The story of Sunday’s attack on the Syrian-Catholic church in Baghdad is still unfolding; it appears that there are now as many as 58 dead and 75 wounded in what has been the largest attack on Iraqi Christians since the war began. The exact timeline of events in the church has been hazy, but two … Read more
CNA reports that the Synod for the Middle East, a historic gathering of bishops in Rome, ended on October 24 with some criticisms of its concluding statement. The bishops’ concluding “Message to the People of God” criticized Israel in detail, but omitted most of the criticisms made against Islamic governments during the synod. Some observers … Read more
I witnessed — indeed, participated in — a miracle this morning. It began with me opening my eyes. This neuromuscular feat, which required millions of years of evolution just so that I could have eyelids to open, was made possible for me by a pure gift of genetic donation from my parents, who were themselves … Read more
Media vita in morte sumus — in the midst of life we are in death. This antiphon is attributed to the Benedictine monk Notker I of Saint Gall, who died in 912. Legend has it that the musician and poet wrote it when he saw construction workers building a bridge hover over an abyss. Most … Read more
Horrifying news out of Iraq: Gunmen took 100 people hostage in a Syrian-Catholic church in Baghdad yesterday, and by the time Iraqi antiterrorist forces were able to regain control, as many as 37 hostages and security officers were killed and another 56 wounded. According to official estimates this morning, the death toll has risen to … Read more
Yesterday, I read a blog post about how rapidly the world is aging and what it means for the future. Stephany Anne Golberg in Smart Set writes: The number of people who are 60 and older is set to triple in the next 40 years. By 2050, there will be more people aged 65 and … Read more
Last week, the USCCB issued its “Review and Renewal of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development.” The document contains a series of recommendations to reform CCHD grant awards in response to alarming disclosures that financial support was going to groups that supported abortion and same-sex marriage. Five groups were defunded, but dozens more have been … Read more
Today, we share part 7 of ten-part “Catholics in Action,” a 1953 serial exploring Catholic Social Doctrine as it’s lived out from day to day. In most cases, this series has stayed close to the “street level,” but today’s episode, unlike most, actually deals with politics. As always, these pages come from Catholic University’s online … Read more
He is everywhere, of course. There would be no anywhere without him. The Trinity dwells within the graced person, and the faithful can say with Paul, I live now, not I, but Christ lives within me. In a sense we can find him in one another. But sacramentally, under the appearance of bread, Jesus is … Read more
Bill Whittle, explaining the Natural Law underpinnings of good law, and observing what is the underlying (as opposed to the proximate) cause of the current economic malaise: What We Believe, Part 4: Natural Law It’s Part 4 of Bill’s series about what American conservatives (and especially Tea Party folks) believe. Here are Parts 1, 2, … Read more
Is it good to feel scared? To not feel scared isn’t an option; we may wish to ignore scary things, but we can’t — not completely. Christians are not excluded from this rule. “Be not afraid” is an exhortation, not a magic spell. In fact, Our Lord gives us a sub-textual tutorial on fear throughout … Read more
[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKTfaro96dg 635×355] The film Waiting for Superman by Davis Guggenheim has received many accolades, and they are well-deserved — I saw the film last night. Guggenheim follows the stories of five children at different grade levels in both parochial and public schools. One lives in Redwood City, CA, and the rest are inner city kids … Read more
Good morning! In honor of the silliness that will be descending upon us this weekend with the arrival of Halloween, today’s wrap-up is completely devoid of any valuable news content. Consider it candy for your brain. Virtually no child has ever been harmed by the ol’ “poisoned Halloween candy” trick. So why are we still … Read more
Reviewing a novel by Martin Amis recently in the pages of The Weekly Standard, David Gelernter spoke of irony as a “glacier that has pinned modern culture under its massive arrogance.” A nifty turn of phrase, certainly. But surely it applies to irony as it is currently known and practiced, not to the irony of … Read more
Who is Lady Antebellum? Just heard them sing the “Star Spangled Banner” before the 2nd game of the World Series, and it gave me chills. The three singers sang our anthem a cappella with great feeling and obvious pride in our country. Those in the stadium interrupted them several times with cheers. I guess I … Read more
I’ve always been a “Glass Half-Full” kind-of-guy. I blame my boys. Whether it’s because they give me hope for my future, or because I need to have hope for theirs, I’m not sure. But either way, I’m generally an optimistic fellow. I assume that’s why this post from the Criterion Collection’s blog caught my attention: … Read more
God is a unity … of three. True God … and true man. We say these statements so often, it’s hard sometimes to realize just how outrageous, how logically self-contradictory, they seem to be on their surface. The wisdom of the wise is foolishness. The greatest one is the one who serves. Blessed are those … Read more
I am shamelessly stealing this from the Deacon’s Bench, because it was too beautiful not to share. It’s a brief look at this year’s ordination of priests in Milwaukee, but it could just as easily apply to all our priests everywhere. It’ll make you want to run out and shake the hand of every one … Read more
My wife Alice and I were married on an August morning in 1964 in a Presbyterian church just south of Richmond, Virginia. As our wedding reception drew to a close in the midday summer heat and we prepared to drive off to begin our married life in Austin, Texas, Alice’s mother took me aside and … Read more
Hard to believe, but a Michigan woman posted an ad on her church bulletin board for a Christian roommate and was then cited by the state for violating the Fair Housing Act by discriminating against people of other faiths. The 31-year-old woman is not a landlord or a management company, but a homeowner looking for … Read more