Few Christians in the West, know that Christianity in Iraq and much of the Middle East is on the verge of extinction, nearly martyred out of existence by constant persecution of radical Islam. In the first millennium the Church in Iraq was huge. Only when the Mongols showed up in the medieval era did things begin to get bad. Here’s a great article on the terrible crisis for Christians in Iraq. From UK Catholic Herald: Iraq’s Christians ‘close to extinction’... Read more
Bishop’s Letter of Rejection Bishop Peter Doyle from the United Kingdom Diocese Of Northampton has decided not to pursue the investigation of the possible sainthood of G. K. Chesterton. What an incredibly stupid and shortsighted decision. The reasons are threefold—no local cult of devotion, no pattern of person spirituality, and a thread of anti semitism in his writings. One wonders if the good bishop has ever really read Chesterton. For the sake of a man who cannot speak for himself,... Read more
Baltimore ecumenical leaders including Archbishop Lori, responded to President Trump’s tweets on the rat infested neighborhoods of the city. I always get embarrassed when my fellow clergy confuse people with problems. The dignity of poor people in Baltimore is not in question. Their living conditions are. President Trump and many other democratic officials through the years have been right to criticize the abhorrent squalid sections of the city. They are rat infested and similar to what one would find... Read more
Let’s get holy. On this Feast of St. Mary Magdalene, a look at this extraordinary woman is going to deepen our friendship with Christ. Cast away your images of her in Jesus Christ Superstar, or The Last Temptation of Christ, or the myriad of other films and books about this woman our spiritually bankrupt age describes in no apparent order as a prostitute, the wife of Jesus, the founder of the Merovingian French dynasty of kings, a feminist icon, etc. ... Read more
Becoming CEOs of the institution and ceding the Church to lawyers rather than to the Gospel was mistake number one. Severing the sacramental connection between priest and bishop was mistake number two. However, the most egregious mistake the bishops have made throughout the entire clergy sexual abuse crisis is the third. The bishops committed the capital sin of sloth. We think of sloth as laziness, but it is not. It is self-pity, a sorrow for oneself that embraces a... Read more
If you don’t know this man you should. He is one of the most famous theologians in the past three hundred years. He’s the reason I’ve stayed Catholic. Many others would agree that he has kept them Catholic too. So glad he will be declared a saint. He was a brilliant theologian. And a writer of poems and hymns. Here is his most famous poem. It was my favorite in high school. The Pillar of the Cloud John Henry Newman... Read more
HOMEWARD BOUND If you find it’s me you’re missing If you’re hoping I’ll return To your thoughts I’ll soon be list’ning And in the road I’ll stop and turn Then the wind will set me racing As my journey nears its end And the path I’ll be retracing When I’m homeward bound again Bind me not to the pasture Chain me not to the plow Set me free to find my calling And I’ll return to you somehow. –Marta Keen,... Read more
So they lawyered up. That was the first mistake the bishops made in the sex abuse crisis. Deciding to be CEOs rather than shepherds. Thinking that money would solve what pastoral care would not attempt. Then the leaders of the Church made a second mistake: the bishops broke the foundational sacramental link between a bishop and his priests. What was supposed to be a firm partnership of brothers in ministering to the People of God became a standoff between a... Read more
A Broadway song has unexpectedly taken a prominent place in the real life fight for freedom in Hong Kong. Probably the most famous musical of all time, LES MISERABLES, has provided the struggling city of Hong Kong with a freedom anthem. This past weekend, two million people took to the streets of the metropolis to march for freedom from an increasingly oppressive mainland China. Many of the marchers were heard singing “Do You Hear The People Sing”, the freedom song... Read more
Anybody remember the BILLY JACK movies from the early 1970’s? As a teen-ager, I just loved them. Billy Jack, a Vietnam vet, a Native American, returns home and fights people who are persecuting Native Americans. He was Chuck Norris before Chuck Norris and his martial arts feats captivated us kids. Then we grew up and realized that the movies were a mish mash of naive social justice concepts and stereotypical portrays of tribal customs and life on a reservation. I... Read more
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