last few years, scientists have been warning us that genetically modified children are just over the horizon. Rumors have been flying around that laboratories are already using a revolutionary new gene-editing technique called CRISPR to try to change the genes of human embryos. Advanced gene-editing techniques like CRISPR hold great promise for treating […]
The accepted dictionary definition of “evangelize” is: 1. To preach the gospel to. 2. To convert to Christianity. 3. To promulgate or promote (a doctrine or idea, for example) enthusiastically. Now, we know that a large part of our job as Catholics is to evangelize, that is, to bring others to Christ. The ways and means are up for discussion, often passionate discussion over the course of our Church’s history. […]
By now most people are aware of the shooting that took place at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs last Friday. Robert Lewis Dear, Jr., killed three people and wounded several more, purportedly in retaliation for the activities documented by the Center for Medical Progress in which Planned Parenthood officials are seen and heard […]
English writer and broadcaster Claire Rayner (1931-2010) said: “Only the unloved and unloving escape grief.” That is not entirely true. I will reserve comment about the unloving other than to say if they do not know grief in this world they will certainly know it in the next. The unloved live in grief of the […]
In what could be the abortion legal battle of the decade, the U.S. Supreme Court decided last month to weigh-in on the Texas abortion regulation law. The case will have far-reaching and long-lasting consequences for women’s health. It will determine whether the unregulated and unaccountable abortion industry will be able to continue business as usual, […]
A religious once said, “Being a missionary is like taking a pearl of inestimable value into a land where the people don’t want it, even as a gift.” The sad truth is that today, everyday faithful Catholics are called to be missionaries in their own churches. Why? Because our fellow parishioners are often as in need of evangelization […]
I guess you never know how little faith you have, until it is tested. Faith never grows, unless it is tested. I have found it to be a vicious lifelong cycle. I think I have faith, it gets tested, and I realize how little faith I have after all. I have been praying for something […]
1st Sunday of Advent “Advent” is simply the Latin word for “coming.” If we can manage to meditate on any “coming” in December besides the comings and goings of Christmas shopping, it would be Christ’s coming to Mary in a stable But the liturgy of the first three weeks of Advent speaks of another coming, […]
A Pythagorean writer once expressed the role of civil authority this way: “The monarch has an irrepressible authority (and is therefore not limited by consent); he is a living law; he is like a god among men.” How different America is. Our Founders came here for freedom, a freedom that recognized that no human being […]
This is historical fraud, forgery, perjury.
A chorus of delegates from around the world protested attempts to make “sexual orientation and gender identity” a protected category in international human rights law at the General Assembly last week. The Africa Group, composed of 54 countries, delivered a forceful statement to Joachim Rücker, the German president of the Human Rights Council, as he […]
By Claire Creegan NEW YORK—Pope Francis’ scheduled Mass in Uganda in observance of the 50th anniversary of the canonization of the Ugandan Martyrs will help revitalize the faith of one of Africa’s youngest Churches, a local Church official said. In an interview with international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need, Msgr. John Baptist Kauta, […]
It has been said that: Real love is not all feelings. Real love takes work. Real love requires choosing your beloved on a daily basis. These are all statements that I believe to be true. But, can I let you in on a little secret? I believe in soul mates. And [thankfully], I believe that I […]
