Regular Contributions
The Real Battle
Excellent piece here at the First Things Blog by William Doino on the Pope and “smoke of Satan” in the Church. Reminiscent of our own posts, here, here, here, and here. Throw up a prayer to St. Michael today, especially for the Holy Father and his governance of the Church.
“The Shutdown Won’t Stop Us”
Interfaith Worker Justice (IWJ), an Alinskyian organizing network that works directly with clergy, seminarians, and unions,i sent out an e-letter titled “The shutdown won’t stop us.” Their point was that even if the government isn’t working, IWJ is still on task, helping to organize rallies around the country for comprehensive immigration reform. The term has…
The Problem with Catholic Relief Services
Unlike the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, which was founded to fund left-wing political organizations and has never deviated from that path, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has a long (since 1943) and honorable history of humanitarian service, providing food, clothing and medicines around the world, wherever the need was great. Over time, health care, nutrition…
A Conjecture on The Pope and The Atheist
In 1965, then Jesuit Scholastic Jorge Maria Bergoglio, S.J. was teaching high school at Colegio de la Inmaculada in Argentina. No doubt he was aware of and took interest in the planned 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus. Immediately before that convocation, Pope Paul VI gave a very specific directive to the Society of…
Is Man “for His Own Sake”?
In the Second Vatican Council’s document on The Church in the Modern World (Gaudium et Spes), the Council Fathers declare that man is “the only creature on earth that God has willed for its own sake” (GS, no.24§3). The Catechism quotes this passage in two places (CCC, nos.356 and 1703). How are we to understand…
Pope Wrestles Mania, Disappoints Some
With my post about the Pope Francis interview the other day, in the aftermath of that interview, we see people picking up their toys to go home and saying things like “the pope doesn’t support this so I give up.” Or, see for example this article from Rorate Coeli blog (FAIR WARNING: the melodrama and…
Francis, the object of Modern Tribalism
If you aren’t laughing at the idiots all fighting amongst themselves in reaction to Pope Francis’s interview, yet, then I hope this post will give you a perch from which you can start to laugh with me. Yes, I was irritated at first, rightly so, but as I think it over, I’m finding a lot…
Support Archbishop Broglio!
(Left–Archbishop Timothy Broglio, U.S. Air Force photo/SSgt Anthony Nelson Jr) On the Feast of our beloved patron, St. Robert Bellarmine, His Excellency Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese of Military Services, USA issued the following to Catholic Military Chaplains and also included some words to Catholic Commanders. Catholics in the military are very near and dear…
A Modest Proposal to Pope Francis—Restore the Ember Days!
Recently, our Holy Father Pope Francis called for a day of prayer and fasting for peace in war-torn Syria. In a sight that we haven’t seen in recent memory, Our Blessed Lord in the Eucharist was exposed in St. Peter’s Square for this prayer vigil on the eve of the Feast of Our Lady’s birth….
Ignatius Speaks?
Ignatius of Loyola Speaks Karl Rahner, S.J. St. Augustine’s Press Paperback, $13.00 Simply looking at the cover of Ignatius of Loyola Speaks instantly sets the stage for the work. It gives the context of the work, quotes from Karl Rahner late in life saying it is “a sort of last will and testament” and “a…