In the wake of the attacks on the city of Paris, I was glued to the news. As I followed commentators at France 24,where they were running live coverage all night in the immediate aftermath of the events, several comments in succession caught my attention. The first was the observation that the style of the attacks — noted in the hours before any of the perpetrators had been identified — was typical of something out of Pakistan or Afghanistan. This... Read more
I didn’t fully understand Catholic education until this semester. Those who follow the blog know I’m one of the instructors for a weekly high school economics and debate class. It’s a small class, eight students: One Orthodox, two Anglicans, the remainder Catholic. The program hosting us is unapologetically Catholic, but it’s not a program “about” the Catholic faith. Sometimes there are classes specifically featuring religious content, sometimes there aren’t. Usually the instructors are Catholic, sometimes they aren’t. The rule that holds everything... Read more
I had a chance earlier this fall to preview Return by Brandon Vogt. I haven’t seen the video series (information here) but I did read the pre-release version of the book cover to cover. It’s about what to do if you have a child who’s left the Catholic faith, and it is extraordinarily good. Not a project I’m involved with personally in any way, other than that I did a happy dance just reading the table of contents on... Read more
Rebecca Hamilton reports on the recent ruling by the Department of Education that girls’ sports teams must now admit certain boys — both to playing on the team and to the girls’ locker room. It’s a problematic ruling on many levels, but to get our minds around the issues, we need to pull apart the different questions involved. 1. Girls like to play sports. I know that girls like sports because I can’t think of a single female in my... Read more
Two links and a note: The best summary of the theology behind the Great Communion Debate of 2015 is over at Darwin Catholic. A snippet from the conclusion: Given all of that, to say that a divorced and remarried couple (unless they have decided to live together celibately) may receive communion necessarily means that you disagree with one of the following teachings of the Church: – That someone in grave sin may not receive the Eucharist – That having sex... Read more
If you have a group of children who need a saint costume, stat, ask if anyone can lend you some red lip gloss. In the hands of a skilled teenager, you can have a company of martyrs of the French Revolution in no time at all. Hint: A white t-shirt is maybe not the best combination, when you are going for the freshly-decapitated look. Thank goodness for bleach. *** Of course for pure All-Hallow’s-Eve report-giving pleasure, you want a martyr of... Read more
Happy All Saints Day! I’ll be staying home with a cold, thank you. Which is why we want to talk about the super-novena that begins today and finishes up for Christmas. Here’s the story: I stink at praying. I used to be okay at it, but real life kicked me in the rear, and I’m not one of those people who takes every trial as an opportunity to watch less TV so they can pray even more. If, to... Read more
Put a sword on his belt and a cloak over his shoulders, and send him out to escort the short people. Tell him he’s not allowed to ask, but he is allowed to carry a satchel and accept tips if they’re offered. Do it right, and he won’t be lacking for properly-earned loot at the end of the night. He can have his manliness and his candy too. Photo: Lithuanian soldiers stand in formation to display traditional medieval armament during a... Read more
In light of the coming holiday and the TV show you should not watch, I’m running again my review of Matt Baglio’s The Rite, which I do recommend. A series of caveats follow, and then we talk. The Rite: The Making of a Modern Exorcist, by Matt Baglio, Doubleday, 2009. Caveats: I see on the author’s page that the paperback has updated material in it — my comments here are based on the original hardback edition. I recommend this book, on the condition... Read more
I was raised on the kind of feminism that was about rejecting false stereotypes. Your hobbies, your tastes, your talents — none of these are what defines you as “male” or “female.” You can be a girl who likes sports (curiously, both my grandmothers played high school sports in the 1930’s — but that was Catholic schools, so it was different than normal, I guess) and woodworking and car repair, and that doesn’t make you less of a girl. Boys... Read more
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