Random stuff I find interesting and you may not.
Back in the day, kiddie Catholics learned that the Church had four “marks”: The Church is one, holy, catholic (as in “universal”), and apostolic. These marks derived from the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, which we recite at Mass on Sundays and liturgical solemnities. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that the Church “does not possess” these … Read more
The hardness of God is kinder than the softness of man. C.S. Lewis Related PostsLove Jewish Man Found To Be Center Of Massive Conspiracy To Rule The Universe He Created Merry Christmas! My suffering, united to Your own As Pop Culture Lures Kids Toward The Occult, Neutrality Toward Witchcraft Isn’t Enough
In the 1990s, media elites feared America’s apparently ascendant religiosity, particularly the “evangelicals.” In the 2000s, they cheered the decline of religiosity and the spread of secularism. In the 2010s, the cheers quieted a bit when the more astute began to see what a less religious America looked like. Deaths of despair are the most … Read more
It was a common occurrence on the streets of one of New York City’s Jewish neighborhoods: A man dressed in the long black coat and broad hat worn by Hasidic Jews was walking in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, his two young children in hand, when suddenly a black man ran up behind him … Read more
Another aspect of the Francis pontificate is the prominence of Jesuits in Church leadership positions. What can be understood about Pope Francis’ relationship with the Society of Jesus? Well, I’m a Capuchin Franciscan, and that’s shaped my life in a profound way. The Jesuit formation Francis received would naturally have the same effect. But when … Read more
During the Bergoglian captivity, one hears of Catholics losing or questioning their faith because they think: “If a pope can be so wrong, then the Catholic religion mustn’t be true.” Surely we ought to be made of sterner stuff than that. Why is it required to see the pope as the be-all and end-all of … Read more
I graduated in 1994 from the Jesuit University of San Francisco (USF), a school drenched in the heresy and scandal that have come to define the modern Jesuit order. I can still remember my first day at the school. It was “condom day,” an absurd campus-wide distribution of condoms that the Jesuit president and Jesuit … Read more
The Bible warns us against tyrants — men who believe themselves gods — while reminding us that they fail before the True King. December 28 in the Christian calendar marks the Feast of the Holy Innocents — remembering King Herod’s slaughter of all male children age two or under in Bethlehem and the surrounding region, … Read more
Saint Stephen’s Feast has not changed much over the years. On the day after Christmas, we begin to celebrate our martyrs. From all over the world, we read that Christians are persecuted; especially in those countries most fashionable to the Left. In North America the prejudice is more genteel than murderous — it belongs to … Read more
When it comes to the problem of children crying at Mass, Catholics have a saying: “If it ain’t crying, it’s dying.” For those who think that there are too many children at church, they should consider the opposite problem: an aging congregation on the brink of death. While the prospect of an elderly church without … Read more
The first lesson in humility is our surprise and even indignation at the events surrounding Jesus’ birth. God, however, is neither surprised nor stymied. All this fits into His plan to get Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and all of us to the place of blessing. Whatever evil the Emperor intends, God intends it for good (see … Read more
An Ohio middle school teacher sued her school district Monday, accusing the district of violating her First Amendment rights after she was abruptly fired for refusing to affirm students’ stated gender identity or use their preferred pronouns. In a lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Vivian Geraghty, a … Read more
Our Lady of Guadalupe: Woman of the Eucharist Related PostsWhy Did St. Paul Get Arrested at Philippi? Christianity has been around for 2000 years…. The disorder of succession An Unshackled 2020: Sisters of Life Show the Way – “This time with freedom!” Infernal Bore
Our Lady of Guadalupe St. Juan Diego, a humble Aztec peasant, saw the Blessed Virgin Mary on the Hill of Tepeyac near present-day Mexico City on December 9, 1531, the feast of the Immaculate Conception at the time. After a request by the bishop to prove her identity, Our Lady asked Juan Diego to gather … Read more
Be patient, because the weaknesses of the body are given to us in this world by God for the salvation of the soul. So they are of great merit when they are borne patiently. St. Francis of Assisi Morning Offering Related PostsDeSantis Is (Almost) Right About Libel Law Undeserved Derision from the New York Times … Read more
Taking a long view of how the decision affected, and is affecting, American politics. Is abortion a losing issue for Republicans? It will be for some Republicans, surely. Nobody expects a Republican to be elected to Congress from the Bay Area on an anti-abortion platform, in part because nobody expects a Republican to be elected … Read more
When we celebrate Thanksgiving, after being thankful for family and friends, for health and comfort, for food and shelter; we shouldn’t forget to be thankful for the left. There is no light without darkness and without evil, the good often fails to find their own voice. It is in the presence of slavery that we … Read more
This article’s title derives from a poem published 50 years ago by actor and film star Richard Harris. Written in free verse, and recorded and released as a record in the days when vinyl was king, Harris’s poem was a cry for peace in Northern Ireland, a land plagued by political and religious violence between … Read more
Some conservative commentators fear that the “Respect for Marriage Act,” which won approval in the US Senate this week, would allow for infringements of religious freedom. They are wrong. The bill does not allow for infringements; it authorizes a frontal assault. Liberal activists pushed forward this legislation after the Supreme Court, in its Dobbs decision, … Read more
Does God require us to forgive those who grievously wrong us, even when they are not sorry? And then completely forget about what they did? A man—I’ll call him Robert—once wrote to me telling me a horror story about his ex-wife. To say she acted uncharitably during and after their separation and divorce would be … Read more
A fired Vatican auditor and his deputy are suing the Holy See for $9.25 million, “alleging they were sacked after discovering financial irregularities,” according to an account by Reuters this week. The auditor, Libero Milone, says that Pope Francis signed off on his firing in 2017 after he exposed graft-ridden Vatican officials. Pope Francis appointed … Read more
How else to explain the surge in gender dysphoria among American youth? Since 2017, cases of gender dysphoria among 6-year-olds to 17-year-olds have increased by over 170 percent. How permanent will the rather sudden embrace of transgenderism be? No one knows. But the longer it lasts, the more powerful the transgender movement will become. And … Read more
When we have too many vocal prayers to say, our goal easily changes to getting them done instead of praying them well. They become less, rather than more, contemplative. The Holy Spirt might be moving us to linger silently on the meditation of a mystery, but we feel that we can’t stop or we will … Read more
I desire that you know more profoundly the love that burns in My Heart for souls, and you will understand this when you meditate upon My Passion. Call upon My mercy on behalf of sinners; I desire their salvation. When you say this prayer, with a contrite heart and with faith on behalf of some … Read more
The budget airline AirTran used to air a funny commercial about a couple of grandparents visiting their progeny shortly after the birth of their grandchildren. The grandparents were expecting a week together with the whole family. Instead they were handed the babies at the door, while the new parents jumped into a taxi and headed … Read more