In honor of the fact that Atticus and I are returning to his alma mater tomorrow for the Navy game, this 7 quick takes is devoted to Notre Dame. ** 1 ** I just want to throw this out there: I love, Notre Dame, but neither I nor my husband supported their decision to honor the President at commencement. In fact, we were both saddened, especially my husband, who came into the Church while at ND, and has described it... Read more
I have decided to put my nerdy obsession with Catholic Social Teaching to good use and do a series of posts on social issues and the Church’s teaching on each. First issue: the Death Penalty. This post is the first of three on the topic, and will present the Church’s teaching on capital punishment, or, in other words, the moral argument against it. The second post will focus on legal issues surrounding the death penalty (including the stories of those... Read more
Tonight Atticus and I are going to see Bright Star, the new movie about the chaste and unconsummated love of poet John Keats and Fanny Brawne. It’s going to be brooding and romantic, and most exciting, not pornographic! You know it’s going to be good when the NY Times gives a movie with no sex scene a positive review. I’m totally looking forward to it — hopefully I’ll have a favorable opinion to post tomorrow. Keats and His Beloved in... Read more
Very, very interesting… Read more
“If he were not expecting the fallen to rise again, it would have been useless and foolish to pray for them in death. But if he did this with a view to the splendid reward that awaits those who had gone to rest in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought.” – 2 Maccabees 12:44-45 Tomorrow is the Feast of All Souls; where we pray for and remember all of the people we have known and loved who have... Read more
**1 ** It was my own fault. Last night, Eric and I decided to watch some tv. He had a long day at work, I had a long day cleaning and baking for the PARTY tonight, so we both wanted to just veg for a while before bed. Then IT happened. I turned on the tv, and it was on the History Channel. And there it was, just starting too! “The Dark Ages: Charlemagne, St. Benedict, and Empress Theodosia”. It... Read more
There are a lot of people throwing their two cents into the ring as Halloween approaches. I recently mentioned Halloween in the tongue-in-cheek post about “A Day Without A Scantily Clad Woman” this October 31st. Many reasonable Christians disagree, often with very articulate reasons, about whether or not Christians should celebrate Halloween, as it currently stands in our culture. My personal opinion is that Halloween is a holy day, that is, a feast day in the Church. It is part... Read more
There are a lot of people throwing their two cents into the ring as Halloween approaches. I recently mentioned Halloween in the tongue-in-cheek post about “A Day Without A Scantily Clad Woman” this October 31st. Many reasonable Christians disagree, often with very articulate reasons, about whether or not Christians should celebrate Halloween, as it currently stands in our culture. My personal opinion is that Halloween is a holy day, that is, a feast day in the Church. It is part... Read more
For the baby I would have had this week. Pray for us Michael, pray for us all. One Art by Elizabeth Bishop The art of losing isn’t hard to master; so many things seem filled with the intent to be lost that their loss is no disaster. Lose something every day. Accept the fluster of lost door keys, the hour badly spent. The art of losing isn’t hard to master. Then practice losing farther, losing faster: places, and names, and... Read more
Atticus and I have not shunned Halloween. Instead we’re choosing to focus on this day as a Church holiday, because, after all, that’s what it is. It is All Hallow’s Eve, which means, the eve of all holy souls. Now October 31 is the day before November 1. November 1 is the feast of All Saints, thereby making the night before it…the eve of all holy souls. Moving right along. Obviously since America was founded by Protestants who disdained anything... Read more
Fumbling Toward Grace
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