Regular Contributions
Father Hardon on Lent and his 7 Rules of Penance
Fr. Hardon gives the basis of penance as a Divine Law that each of us must do, or perish. We may voluntarily do penance now – with his 7 rules of penance – or forcefully have it done to us later.
Shades of Grey
The Lakeview neighborhood is an attractive area of Chicago’s north side. It seems as if it had always been a popular part of town. Though I didn’t realize it at the time we were dating, my future wife lived on Pine Grove and Diversey–the same street and block where Charlie Chaplin lived 80 years earlier. Typical of the last…
Beware the “Experimental Faith”
At the “Progressive Christian Channel” of patheos.com, Diana Butler Bass’ bio describes herself as an author who regularly comments on religion, politics, and culture in the mainstream media. Among her opus is a 5-session “study” that was co-written with Tim Scorer, “Embracing Spiritual Awakening: Diana Butler Bass on the Dynamics of Experimental Faith.” As one…
Alabama moves to destroy Children
This past Monday, some of the strangest things happened in Alabama, the alleged Bible belt. Out of fear that they were living the Wallace days again — Wallace the one who stood in the doors of the school to block the entrance of black children — many judges rushed to provide so-called marriage licenses to homosexual…
So What is Sexagesima Anyway? (the real secret to easy grace)
I never realized when I studied the Illiad and the Odyssey in latin in high school just how much my perceptions of words from latin were forever changed. I take for granted that latin words sound completely different to someone not familiar with latin. Recently, I was talking to someone and mentioned that Sexagesima Sunday was approaching. They…
New McCarthyism is the Invisible Hand against Catholic teaching
It’s unlikely that the actor Gary Sinise, Fox News anchor Bret Baier, and beer magnate Pete Coors didn’t realize that Legatus, an association of observant Catholic business leaders, adheres to Catholic moral teaching when they agreed to speak at an upcoming Legatus Summit. Legatus has been known for Catholic positions on a number of issues, even…
Out-Loud Discussions
In past generations, communication was limited. Society was largely agrarian and the modes of communication and the technology to deliver such to people outside one’s immediate circle was limited. It wasn’t non-existent, nor was it undesirable. Quite the contrary. Human beings are social animals and all have a desire to communicate and need to communicate. In modern times, it was the…
CCHD 2014-2015 …with a sobering look at a New Mexico PICO grantee, CAFÉ
The Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), an annual collection that is touted to “help the poor” but has actually been a steady source of revenue for Alinskyian organizing and other progressive, political activity, recently released its 2014-2015 grant list. It’s a doozy. As has been the trend since scandal forced the collection to withhold…
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…
Pope Francis on Rabbits and Large Families
In his recent trip to the Philippines, Pope Francis spoke forcefully on marriage and the family and sparked further headlines with his comment that Catholics should not “breed like rabbits.” Lost amidst the glaring headlines that the Holy Father has instructed Catholics to stop having kids are beautiful reflections on the family and its importance…