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 Amy Coney Barrett's possible SCOTUS nomination is a Trump referendum for faith voters...
It was back in January, eons ago when put into the context of this year's news cycle, that Donald Trump became the first U.S. president to ever appear at the annual March for Life. At last month's Republican National Convention, a nun named Sister Deirdre "Dede" Byrne called Trump "the most pro-life president that this nation has ever had." This takes us to the now and the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg...
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Chaplains' vital role remembered on anniversary of WW2's Operation Market Garden...
September 26, 1944. In an Arnhem hospital, Father Danny McGowan decides to go for it. He fills a bag with food, calmly leaves the building and finds a ride to the nearby town of Oosterbeek. The German who gives him the ride, seems to think that transporting a British captain in the midst of an ongoing war is an entirely normal thing.
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Does the Vatican need a Korean Air-style reboot?
In 2006, a lecture by Pope Benedict XVI at the University of Regensburg in Germany caused a global firestorm because of the way he chose to open it, quoting a 14th century Byzantine emperor about Muhammad bringing "things only evil and inhuman." Muslims took it as a slur, and in the ensuing protests churches were firebombed in the Gaza Strip and an Italian missionary nun was shot to death in Somalia...
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President Trump to announce Supreme Court nominee by Saturday...
President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he expects to name his nominee for the Supreme Court by the end of the week. The nomination, Trump's third to the highest court, follows the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, whose funeral services will be held this week.
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Christian Life is work — on God's terms...
We are used to thinking of the story of the laborers as a scenario that couldn't happen in real life. But maybe it could. "The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard," Jesus's story begins. Harvesting is always a frantic time — especially for a time-sensitive crop like grapes. To get all of a large vineyard's grapes in on time takes many hands...
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Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen on 3 wounds (and 3 myths) that explain what's happening today...
It was the mid-1960s but it might as well be today. Bishop Fulton Sheen was explaining to his TV audience the three sources of the despair and nihilism in the world — which have only multiplied — and the one solution that definitely eradicates it because he was talking about "hope for a wounded world." But through the next five decades, people listened less and less to what he had to say...
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Jesuit Father Paul Mankowski was a man for strengthening others...
When the choirs of angels led Father Paul Mankowski, SJ, into the Father's House on September 3, I hope the seraphic choirmaster chose music appropriate to the occasion. Had I been asked, I would have suggested the Latin antiphon Ecce sacerdos magnus as arranged by Anton Bruckner. The all-stops-pulled moments in Bruckner's composition, deploying organ, brass, and full choir, would have been a perfect match...
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Italian bishops' conference newspaper defends Netflix's 'Cuties'...
According to L'Avvenire, the official newspaper of the Italian bishops' conference, those who have criticized the controversial French movie Cuties, released by Netflix last week "have not seen it or have really limited themselves to the poster. Otherwise they have not understood it or have looked at it with the wrong eyes."
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Did St. Joseph of Cupertino actually fly? Most certainly.....
Readers of a certain age might remember the silly TV show The Flying Nun...religious brothers and sisters who take flight are nothing new. When we lived in Wiltshire in England we learned the delightful story from the Middle Ages about Eilmer, a Benedictine monk of Malmesbury Abbey who, in the eleventh century, jumped off the tower of the abbey church with some home made wings. Like Icarus he plummeted. The story is related by a monastic historian, William of Malmesbury...
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Jared Staudt's new book offers theological foundations for rebuilding Catholic culture...
St. Augustine argued that we are bound together as a people by a shared view of what is lovable. While it is bad enough that Americans appear to be bound together by love of creature comforts, COVID-19 has brought about an even lower common denominator: today we are bound together, not by love of easy living, but by fear of bodily death. All too many of us are willing to sacrifice liberties, friendships, and our social lives so long as we can prolong the Grim Reaper's unwelcomed visit.
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The new Italian missal introduces liturgical disunity...
With the approval of the new Italian translation of the Roman Missal third edition (2002), consider the following: A Catholic anywhere in North America — from Alaska to Zacatecas — will hear the same consecratory formula for the chalice at Mass, whether attending Mass in English, French, Spanish or the original Latin. The same would be true if he went to Mass in Spanish in Argentina or in French in Zaire.
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Two quirks haunt human nature — the desire for paradise, and the demands of paranoia...
The desire for paradise seems to be humanity's default setting. We want to be happy. Indeed, in the land of the free and the home of the brave we are guaranteed "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." The problem is in our definition of happiness. True happiness is the result of self discipline, hard work, a deep awareness that life has eternal significance and adherence to a religion that vitalizes and makes real that awareness...
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Lessons about democracy in 'Justice League — Rule of War'...
Thomas Jefferson wrote, "The issue today is the same as it has been throughout all history, whether man shall be allowed to govern himself or be ruled by a small elite." It feels like he penned that phrase yesterday. Self-governance is something achievable when the people hold a common truth and trust of each other.
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Why Marxism is the opium of the intellectuals...
"Why does opium make us sleep? Because of its soporific power." So ran Molière's send-up of self-important Parisian physicians. Sohrab Ahmari's "The Trouble with Christian Leftism" invites a similar question-and-answer. By taxing progressive Christians with having succumbed to the opium of the intellectuals—Marxism in its various forms—Ahmari invites us to ask what is its hidden power. Why are we so prone to be always looking for the next social-scientific solution to our proble...
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China-linked hackers accused of targeting Vatican network weeks before deal renewal...
State-sponsored hackers targeted Vatican computer networks just weeks before the provisional agreement between China and the Holy See is due to be renewed, according to a report released Tuesday. The analysis, published Sept. 15, said that hackers had continued to focus on the Vatican and other Catholic organizations even after their activities were publicized in July.
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Bite your tongue! A reflection on common sins of speech.....
In the pastoral guide of St. Gregory the Great, the opening line reads: "A spiritual guide should be silent when discretion requires and speak when words are of service." This is not easy. Indeed, self-mastery in speech is among the rarer gifts and usually comes later in life! Some of the most common sins we commit are related to speech: gossip, idle chatter, lies, exaggerations, harsh attacks, and uncharitable remarks...
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Yet another book about who will follow Pope Francis examines a Church in transition...
Who will be the next pope? That seems to be the preoccupation these days among some segment of Catholics. It is, at least, among religious publishers. While 83-year-old Pope Francis is in good health, that hasn't stopped speculation over who will come next. After all, he is 83. Earlier this summer, a book by Edward Pentin entitled The Next Pope: The Leading Cardinal Candidates was released in July to much fanfare...
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Children will destroy us...
Children contradict all the major assumptions of liberalism, and so liberalism works hard to contradict all the major facts about children. In fact, when our history is written, by whatever academic is given the penance of writing it, our states will be described as societies that worked very hard to pretend that there are no children at all — just adults, smaller adults, and adults trapped inside wombs.
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Sacred Heart of Jesus statue in El Paso cathedral beheaded...
A 90-year-old statue in El Paso's St. Patrick's Cathedral was destroyed by a vandal on Tuesday morning. A suspect has been detained by El Paso police, and an investigation into the incident is ongoing. "I am in shock and we at the Cathedral are heartbroken over such an unexpected situation," said Father Trini Fuentes, the cathedral rector.
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Will Catholics go back to Mass on their bishops' orders?
Starting this coming Sunday, it will be a serious sin for a Catholic in the Milwaukee archdiocese to miss Sunday Mass without a serious reason. Last week it was OK. It's still OK in most other American dioceses and archdioceses. Can we expect ordinary Catholics to understand this situation? Can we expect them to come back to Sunday Mass, after a six-month hiatus? Having used their authority to stop lay Catholics from attending Mass...
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A bold vision for what a post-COVID parish out to look like...
In 2017 I drove to Houston after Hurricane Harvey to help with relief efforts. A drive that would normally take 1.5 hours took me twice as long, due to closed streets, debris, flooding, etc. I finally made it to my destination and spent the rest of the day at a home that had 5 feet of water in it. It was a daunting task. You have to wonder how we could ever recover from such a disaster...
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Top 5 Bible comic books for Christians...
The Bible is a dynamic story of adventure and intrigue, with intense scenes of action throughout the Old and New Testaments. It shouldn't come as a surprise that is has now been adapted in the comic book format, bringing to life the pages of the Bible in a new way. While the Bible had a few adaptations in the mid-20th century, it has received a renewed interest during the last 10 years...
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Every Catholic needs to know about this little-known Eucharistic doctrine...
This summer, I got to celebrate Holy Mass in the Brooklyn parish where I stay when I'm home from my assignment as the academic dean of the Pontifical North American College in Rome. It is always a joy to offer Mass for a parish community. For me, it is a homecoming. This parish is a multi-ethnic one in my diocese with a pastor born in Pakistan, an Urdu Mass, growing Haitian and Hispanic communities, and many other people...
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Why did Jesus appear? Jesus appeared to destroy the works of the devil.....
There is an important tenet that tends to bind a community together and that is the deliberate exercise of respect and dignity toward your fellow man. Intimately bound by these attributes of faith, it is reasonable for any human being to see an inherit value and worth of their fellow brother and sister in the name of Jesus Christ. St. John XXIII spoke of this value and worth emphasizing the importance of returning to a sense of dignity;
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New York Times considers free speech wars in Hong Kong, while ignoring religious issues...
The locals had few illusions, back in 1997, when I spent a week in Hong Kong during the days just before the handover ceremonies that put one of Asia's most important cities under the control of Chinese authorities. The purpose of my trip was to attend a conference about religion and the news (click here for the text of my presentation during that event), so it was understandable...
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Our Lady of Sorrows, mother of the Man Of Sorrows...
September is the month traditionally dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, and the feast day for this actually falls on September 15, the day after the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Clearly, it is very appropriate that these two feasts, representing the sorrows of Christ and our Lady, should be celebrated so close together, given that the Blessed Virgin was the one who stood so steadfastly at the foot of the cross on Calvary during the awful sufferings of her Son.
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Rust Belt religion: Do political reporters get that Catholics are the key voters in 2020?
"White evangelical Protestants," "white evangelical Protestants," "white evangelical Protestants." "Catholic voters," "Catholic voters," "Catholic voters." World without end, amen. The closer we get to Election Day 2020, the more we are going to see these terms in the news. The assumption is that the "Catholic vote" is especially crucial to Democrat Joe Biden...
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How does idealism hurt marriage?
Those who seek to strengthen Holy Matrimony and stem the tide of failed marriages propose many remedies, among them better catechesis, improved marriage preparation, and greater emphasis on the sacrament in sermons. All of these are fine ideas and necessary steps, but let's also ponder a deep but often unexplored root of the trouble with marriage today: idealism or unrealistic expectations.
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There is a contagion in our land. It's on the left and the right. We are falling into ideology.....
Nineteen years ago, I was in New York City on that September 11. The darkness that descended that day and the hope that rose from it is an indelible part of everyone who lived through the attacks and, of course, especially for those who lost family or friends that day. But there is an added level of personal impact for those of us in the Northeast, and especially New York, where the vast majority were murdered.
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Cardinal Parolin: Vatican and China have 'common intentions' to renew agreement...
The Holy See and China intend to renew their provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, said Monday. The agreement, which is subject to revision this month, will expire in October, the cardinal said, but added that the common intentions are to continue with its renewal, the Italian news agency ANSA reported.
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St. Louis de Montfort on how to say the 'Our Father' well...
In writing his classic The Secret of the Rosary (ca. 1700), Montfort wanted to elevate the experience of praying this medieval devotion as well as underscore its spiritual power: It is not so much the length of a prayer as the fervor with which it is said which pleases God and touches his heart. A single Hail Mary said properly is worth more than a hundred and fifty said badly.
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How online comments can reveal the state of your soul...
The internet has allowed us to connect with people all over the world, people we would have never met. At the same time, this connection is often anonymous, allowing us the ability to post online comments to people we will never see in person. This makes it relatively easy to be free with our comments, not thinking about the spiritual consequences of our actions.
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Humans can never be gods, but they need God to live meaningful lives.....
Most students I teach believe that reality is subjective and truth is relative. This is to be expected in undergraduate college students, especially underclassmen. Not so long ago a university education served to wean students from this naivety. By the time they graduated, most students had developed critical thinking skills that reject a relativistic worldview as a matter of course...
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Our Lady of Fatima appeared on the 13th of each month. Why the 13th?
Let's begin with a simple fact. For the major apparitions at Fatima, our Blessed Mother appeared each time on the 13th of the month. Except in August when the children were ferreted off to jail in Ourem by the atheistic administrator bent on keeping them from going to the Cova. After their release, Our Lady then appeared to the children on Aug. 15, the Feast of the Assumption.
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Why complaining about Vatican PR is like grousing about winter...
Of late, at least two major storylines have triggered the usual cascade of grumbling among journalists about the Vatican's press operation. First came Pope Francis's Oct. 3 trip to Assisi to sign his new encyclical letter Tutti Fratelli (I will avoid here the kerfuffle over how to translate that into English), and a mini-panic about the pope and the coronavirus...
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Forgiving others is crucial — and maybe easier than you think.....
In Jesus' parable today, a servant owes his king a huge debt, more precisely (in the original Greek) 10,000 silver talents. This was an amount equal to 150,000 years' worth of labor in the ancient world, something akin to $4.5 billion today. It's an unrepayable debt, but the servant's king is rich in compassion; he feels pity and forgives the man's entire loan. Now, this servant was a creditor himself...
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You can find forgiveness through the magnificence of mercy...
The Gospel this Sunday draws us into a remarkably sensitive area of the faith, that of forgiving others who may have harmed us. There are many who been authentically hurt and others who fear that in offering forgiveness they will become vulnerable to further harm. Forgiveness is something we experience as a very personal call; in some cases, it may be the most challenging thing we are ever asked to do.
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It is better for the sun and moon to drop from heaven.....
It's one of Newman's most notorious lines, and a claim I for one wish were untrue: The Catholic Church holds it better for the sun and moon to drop from heaven, for the earth to fail, and for all the many millions on it to die of starvation in extremest agony, as far as temporal affliction goes, than that one soul, I will not say, should be lost, but should commit one single venial sin, should tell one wilful untruth, or should steal one poor farthing without excuse...
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4 saints who confronted suicidal thoughts, and overcame them...
There has long been a stigma surrounding mental illness, particularly among those Christians who insist that depression is a sign of faithlessness, rather than the result of mental illness, physiological conditions, or past trauma. Some have viewed suicide in particular as irremediably sinful, a final act of despair. Such beliefs are both untrue and dangerous, causing those who are suffering to refuse necessary treatment...
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An interview with Sister Dede Byrne (“surgeon, soldier, sister”)...
"The life issue supersedes politics, it's really ethical, moral, spiritual, human," said Sister Dierdre Byrne, who gave galvanizing pro-life remarks at the Republican National Convention in August. "My intention was not to be a political speaker up there on the podium, but someone who is just representing the Catholic Church and its response, and relationship, to the life issues..."
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How incense at Mass might reduce airborne diseases...
The Catholic Church has used incense during religious services for millennia. Even before Christianity, Israelites used incense in worship, as the Psalmist records, "Let my prayer be incense before you; my uplifted hands an evening offering" (Psalm 141:2). Incense became a central part of the Church's liturgy, not only because of its symbolism, but also on account of medicinal benefits.
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What was the Blessed Virgin Mary's real name?
In the English-speaking world, it is easy to forget that all of the biblical characters had "different" names than what we say in our language. Both Jesus and Mary had names that were originally in Hebrew or Aramaic and had deep spiritual meaning. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, "The Hebrew form of her name is miryam [or myriam]." This name was used in the Old Testament to denote the only sister of Moses...
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Western Australian legislative committee recommends preserving seal of the confessional...
Religious ministers should not be required to violate the seal of confession to report child sex abuse, a committee of the upper house of Western Australia's parliament recommended Thursday. The Legislation Committee of the Legislative Council recommended that "Ministers of religion be excused from criminal responsibility [of mandatory reporting] only when the grounds of their belief is based solely on information disclosed during religious confession."
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BBC profiles the daring nun who hid and saved 83 Jewish children...
Two Jewish girls from north-eastern France found themselves in great danger when Germany invaded 80 years ago. But while their parents and younger sister were caught and murdered, they survived - with dozens of other Jewish children - thanks to the bravery of a nun in a convent near Toulouse.
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Exploring the purpose of a Catholic parish — using The Hobbit...
If you have ever worked in a parish then you have probably heard these kinds of questions / statements and many more like them. You may have even made some of them yourself. What is behind these kinds of thoughts is that many Catholics want a parish to operate in a certain way. This leads to several questions: What is the ultimate purpose of a parish? Why does a parish exist? What should a parish do?
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How pulling off an old-fashioned “potato trick” ended a baseball player's career...
Dave Bresnahan wasn't playing much in 1987. He didn't play much at any point, to be fair — 89 games for A-Level Waterloo in '86 was the high-water mark for his career (he hit .221/.347/.327 that season) — but a year later was pretty clear that things were going backwards for him. He was the backup catcher for the Williamsport Bills, Cleveland's AA affiliate. He was 25 years old, his career was going to be over sooner than later, and he was bored. And so Bresnahan dug deep into baseba...
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This Sunday, Christ demands the opposite of revenge...
"I love Christianity! There is no revenge!" That is what an Iranian convert joyfully announced in RCIA class, according to Father Emmerich Vogt, O.P. It's true; revenge is a demand of many cultures and a dark impulse of the human heart that feels impossible to resist. Jesus this Sunday, the 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time, not only commands his followers not to seek revenge, but opens up an entirely new reward system...
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Don't be fooled. More contraception always means more abortions, not fewer.....
Opponents of the Church's teaching on contraception often argue that, if the Church were "really pro-life," it would encourage "effective" contraception in order to reduce the number of abortions. They claim that by opposing "family planning," the Church in fact increases the number of abortions. That's often been an assertion by Planned Parenthood...
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September 11: From death, a reminder of the gift of life — and the U.S...
I had been scheduled to fly to California to be on HBO's Politically Incorrect. There was a family emergency and I had to apologize and back out. Barbara Olson was scheduled in my place. That's why she was on a plane on the morning of September 11, 2001. For a long time, I felt guilty about that. We talked often during the Florida recount. We were going to do an interview about Hillary Clinton when her book came out later in the fall...
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Blessed James Miller — Wisconsin farmer and Catholic martyr...
Brother James Miller was born near Stevens's Point, Wisconsin. He was the oldest of five siblings in a Catholic farming family that he was always proud of. He loved farm work, but he started thinking about the priesthood as a high school student. His teachers, Christian Brothers, convinced him that his vocation was as teaching brother. In 1959, at the age of 15...
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Franciscan Friars of the Renewal co-founder among Chicago's new auxiliary bishops...
Pope Francis Friday appointed three auxiliary bishops to the Archdiocese of Chicago, including one of the founders of the religious community Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. Fr. Robert J. Lombardo, CFR, is the director of Our Lady of the Angels Mission Center in Chicago. He is the first Franciscan Friar of the Renewal to be named a bishop.
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Marian feast becomes a political football in Cuba...
The Church in Cuba is warning against politicizing religious festivals after events surrounding the Feast of Our Lady of El Cobre (Our Lady of Charity), the patroness of the island. In the days leading up to the celebration, the opposition organized a symbolic protest, asking people to dress in yellow and to carry yellow ribbons, for what they dubbed the "revolution of the sunflowers."
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9 lifesaving mnemonics every man should know...
When it comes to trying to save a life — either someone else's or your own — it can be hard to remember what to do. Not only because the breadth of survival/first aid know-how is so vast, but because it's hard to think clearly in a threatening situation.
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Wisconsin bishop warns of possible canonical penalties against priest for video on Democratic Party...
CWN Editor's Note: In a recent video, Father James Altman of La Crosse urged Catholics to "repent of your support of that party or face the fires of hell." Bishop William Patrick Callahan responded, "I understand the undeniable truth that motivates his message ... Unfortunately, the tone Fr. Altman offers comes off as angry and judgmental, lacking any charity and in a way that causes scandal both in the Church and in society. His generalization and condemnation of entire groups of people i...
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Mark Galli, former Presbyterian pastor and Christianity Today editor, to become Catholic...
On Sunday (Sept. 13), Mark Galli will stand before Bishop Richard Pates in the Cathedral of St. Raymond Nonnatus in Joliet, Illinois, to hear these words: "Francis, be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit." Pates will then dab Galli's forehead with anointing oil (using a cotton ball instead of his thumb due to COVID-19). And with that, Galli — who has chosen his confirmation name after St. Francis of Assisi— will become a Roman Catholic.
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Godwin's Law versus American disorder...
Whether it appears on Facebook, Twitter or a dozen other similar venues, a high percentage of online discussions—whatever the topic—eventually devolve to the point of invective, pejorative, and name-calling. The apex of this is often considered to be something called "Godwin's Law." Notwithstanding the fact that most sites and groups don't have official rules for arguing...
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U.S. Navy reverses course, says Catholic Masses will continue at naval bases...
Mass has returned to three Naval bases in the San Diego area after the U.S. Navy reversed a decision to end contracts with civilian priests as a cost-saving measure. "Contrary to previous discussions, this year we will continue contracted religious ministry programs and services similar to what we've had in place previously," said Rear Adm. Bette Bolivar, the commander of Navy Region Southwest, in a statement published the evening of Sept. 8 in the San Diego Union-Tribune.
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The shape of the Cross...
He wasn't fit to drive anymore—alcoholism and a last battle with terminal brain cancer demanded he turn over his keys. On his list was a first stop at the university hospital to retrieve some medical records. I had my toddler in tow with us on that morning and told my brother that we would wait in the parking lot for him. "Just text or call when you know how long you'll be."
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Stop pecking on the ground. You're supposed to be an eagle, not a chicken.....
When I was doing full-time parish ministry, one of my favorite activities was performing Baptisms. I put the word in the plural, for I hardly ever baptized one baby at a time, but usually ten or a dozen. Typically, the quite large group of family and friends would gather in the first several pews of St. Paul of the Cross Church about 2 o'clock on a Sunday afternoon, I would welcome them and do a very short description of what was about to happen...
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Fear drives votes in this year's presidential contest...
Once again it's silly season: we Americans are entering the final weeks of a presidential campaign. So we'll see all sorts of sensational claims about how one candidate or the other is the embodiment of evil, a threat to Western civilization. It happens every four years. This year the rhetorical boilers will be especially well stoked because our country is experiencing a political crisis...
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As a drowning man prayed for help, God sent a floating tiki bar filled with priests...
When Jimmy Macdonald found himself floundering in the waters of Lake George in New York next to his tipped kayak, he thought he might die. He had been enjoying a relaxing August day on the lake with his family, meditating and snapping pictures. He kept his lifejacket in the boat - he didn't think he would need it, he told Glens Falls Living.
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Saint Luke Productions, a unique Christian theater company, brings Church figures to life...
I first heard about her in the summer of 2016, a few weeks after my father's death. Saint Luke Productions, an intrepid Catholic theater company founded in Portland, Ore., in 1980, was staging a play about Maria Faustina Kowalska. I had never heard about this Polish nun and mystic born on this day in 1905. In 1931, she had a vision of Jesus in a white robe with his left hand to his chest...
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Cults, cliques and common sense...
One of the creepiest things about religion is the tendency for those involved to drift into cult-like behaviors. That doesn't mean the devotees are all following the leader like zombie Moonies. Religious groups can drift into cult like behaviors without becoming full blown cults. How can you tell if a religious group is operating like a cult? It's difficult because the people in a religious group can behave like a cult...
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What we make, how we make it, and why we make it — such things reveal a lot about us.....
For years I've been hunting down the Foxfire books with a peculiar passion. The Foxfire publishing group started out as a magazine overseen by a flailing teacher in his effort to engage students fruitfully, then became a series of books. It was a periodical about the students' place, Southern Appalachia, which is why I've been so interested in the books (that's where my farm is)...
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Religious freedom — bleached, blanched, and rinsed out...
Father Richard John Neuhaus put two Big Ideas into play in American public life. The first was that the pro-life movement (of which Neuhaus was an intellectual leader) was the natural heir to the moral convictions that had animated the classic civil rights movement (in which Neuhaus was also deeply involved). The second was that the First Amendment to the Constitution did not contain two "religions clauses" but one religion clause...
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Christian results flow only from Christian faith...
Here we go again, but I'll be brief. We have yet another interview with yet another high-ranking churchman who betrays not the slightest understanding of what is required for Catholic renewal. See our story "Pandemic may have accelerated Europe's secularization by 10 years, leading EU cardinal says", and click through to the linked CNA coverage of the interview with Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich in the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano...
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How to think of the Holy Spirit as a divine person...
In the creed, the liturgy, and every time we cross ourselves we affirm that the Holy Spirit is one of three divine persons. However, many of us probably struggle to think of the Holy Spirit as a person. The core difficulty, I believe, is in thinking of the Holy Spirit as a person. This is much easier with the other two persons of the Trinity because two of the names that have been revealed to us are very personal...
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Abortion is the issue that most reveals what a candidate thinks about all the other issues.....
It's a little funny, being called "a pro-abort." Some readers assumed from my article on voting that appeared online and in the Sept. 6 issue of Our Sunday Visitor that I wanted people to vote for Joe Biden. I was only laying out the rules of the game. I wasn't playing, or even commenting on the game. Many people had been saying that a Catholic can never vote for a pro-choice candidate...
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Joe Biden's not 'truly pro-life.' He's not pro-life at all.....
Some of Joe Biden's supporters claim that he's "truly pro-life." He's even "the real pro-life choice." He's at least more pro-life than his opponent, they say. Pro-lifers who really care about saving unborn lives should vote for him. They can't vote for Trump. They must vote for the Democrat. Sure, the better ones will admit, Biden supports the widest extension of "reproductive rights," going farther than any Democratic candidate has ever gone...
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The Old Testament contains multiple prophecies of Mary and her role in salvation history...
The birth of Jesus was prophesied in many and varied places in the Old Testament. The birth of John the Baptist was also prophesied (Malachi 4:5-6; Matt. 11:14). But Mary, the Mother of Jesus our Lord, had her birth and existence prophesied as well. On this her birthday let's take a look at some of those texts with some commentary from me. We begin right at the beginning in the Book of Genesis...
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Is Christian teaching a work of mercy?
A tenet of Christian teaching is that it is a work of mercy. Why would this be? It is important to identify the need for a person to operate their whole being from a proper sense of faith and reason that enables the person to distinguish right from wrong, sanctity versus vanity, sacredness versus corruption. Christian teaching is a work of mercy because the principal aim in this endeavor is the formation of the soul in order to avoid a lack of truth, knowledge and identity as a child of God.
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The day I met Mother Teresa...
I had met James during my seminary days in Oxford and he and I were ordained as Anglican priests at the same time and went to nearby parishes in Sussex. I have always had to have my arm twisted to take vacations, and this was no exception. James was planning a trip to India and wanted me to come along. He had been brought up in India, so when he asked me in 1985 to take three weeks jaunt to India I finally relented-not sure what I was in for.
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