Spiritual Fathers are men who pray and sacrifice for little lives they cannot yet see – the most innocent and helpless creatures on Earth: so weak they don’t yet have a voice. Men are called to save these little ones by standing up to a culture of death and society that discards them by vigils […]
Every year on January 22nd, the 42nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, hundreds of thousands of brave marchers from all walks of life participate in the March for Life in Washington, D.C. While the March for Life focuses on the grave nature of abortion, it provides the perfect sounding board to voice the sacredness of […]
I Jenny would stretch out for hours on the sand, rolling back and forth to feel its course, graininess rub against her body. Although most people hate the sensation of the sand that sticks in their swimsuits and between their toes, she relished this feeling. The coarseness of the sand continued to remind her of […]
Years ago, I shared a memorable conversation with Catholic author Taylor Marshall while we both worked at the Catholic Information Center in Washington, D.C. Taylor told me about some advice that, in his words, an “old, crusty Episcopalian priest” had given him shortly before his wedding: “The keys to a good marriage are threefold: to […]
Illegal clinics are luring high school and college-age girls in China with the promise of large payments for their eggs. The procedure can damage the girls’ health and future child-bearing, and the clinics are offering no legal or medical help if complications ensue. For clinics operating on the black market, there is little incentive to […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Jonah 3:1-5,10; Psalm 25:4-9; 1 Corinthians 7:29-31; Mark 1:14-20) Hearing and Responding to God’s Call to Evangelize Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men. (Mark 1:17) Fishing seems relatively easy, doesn’t it? You throw a line into the water and hope a fish […]
Words can be so cruel and degrading. There was a time in the 19th Century when North American natives were commonly called “savages”. The term was used to dehumanize first nations people in order to take their land. I remember a time when people with a mix of Aboriginal-European descent were called “half-breeds”. Somebody at […]
Hello William, I thank you for your questions. They are going to be tough to give a comprehensive answer to given current limitations, but I’ll try to cover what I can. We must begin with the usual caveat that I am only speaking for Kevin Tierney. John Allen is known for saying that the number […]
Selma, the story of a pivotal point in the civil rights work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is a well-cast, well-acted re-telling. At times it lacks a bit of a spark, especially as David Oyelowo delivers MLK’s rousing, eloquent and inspired speeches in an almost too polished fashion. But this is one of the […]
Among the many things the United States has given to the world, there is the grossly over-inflated regard for pop culture. Granted, there has been some version of “pop culture” perhaps as long as there has been public entertainment, admired teachers, respected leaders and producers of literature. But modern American pop culture has taken things […]
Every once in a while, I come across a story that stops me in my tracks. Like the Italian high court’s decision to overturn a pedophile’s conviction because his 11-year-old victim says she’s “in love.” Or the Australian judge who pointed out that easy access to abortion and contraception may lead to the legal sanction of incest, as it […]
I received an unexpected postcard in the mail the other day from an old friend. It made my day. It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten a handwritten letter from a friend — it has to be 10 or 15 years. What’s worse, I can’t remember the last time I wrote one. The reasons […]
Young Samuel was an apprentice of the priest Eli. In those days personal revelations from God rarely occurred. But then one night Samuel was sleeping in the temple near the Ark of the Covenant when the Lord called him by name. “Samuel, Samuel.” Samuel ran to Eli and woke up the old man and said, […]
Like a plastic Piggly Wiggly bag fluttering about in the alley, those untethered from God’s natural law are violently tossed to and fro by the gusting winds of moral relativism. Jenny Kutner is one such Piggly Wiggly bag. A 20-something assistant editor at Salon.com, she describes herself as “focusing on sex, gender and feminism.” By […]
When I was growing up, we were urged to pray for vocations. That meant to pray for more priests and nuns. After all, they were the ones especially called by God. The rest of us had to figure out for ourselves what to do with our lives, what school to go to, who to marry, […]
In five days the throngs will again descend on the nation’s capital and gather in state capitals across the land. They will come together peacefully, for the 42nd year in a row, to mourn the deaths of countless millions of preborn babies. The March for Life is upon us. Nobody knows for sure how many children have […]
His mistakes are fundamental and pervasive.
Editorial cartoons are an effective means of making a point briefly but powerfully. However, cartoons become increasingly unjustifiable when they degenerate into vulgarity, calumny, or blasphemy. “God is not mocked” (Galatians 6:7). The satirical magazine based in Paris, Charlie Hebdo, makes a business of mocking Islamic themes and portraying Mohammed in pornographic poses. And not […]
As Catholic Schools Week approaches in our diocese, I find myself reflecting on how we ended up choosing Catholic school for our children. Reprinted with permission from CatholicSistas.com Catholic school was not really on our radar when we started our family. My husband and I both grew up going to large public schools and did […]
The proper application of accountability limits power.
At the pinnacle of the sloping ceiling at St. Cletus Catholic Church (in St. Charles, Mo.), at the center of the church, some clear windows allow sunshine to stream downward – when the sun is shining, of course. The sun was shining brightly in our part of the world on Christmas Day. Praise God! Monsignor […]
Recently in my state of California, Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill that, beginning in 2016, will alter birth certificates in a dramatic way. Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez (D-Los Angeles) authored Assembly Bill 1951, which amends the California Vital Records Birth Certificate law in order to “modernize” California birth certificates by allowing each parent to self-identify as mother, father, […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (1 Samuel 3:3-10,19; Psalm 40:2,4,7-10; 1 Corinthians 6:13-15,17-20; John 1:35-42) The Importance of Listening to and Saying Yes to the Lord The Lord was with him, not permitting any word of his to be without effect. (1 Samuel 3:19) Learning how to listen to the voice of […]
Ah, winter has arrived in all its glory, which means one thing: more sledding bans! According to The Associated Press, Dubuque, Iowa, has banned sledding at 48 of its 50 municipal parks. The reason: costly lawsuits. In one case, a 5-year-old girl in Omaha, Neb., hit a tree while sledding and became paralyzed. In another […]
