This past Sunday in the continental U.S. mother’s everywhere were remembered and cherished by cards, calls and candy — not necessarily in that order or limited to those means of gratitude. I too am a mother and now a grandmother, but it wasn’t always so. The road to motherhood was deliberately delayed as I made […]
The announcement that the Church will beatify Pope Paul VI in October has led some observers to declare that Rome is intent on “canonizing” the Second Vatican Council by raising the Popes responsible for that assembly to the honor of the altars. Pope John XXIII who convened the Council was made a saint last month along […]
The Vatican had strong words for U.N. experts who accused the Catholic Church of torture because of its teaching on abortion. “The Holy See condemns the torture of anyone, including those tortured and killed before they are born,” said Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, Apostolic Nuncio at the United Nations in Geneva. For the second time this […]
Fourth Sunday in Easter Scripture from today’s Liturgy of the Word: Acts 2:14A, 36-41 A reflection on today’s First Reading: “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation!” (Acts 2:40) This verse in the Book of Acts brings an image to my mind of a street activist holding a sign with those words scrawled across it — […]
Pope Francis continues his catechesis at the General Audience Wednesday morning in Saint Peter’s Square on gifts of the Holy Spirit. After having examined wisdom and understanding the last two weeks, this week he discusses the often misunderstood gift of counsel. The pope reminds us that “we must make room for the Spirit, so that […]
Imagine if there were a movement to normalize Body Integrity Identity Disorder instead of treating it (people with BIID are physically healthy but obsessed with amputation). A young woman suffering from BIID, let’s call her Amy, decides to make a video of her amputation. The video is not actually graphic, we only see her face […]
In my book Science Was Born of Christianity: The Teaching of Fr. Stanley L. Jaki, I used the word “veto” in the introduction. Like this: “To understand this claim is to understand why the Catholic Church has a legitimate right and authority to veto scientific conclusions that directly contradict divinely revealed dogma.” That word “veto” in […]
I keep a bust of Ludwig van Beethoven on the fireplace mantle in my home. It reminds me of the human capacity to overcome adversity to achieve great things. When I doubt myself in my own acquired disability of multiple sclerosis, I listen to Beethoven — particularly his 9th symphony — written in total deafness, […]
The movie Heaven Is for Real, based on the book by the same name, is the true story of four-year-old Colton Burpo who claims to have seen heaven. First off: Do not watch the trailer if you haven’t already! It’s a great trailer, but it gives away a bit too much. Second off: do see […]
Whenever someone insults us, we usually come tearing back, ready to defend our reputation, our honor, or whatever it was that we perceive was insulted. We might even grant that on some level we deserved the insult, but not from them. “Only God can judge me,”we say. But for as much as this is true, […]
Both the 1932 novel Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and the 1997 science fiction movie “Gattaca” are classified as dystopias because they depict societies riddled with misery, tragedy, and a dehumanizing culture. Both attribute this decline in civilization to manipulations of human genetics and perversions of human reproduction. In Brave New World the traditional […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Acts 2:14, 36-41; Psalm 23:1-6; 1 Peter 2:20-25; John 10:1-10) Being Cut to the Heart by the Good News of Jesus Christ They were cut to the heart. (Acts 2:37) What a vivid image! But this is not the only place in Scripture where we see this […]
During hearings that one participant described as “surreal,” United Nations representatives this week suggested that the Catholic Church’s opposition to abortion in the case of rape and incest constitute a violation of the UN Charter Against Torture. The Vatican was called before a two-day hearing in Geneva so a UN committee could question whether its […]
Back in the mid-1990’s, before the internet ruined our lives (I’m kidding. Kidding) I was in the seminary, discerning a possible call to the priesthood. They were amazing years, and gave me a solid faith formation, an opportunity to come to know the beautiful heart of the Church from a unique and powerful perspective, and […]
Recently, Christopher White wrote a commentary on the ethical problems associated with “surrogate parenthood for money.” He argued that paying for surrogate parenting is actually a form of human trafficking. His position is an interesting one, particularly because he presents his perspective in the context of many surrogate mothers who have later regretted their decision to carry […]
“The Son of God who became Son of the Virgin also learned to pray according to his human heart. He learns the formulas of prayer from his mother … He learns to pray in the words and rhythms of the prayer of his people.” (CCC 2599) Until five years ago, when I began an intense […]
In Three Persons, One God: Growing in Relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Leonine Publishers), Allison Gingras offers a primer in developing a personal relationship with the three persons of the Blessed Trinity. In her introduction, Gingras refers to the Gospel passage of Luke 8:4-15. That parable is about the farmer who went […]
If you know who Kermit Gosnell is, then you are part of a well-connected minority. Most people have never heard of America’s most prolific serial killer, the abortionist now imprisoned in Pennsylvania who has killed thousands of babies. Gosnell’s method of choice was to deliver living, breathing, crying children in his clinic and then sever […]
What’s in your kid’s college fund? Or are you putting all your efforts into rearing a bright child who will ace the SATs and get scholarship offers? Whatever your plan, the thought of college tuition raises fear in the hearts of many parents. How to pay? The Morlino family has one solution. “Everything we’ve been […]
Through the years I have been asked to review a good many books on topics from microbiology, to evolution, biomedical ethics, spirituality, and even the life of Cardinal Newman. It’s always a privilege to do so, to be a part of the birthing of an author’s dream, to help bring forward an idea, a perspective, […]
What a disappointment! They thought they’d found the Messiah. But he’d been trapped like an animal and executed as a criminal. Up until his very last breath, they had hoped he’d descend from the cross in stately power and call down fire upon the hypocrites. But all they heard from him were seven last “words” […]
Pope Francis continues his catechesis this week on the gifts of the Holy Spirit. After having examined wisdom as the first of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. This week he draws attention to the second gift, the gift of understanding. He goes on to say that:” Born of our sharing in God’s life […]
National Right To Life News published an article about Viv Albertine, a rocker who says she regrets her abortion but is still Pro-Choice. Showing loyalty to the abortion that oppresses us is what I call the “Abortion Stockholm Syndrome”. I and many women I’ve met through Silent No More and Rachel’s Vineyard are familiar with […]
At the end of Science Was Born of Christianity: The Teaching of Fr. Stanley L. Jaki, I wrote, “If a reader gains anything from this book, let it be that one may confidently say that Catholic dogma positively and directly influenced the Scientific Revolution.” I proposed that perhaps the argument in the book that “science was born […]
