In one of the scriptural passages most often quoted by Blessed Pope John Paul II during the course of his historic pontificate, a “rich young man” asks the Lord what I consider to be the only question really worth asking once one reaches the age of reason and understands the reality of death: “What must … Read more
For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood; but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places. (Eph., 6-12) And yet in spite of this universal world which we see, there is another world, quite as farspreading, quite as close … Read more
An Education for Our Time Josiah Bunting III, Regnery, 1998, 246 pages. After religion and the family, education ranks at the top of almost any society’s priorities. If any of these elements is not healthy, a society is in serious peril of dissolution. Josiah Bunting III’s An Education for Our Time is a bold, … Read more
What is the magisterial authority of Catholic Social Teaching (CST), and how is it applied to real world situations? Catholic Social Doctrine is simply the voice of the Church, starting with the Sacred Scripture and the Church Fathers, that lays out the principles of how justice and charity are to be lived out in the … Read more
Yesterday, the John Jay College research team released their report on the clerical sex-abuse scandal, titled “The Causes and Context of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests in the United States, 1950-2010.” First, hats off to the U.S. bishops for commissioning the report and outsourcing the investigation to the John Jay College of … Read more
Less than three years has passed since the publication of Pope Benedict XVI’s third encyclical, Charity in Truth. As some readers may remember, the encyclical caused quite a stir both in secular and religious circles — as have many of the past papal encyclicals dealing with economic questions, going back to Pope Leo XIII’s groundbreaking … Read more
I can only do justice to John Mueller’s magnum opus Redeeming Economics: Rediscovering the Missing Element (and it is “magnum,” with 470 dense pages and copious footnotes) by comparing it to Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations, Ludwig von Mises’ Human Action, and the wrongheaded but immensely influential General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money by … Read more
It is no secret that while all the Roman Pontiffs whose reigns have coincided with the growth and development of Opus Dei since 1928 have highly approved of its message and mission, John Paul II— perhaps as a result of his varied work and educational background—has grasped its importance in a deeper fashion and has … Read more
Now that we finally have a product of a Catholic institution of higher learning in the White House, the question What makes for a good Catholic education? is more pressing than ever. Through the years many parents have asked my advice regarding the choice of a Catholic college for their child. Their concern is hardly … Read more
The twenty-first century may witness the flowering of a renewed and purified Catholicism in the United States. As we enter the 1990s it is time to accentuate the positive developments that are all around for those who have eyes to see. While the crisis in the Church continues, there are clear signs that it may … Read more
Harry was a freshman at the prestigious Eastern university where I work as an associate chaplain. He had attended one of the best known Catholic prep schools in the Mid-west. A handsome, intelligent, well-built fellow, he was an obvious student leader. Upon inquiring about the knowledge and practice of his faith, he assured me that … Read more