When asked my politics, I sometimes say, “Papal Insurrectionist.” In the classic Catholic novel Dawn of All, by Robert Hugh Benson, I get my wish. Here is a future wherein the world (or at least Europe and the Americas and increasing parts of Asia and elsewhere) has come to be “really and intelligently Christian.” And … Read more
The column Brian links to below makes for discouraging reading. In an attempt to lighten the mood, I offer the following, as a sort of “bright side” to our current economic woes: With less money to spend, people are finding that they may in fact be happier without it. [T]he practices that consumers have adopted … Read more
Today’s Wall Street Journal has an important op-ed by Michael Fleisher, president of Bogen Communications, entitled “Why I’m Not Hiring.” It makes for discouraging, but important, reading. Meet Sally (not her real name; details changed to preserve privacy). Sally is a terrific employee, and she happens to be the median person in terms of base … Read more
Girls are reaching puberty faster than ever before — by ages 7 and 8. That’s what a new study just published in the journal Pediatrics shows. Other studies have found this over the past decade, but experts have been at a loss to explain why. Increased levels of obesity are definitely to blame, but doctors now believe … Read more
A lot of people seem to think that the Church functions according to the principle, “That which is not forbidden is compulsory.” So many folk seem to be under the impression that there is a black and white magisterial answer to everything, and that “You’re with us or agin’ us” is the watchword for all … Read more
As a cranky old man trapped in a once-young-but-now-mostly-just-flabby man’s body, I’ve always been … well … cranky when it comes to participating in the games of BlogTag that burrow their way through cyberspace every now and again. Frankly, I’m still at a bit of a loss as to why anyone else cares about what … Read more
By now, most of the world knows something about human trafficking. Basically, if you’re not dwelling among consumers, you’re likely at a place of origin or along a transit route. But this story drew my attention yesterday: In this impoverished town in central Mexico, a sinister trade has taken root: Entire extended families exploit desperation and … Read more
A few months ago, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), speaking to a Catholic audience, said that her favorite word was The Word, as in the Incarnate Jesus Christ, and that she wanted to pass laws “in keeping with the values” of that Word. More recently, Speaker Pelosi was doing an interview where a Catholic News … Read more
“Submit yourselves one to another, as in the Lord,” says St. Paul, and then he follows his command with a list of applications, involving relationships among husbands and wives, parents and children, masters and servants, citizens and their magistrates, and all Christians and their elders in the Faith. The Christian life, as the saints and … Read more
The race between Republican Rand Paul and Democrat Jack Conway for Jim Bunning’s old Kentucky Senate seat is getting slimy. In this latest episode, one of Conway’s supporters dressed up like a Rand Paul fan, slung a racist sign around his neck, and tried to circulate at a Paul rally. Happily, we live in the … Read more
What’s the right age for receiving the Sacraments of Initiation? Cardinal Antonio Cañizares, the prefect for the Congregation for Divine Worship, writes in L’Osservatore Romano that children should be allowed to receive the Eucharist “as soon as they are able”: Citing the 100th anniversary of Pope Pius X’s decree as a “providential occasion to remember … Read more
Politics Daily Andrew Cohen has an impressive bio: He’s chief legal analyst and legal editor for CBS News Radio, and he’s won the Edward R. Murrow Award twice. He writes for well-known magazines. Which is partly why it was strange that two weeks ago his Politics Daily column was a personal love letter. Apparently, Cohen … Read more
When do you know it’s over? When do you know that civilization has collapsed inwardly to such an irreparable extent that the next stop is barbarism? When is that Weimar moment? Certainly, the legalization of abortion was one such moment, as barbarism is defined as the inability or unwillingness to recognize another person as a … Read more
Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and I are both graduates of the same university, the University of Texas at Austin. When I told him this morning that the Longhorn football team was #4 in the preseason rankings, he said, “That’s good, it’s bad when they are too high.” Fayyad’s caution about his beloved Texas Longhorns is … Read more
I found a fascinating piece by a protestant minister’s wife at Musings of a Young Mom (via Danielle Bean’s shared items). She describes what happened when she and her young kids went to a playground and found an ultra-modestly-dressed Mennonite family there: A teenage girl followed a toddler around the park, both of them wearing … Read more
Lately, I have been hearing a lot about how the primitive Church was not Roman Catholic. I don’t know why it is, but this information keeps bursting upon me in the most unlikely settings — a lunch party near the sand dunes, cocktails on the upper east side — where a kindly soul informs me … Read more
One of the best examples of the battle between personal freedom and government regulation is the raw dairy issue. More people are turning to raw dairy — often for health reasons — and because of this, we’re seeing more crackdowns by regulatory bodies. Just a few months ago, an Amish farmer not far from me … Read more
Steven Greydanus is at it again, coming up with millions of interesting cinematical posts that I wish I had thought of first (but never can.) This week, he’s been discussing The Best Family Films – sparked by a somewhat odd survey from the Radio Times (UK) — as well as the list’s flip-side: The greatest family film … Read more
The Latin Patriarch in Jerusalem is His Beatitude Fouad Twal. Don’t let his name or title intimidate you — the Patriarch is extremely kind and hospitable, making everyone comfortable from the moment he enters the room. Walking at his side is a parish priest, Rev. Firas Aridah, known by some Catholics in the United States … Read more
I have crossed over to the other side. I’m not sure when it happened, but something fundamental about my circumstances has changed. I am an old person now. I first realized it a few years ago when I was flipping through a women’s magazine and an ad caught my eye. It was the kind of … Read more