It’s hard to resist sharing a little from Magnificat some days. Did you read this yet? Ah, children, when a man feels himself dull, hard, and slow, being oppressed by nature; when peace is gone; when he is become quite helpless; then let him detach his soul’s affections from everything, yield himself up entirely to God, suffer these trials and all other evils patiently, and he will have obtained real poverty of spirit; and then the Holy Spirit will soon... Read more
Not that I am one, but online is where I have lived for a very long time, relatively speaking. And so, as I often find when talking — I was just on EWTN’s radio show Catholic Answers Live (with Thom Price filling in for Patrick Coffin) for an hour — I want to embed media and link to primary sources. And so, especially, if you came here after my bumper-car speed ranting (it was an overcaffeinated Friday! Sorry!), here are... Read more
for religious freedom. Some encouragement to get out and educate from the executive director of Conscience Cause, Christen Varley: LOPEZ: How did we get this far? Where the federal government mandates such things? VARLEY: Honestly, we allowed it to happen. We’re human — we take for granted what we have until it’s gone. There has been a lot of handwringing over how far we’ve fallen so fast. It is time, however, to stop wondering how and start working to reverse... Read more
A reminder of why we would want to protect religious liberty: Certainly, mankind without Christianity conjures up a dismal prospect. The record of mankind with Christianity is daunting enough…. The dynamism it has unleashed has brought massacre and torture, intolerance and destructive pride on a huge scale, for there is a cruel and pitiless nature in man which is sometimes impervious to Christian restraints and encouragements. But without these restraints, bereft of these encouragements, how much more horrific the history... Read more
“The Lord made us, we belong to him.” It was the Responsorial Psalm a few days ago and it has stuck with me. It’s so Year of Faith, which, of course, is meant to be rooted in the Bible. It is so renewing, isn’t it, in our daily walk, in joy, mercy, and hope. What more do we need to know? That He loves us so much, He died for us, to conquer sin and death. And yet here we... Read more
There are people praying for America’s future — and it is not too late to join them. The U.S. Catholic bishops took the lead with a fortnight of them for religious liberty. There were eight days earlier this fall, invoking the Blessed Mother. There are an ecumenical 40 days of prayers, too, focusing on protecting innocent human life. There was a big Mass in Washington, D.C., for life and liberty recently, beginning a rosary novena that wrapped up earlier this... Read more
An interesting observation from Stephen F. Knott, author of Rush To Judgment: George W. Bush, the War on Terror, and His Critics: Contempt for President Bush was rooted in something deeper than policy disputes or concerns over the scope of presidential power — it was also a reflection of the religious and cultural fissures in the American body politic. Bush’s overt religious views were clearly a source of some discomfort in an increasingly secular society. A New York Times review... Read more
The Constitution is quite capable of protecting our liberties so long as those in office feel bound by its terms. For this reason, it seems to me that the American people have little to fear from public servants who take their religion seriously. In fact, I can’t help wondering what changes there might be in the quality of public life today if more of our officeholders could be persuaded to take a truly scrupulous view of the responsibilites they assume... Read more
And political anxiety is heightened … from advice from St. Francis de Sales, via Mary DeTurris Poust: Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset Read more
Voting principles. And from Archbishop Lori, too. Read more
Kathryn Lopez
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