Over at Christianity Today, writer David Weiss offers a searing and poignant glimpse at mental illness — his own — and how it led him more deeply into his faith: I need to remind myself often how fortunate I am to have a loving family that supports me, gifted doctors who understand mental illness, medicine that manages my condition, and a God whose mercy never ceases. In addition, no longer did I suffer alone, but amid a great brotherhood of... Read more
“Even as more-mainstream media outlets attempt to downplay blogs and blogging as being a force for nothing much beyond self-promotion, the pope has been ahead of the curve, urging priests, religious and lay folk to embrace social media as a powerful means of evangelization, and a source of Catholic clarity in a very noisy, confused and divided world. Catholic clarity, of course, cannot be disseminated without a measure of charity, and charity can sometimes be the biggest challenge we face... Read more
From the AP: Peruvian President Alan Garcia says Pope John Paul II should get credit for the death of Osama bin Laden. The late pope was beatified on Sunday and Garcia says: “His first miracle was to remove from the world the incarnation of evil, the demonic incarnation of crime and hatred, giving us the news that the person who blew up towers and buildings is no longer.” Garcia made the comment Monday as he inaugurated a hydroelectric power station.... Read more
The star of “The Passion of the Christ” spoke recently about the impact that landmark film had on his career. From the Daily Mail: Actor Jim Caviezel has claimed his Hollywood career was wrecked by playing Jesus. He said he was ‘rejected in my own industry’ after taking on the lead role in Mel Gibson’s controversial movie ‘The Passion of the Christ’. Since playing the son of God in the 2004 film he said offers had dried up and he... Read more
Well, these things happen … That wasn’t the only offender. Read about others who made that boo-boo right here. Read more
To me, scenes like the one below, outside the White House after the announcement of Bin Laden’s death, are troubling. God knows, I can understand the impulse behind them. I still have vivid memories of being in New York on 9/11, and the many weeks of walking past bus stops and lamp posts and seeing the tattered photocopied pictures of friends and loved ones and neighbors, many accompanied by just one word, “Missing.” I live in a city that still... Read more
New York City firefighters watch this morning’s big news in Times Square. Read more
In a homily last winter, I looked at the challenge of loving our enemies and praying for our persecutors — and asked “When was the last time any of us here prayed for Osama Bin Laden?” This morning, My friend Mike Hayes poses another provocative question: can we forgive Bin Laden? For Millennials, September 11th was a seminal moment. Coupled with the madness of Columbine, the world suddenly became a very precarious place. Last night, many young people filled the... Read more
In one community, the government would like to know how this whole life, liberty and pursuit of happiness is working for you. From the New York Times: When they filled out the city’s census forms this spring, the people of Somerville got a new question. On a scale of 1 to 10, they were asked, “How happy do you feel right now?” Officials here want this Boston suburb to become the first city in the United States to systematically track... Read more
That’s the contention of the African American priest who is filling in for Pfleger at his Chicago parish. Details: The priest sent to take over for the now-suspended Fr. Michael Pfleger said he didn’t feel comfortable following the cardinal’s orders but did so because he took a vow of obedience. During a Saturday evening homily that had him hitting the podium and his chest several times, Fr. Andrew Smith spoke to those he felt were “frowning” at him for moving... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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