Two links to my work elsewhere that deserve your attention as we start the new year: 1. At CatholicMom.com earlier this month, I wrote about a Gospel passage I never quite grasped until the events literally happened to me. And then I got it. Read the whole thing, and then you’ll know the context for my summing up: Is there an area of my life where I’m clinging to a past identity? Allowing what I’ve done to define me? To... Read more
In my comments yesterday, I neglected to fully rake the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend over the coals. Let’s look at one more detail, as reported in The National Catholic Register: According to court documents, Herx informed the school’s principal, Sandra Guffey, in March 2010 during the first round of treatment — part of which was paid for by the diocese’s health plan — and her contract was renewed. Yes. A Catholic diocese’s health insurance plan covered IVF, a procedure that is... Read more
The IVF case that generated as much heat as light earlier this month has been decided, a jury determining that the Diocese of Fort Wayne – South Bend was indeed guilty of discriminating against a female employee in firing her for seeking IVF treatments. When I initially commented on this case, working only from a few anecdotes told from the plaintiff’s side, I wrote: Terrible handling of the situation. There should have been no doubt, long before Ms. Herx ever... Read more
Heard on the playground after Mass this morning: “I know what I want for Christmas next year.” “Oh yes? What’s that?” “More of those little notebooks.” Mad Libs for the win. And I tell you: 2015 will be the year my children learn the parts of speech for more than two minutes at a time. Image Credit: The ________ [noun] of the book I got my _______[person]. Read more
Up at Catholic Writers Guild today, Larry Peterson is stealing the show with his beautiful essay on his first Christmas with Alzheimer’s under the tree: The past ten years of her life seem to have literally vanished from her brain. She does not remember us getting married. (We were both widowed and married eight years ago. She has no clue.) So she asks me if we are really married. I show her our marriage license and pictures from our wedding. She... Read more
You’ve no doubt seen Saturday Night Live’s chillingly (hilariously) accurate tour of what you can expect at Mass this Christmas, but you might still be thinking, Hmmn. Is it really a good idea for someone like me to go to place like that? With Jesus in it and stuff? The answer is yes. Here are my top ten reasons why: 10. It really is the Church for anybody at all. There might be other religions where you’re expected to have your act... Read more
Tonight, you could go Christmas caroling. You don’t need an official group. You don’t need an appointment. You don’t need props. You don’t even need flashlights and song books, if you’re willing to be humble and just sing first verses, which is about all that people standing in the door want to hear, anyway. Gather together some friends, go ring on likely doorbells, and break into song. A verse or two of whichever carols you happen know, then, “We Wish... Read more
The Washington Times reports that American Atheists have figured out what Catholics have long proclaimed: American Atheists unveiled Wednesday the “War on Christmas” line-up on its television channel, AtheistTV, featuring “original programs proclaiming the truth about Christmas on December 24 and December 25, featuring scholars and celebrities from the atheist community.” “Christmas is hard for many atheists, so we will provide programming free from superstition and fairy tales that allows families to watch together and not worry about being preached at,” American... Read more
What I’m thinking about today is . . . cursive. This site rescued a child of mine this morning: Cursive Handwriting Practice Worksheet Generator. You can make your own custom sheets with whatever letters, words, or sentences you like. It’s free to use for your private, educational use. Bronzino [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons Read more
In a mortifying follow-on to our discussion of why we mustn’t do evil in an attempt at good, here’s a case out of Australia that demonstrates the deadliness of bad ethical systems. Mother and father are expecting a baby. It’s a desired pregnancy, and mother is doing just fine. Then, in a routine ultrasound, an abnormality in the baby’s hand is discovered. The mother, having been reared in a culture where any physical deformity is a source of both lifelong discrimination... Read more
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