Marriage
Ad Absurdum: Contextualizing John the Baptist for Amoris Laetitia
At some point in this mess over the consternations on the problematic Amoris Laetitia, it occurred to me that John the Baptist and St. Thomas More have a lot to say about it. There are a lot of voices in the swirl… well, every voice it seems besides that of Pope Francis. One can make the argument, and…
Despite all the Angst, Maybe Pope Francis is Right… And the reactions were wrong for the wrong reasons
In the past week, Pope Francis said something that got everyone in an uproar (imagine that). Catholic blogs were immediately lambasting the statement. Many claimed that he was wrong to say what he said. A giant news network even got into the act and claimed it was time for him to resign. I wonder if maybe…
A Skiff in Raging Waters & Grace and The Value of Suffering in Marriage
Author’s Note: My wife Annie and I were honored to be asked by Fr. Nate Meyers and the good people of St. Francis Xavier Parish in Buffalo, MN to deliver a reflection on marriage for their annual Cana Dinner. It was a wonderful evening, and I commend our remarks (especially my bride’s!) to the friends of…
From Under the Rubble…Father Time
“The Holy Father lives in Rome, Why won’t Daddy live at home?” Welfare Lullaby It’s been a great year for the Holy Father. But a lot of fathers haven’t been so lucky. Or so holy. “In 1960, fewer than one in 10 children lived in a single-parent home,” writes Dr. Patrick Fagan, one of…
If that was yesterday… Marriage catechism needs updated
From the old Baltimore Catechism… My how times have changed… That’s not even scratching the surface of Our Lord’s words: Have ye not read, that he who made man from the beginning, Made them male and female? (Matt. xix. 4). Yet, people have hinged all their happiness on the idea that marriage is something different….
French March for Marriage, they may yet be Romantics
News today from France about Catholics and “others” marching to protest a French bill that would make marriage be defined to include unions between same sex persons spurs some hope in the French. Recently, I wrote about a Russian cultural center to be built in Paris being denied a permit to build. I see some…
Defensor Civitatis
I am going to be polemical. You are forewarned. There is a fundamental aspect of the debate over so-called same-sex marriage that needs to be understood: most people in the cities and towns of Minnesota and across the United States are not eager nor clamoring for the legal recognition of two homosexuals to form a…
The First and Enduring Sin
This past Saturday–September 29, 2012–in Minneapolis, Minnesota was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, the temperature was a warm 80 degrees, and the fall colors of the changing leaves were done as by a master painter. A perfect day for my 7-year-old daughter to play in the front yard. Indeed she was. Into this…
Family Devotions for the Feast of the Holy Family
Almighty and Eternal God, your fatherly tenderness never ceases to provide for our needs. We ask you to bestow on this our family the riches of your blessing. With the gift of your grace sanctify our family so that, faithful to your commandments, we will care for each other, give example to the world by…
Understanding the Marriage Amendment
Ed. Note. The Bellarmine Forum is pleased to present this guest essay written by Richard Aleman on one of the most critical issues of our day. In Minnesota (as in other states) a vocal and well funded minority has called into question the very meaning of marriage and threatens to redefine it. Mr. Aleman has…