Guarding the Sanctity of the Sick Pilgrim and the Broken Spirit

November 18, 2017 By Kate Cousino

Yesterday, I ranted briefly about “Men Behaving Badly to Get Their Rocks Off.” The big story today is about a fellow (now former) Patheosi who falls inside that category, having abused his position in the Sick Pilgrims community to gain access to and exploit vulnerable women. A lot of commenting on stories like this turns into quibbling over the nature of the allegations–is this assault? Is it exploitation? Is it icky-but-perfectly-normal “seduction”? Are these the actions of a sexual predator... Read more

Can We Just Not Do This Anymore, Please? Seven Quick Fed-Up Takes

November 17, 2017 By Kate Cousino

Lord, if You’re listening, I know You are really fond of this Freely-Given Love thing, and I know that requires Free Will, and Free Will means people are going to Sin, and Sin Breaks The World. I know all that. So I know You aren’t going to reach down and brainwash all of us so that we stop doing awful stuff to each other. But maybe You could help us think a little more clearly and love a little better... Read more

“Who is the most important in your family?” and other foolish questions from John Rosemond

November 15, 2017 By Kate Cousino

Over at The Personalist Project today, I am taking a look at parenting columnist John Rosemond’s assertion that parents are “more important” than their children. (TL;DR: he’s wrong. But please do go read and see why I say that!) Reading the column reminded me how important it is to ask the right questions and examine our own biases. After accusing parents of answering his question about relative importance by “fumbl[ing] with appeals to emotion,” Rosemond himself resorts to the most... Read more

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

November 12, 2017 By Kate Cousino

“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.” “We will remember them.” The crowd murmurs in a quiet echo, after the verse is read. It gives me shivers, every year. Here in our small town, we’re down to one wreath still carried by a WWII vet. One was carried up by... Read more

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

October 30, 2017 By Kate Cousino

I love Halloween. I always have. When I was a child, I loved Halloween for the same reasons as children everywhere. The fun of dressing up and, of course, the free candy. The adventure of going to so many houses and being out after dark. The delightful thrill of pretending to be scared of the spooky decorations and spooky costumes. My parents were less openly enthusiastic, but I know my mother’s creative side enjoyed coming up with new ways... Read more

My Bullet Journal is Firing Blanks (SQT, Week in Review Edition)

October 20, 2017 By Kate Cousino

— 1 — How is it Friday again already? Where has this week gone? I’m not sure. Fortunately, I keep a…well, it’s sort of a bullet journal…kind of…on my desk. It’s definitely a journal. And it certainly has bulleted lists in it. But compared to the Swiss Army knife of elegance and utility of other people’s Bullet Journals, mine is merely a lowercase single-blade pocketknife. Or maybe a sharpened flint. I finished last week strong, anyhow, with that post on the... Read more

“What do NFL protesters want, anyway?” Cultivating the Virtue of Curiousity

October 12, 2017 By Kate Cousino

I spend a lot of time with Google. When I was a child, arguments between siblings about matters of fact frequently ended with my parents sending us to the encyclopedia to look up an answer. We had a full set of Funk and Wagnalls, and an even more well-loved science encyclopedia (plus yearly update edition) from Grolier. Even when the encyclopedia didn’t contain an answer to our specific dispute, the search for an answer frequently turned a combative pride-fueled verbal skirmish... Read more

Weeding the Garden of Good and Evil

October 2, 2017 By Kate Cousino

I must thank Simcha for saying so well what I have tried to say elsewhere. In her Catholic Weekly column, Simcha writes: Catholics, take note. We are quick to condemn sin, but slower to identify why sin is forbidden. More and more, I see that using people — treating them as things, behaving as if they are there to help us get what we want — is at the heart of nearly every sin we can commit against each other. This... Read more

Bunny in a Dark Labyrinth: Trauma and Choice in a Playboy World (Guest Post)

September 30, 2017 By Kate Cousino

It's an incredibly complicated thing when your personhood has been crushed through sexual exploitation. Read more

#TakeAKnee Has Made America Great Again

September 25, 2017 By Kate Cousino

There are things more important than patriotism. America is greatest and most deserving of patriotism when she recognizes just that. Read more