Posts
Magazine: Evangelizing the Family! Winter 2015, Issue 3
Where do we go from here? For the two earlier issues, we looked at all the attacks on the family, and analyzed the importance of the family. Issue 3 presents the solutions! Our last issue of the Bellarmine Forum magazine in 2015, “Evangelizing the Family,” lends itself to plenty of food for thought. You ask, why would…
Who Needs a Savior?
I’m glad Christmas is an octave+. It’s just too much to soak in in one day. I heard that on a recent Polish polka show, the hosts were cracking a joke that Christmas for Poles begins at Midnight Mass and they don’t leave the house for 12 days. It’s funny because it’s true. Between the ham, the Christmas carols,…
The God of Wonder & Our Lady of Guadalupe
For those who are paying attention, God can really blow our minds sometimes. Take for example, St. John Paul II. Many know that the young Karol Wojtyla was an actor as a young man. He performed in numerous plays by the Polish Romantic playwright Juliusz Slowacki. The work of Slowacki was popular with budding artists…
Man-Made Climate Change has Nothing to do with Nature Videos
This week there was a nature show projected on the face of St. Peter’s in the Vatican. I agree with many of the criticisms of the event, most importantly because St. Peter’s square is recognized worldwide as the place from which the Pope and the Church speak on the things of God. Sure, nature is creation and…
The Cosmic Battle, Two Pontiffs, and a Novena
Is it weird to have a favorite holy water font? Well, I do. I’m weird. In the Basilica of St. Paul Outside-the-Walls–not far from the place where the Apostle was buried after being decapitated for the crime of not losing his head–stands a very curious holy water font. The casual Roman parishioner at St. Paul’s has likely seen this…
Celebrating Advent
The season of Advent marks the beginning of the Church’s liturgical calendar, anticipating the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Of course, the advent of our Lord began with the Annunciation. St. Louis de Montfort says in True Devotion to Mary: “God the Holy Spirit formed Jesus Christ in Mary, but only after having asked…
Veni, Veni, Emmanuel: Advent 2015
Today is the First Sunday of Advent. Here is an excerpt on the meaning of Advent: In Advent, the Greek Church celebrates particularly the ancestors of Our Lord–all the Patriarchs and Prophets of the Old Testament, but especially Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Latin Church also mentions them often in this period. In the Breviary, many texts are…
Refugees, Immigration, and Catholic Discourse
I think it might be a general experience that Thanksgiving Day tends to bring extended families together more than even Christmas Day. I’m not sure why this is or whence this came about. My own recollections of Thanksgiving as a kid take me to my grandparents’ basement where two long tables were spread with all the fixings. It…
Tempting Akita’s Fire: AmChurch Wreckovations, Hare Krishnas, and Tokyo St. Ignatius Removes Kneelers
Back in the 90s, I remember seeing images of then Archbishop Rembert Weakland donning a miter that bore an upside down triangle with a rainbow and a rainbow chasuble. During those years, it was common to hear rumors of Churches being “renovated” and the end result being white washed interiors and sanctuaries being leveled and converted…
“It’s A Wonderful Life”: Capracorn?
As is my Christmas tradition, I watched Frank Capra’s “It’s A Wonderful Life” once again last night. Watching the accompanying featurettes, I was surprised to learn that the film was somewhat of a box-office failure when it was released. Critics described Capra’s vision just as Old Potter described George Bailey’s idealism: “sentimental hogwash.” The director’s…