Over at CNEWA’s blog ONE-TO-ONE, Fr. Elias Mallon, our Education & Interreligious Affairs Officer, has just posted his own personal reflections about 9/11 — with some thoughts, in particular, about this Sunday’s Mass readings: One of the most difficult aspects in Christianity — and also one its foremost characteristics — is the challenge of Jesus to “love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who treat you badly” (Luke 6:28... Read more
[Click here for readings] Reading this miracle story in Mark’s gospel this week, the first person I thought of was Sarah Churman. Sarah Churman was born 30 years ago completely deaf. All she could hear was something that sounded like a chain saw. Hearing aids didn’t help, but she was sensitive to vibrations. If someone wanted her attention, and she couldn’t see them, they’d have to stomp on the floor. In time, she managed to learn how to read lips,... Read more
With another presidential election year looming, a new poll suggests most Catholics are unaware that America’s bishops have published guidelines for voting — and those who do know about it, don’t care: Every four years, the Catholic bishops of the United States publish a detailed statement about how Catholics should think about key political issues in light of church teachings. And every election cycle, activists on both sides of the Catholic political spectrum argue passionately about what the statement really... Read more
Can you really die of a broken heart? Parents who lose a baby before its first birthday are more likely to die early themselves, according to this report: Researchers at York and Stirling universities said bereaved parents were up to four times more likely to die in the decade following the child’s death. Previous studies have suggested there is a similar effect after the death of a spouse – often referred to as dying of a “broken heart”. The impact... Read more
During the GOP debate Wednesday evening in California, only one question received applause: it was when NBC’s Brian Williams stated the statistic that Texas Governor Rick Perry had overseen 234 executions. Perry said that he had not lost sleep over any of the executions on his watch. Brian Williams noted the audience’s enthusiastic response to the death penalty, and asked Perry what he made of that. “I think Americans understand justice,” he said. Read more
“This radiant and manifest coming of God to men most certainly needed a joyful prelude to introduce the great gift of salvation to us. The present festival, the birth of the Mother of God, is the prelude, while the final act is the fore-ordained union of the Word with flesh. Today the Virgin is born, tended and formed and prepared for her role as Mother of God, who is the universal King of the ages. Justly, then, do we celebrate... Read more
From the In My Backyard Desk, some news about a 9/11 hero from the Diocese of Brooklyn. Chief Joseph W. Pfeifer was featured prominently in the documentary I worked on, “9/11,” (updated and being rebroadcast on CBS this Sunday). Now, he is looking back on the legacy of that awful day. From CNS: As Chief Joseph W. Pfeifer of the New York City Fire Department sees it, the 9/11 terrorist attacks were a global trauma and the 10th anniversary of the... Read more
The Boston Globe this morning profiles a lawyer, Ken Feinberg, who negotiated settlements with the families of 9/11 victims — and he remembers one family member in particular: There was an elderly woman whose son had died in New York. She never responded to any of the solicitations about the settlements, failed to return any of the paperwork, and wouldn’t so much as take a phone call from Feinberg’s office. As the deadline loomed to file for funds in late... Read more
As reported last week by NPR: The Obama Justice Department has been taking a more aggressive approach against people who block access to abortion clinics, using a 1994 law to bring cases in greater numbers than its predecessor. The numbers are most stark when it comes to civil lawsuits, which seek to create buffer zones around clinic entrances for people who have blocked access in the past. Under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, or FACE Act, the... Read more
His journey with cancer is turning into the greatest homily of his life, and he shares it with everyone he meets. Details, from the Courier in Waterloo, Iowa: These days, the Rev. Everett “Ev” Hemann seemingly holds a captive audience at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Cedar Falls. Some say his homilies are getting better, that his preaching is increasingly profound. Parishioners say the messages are more inspiring and the application more tangible. That may be true. Hemann, 66, wonders... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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