Our work isn’t done, folks. Apparently, some in the White House and the media think that the Church’s opposition to the HHS Mandate has lost steam. But just to be sure you know how great this is for women, the White House staged a June 7 “Women’s Health Town Hall” which they describe as “an interactive, open dialogue about how the health care law, the Affordable Care Act, is improving the health of women and their families.” Tomorrow, June 8,... Read more
This is just too cool: First, a nifty graph that shows you how Google finds you, wherever you are. Then, click on this link to learn more and see a nifty YouTube video. Read more
“Lord, how they’ve changed things in our ‘parlors’ these days. Christ is one of the ‘family’ now. I often wonder if God recognizes His own son the way we’ve dressed him up, or is it dressed him down? He’s a regular peppermint stick now, all sugar-crystal and saccharine when he isn’t making veiled references to certain commercial products that every worshiper absolutely needs.” –Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury, 91, has gone on to the ultimate adventure. The renowned science... Read more
So the labor unions lost tonight. Wisconsin’s Governor Scott Walker will remain in office, and the labor unions’ $9 million statewide recall attempt will have failed. The Democrats, sore losers, are crying foul; but CNN grudgingly stops calling the race “too close to call” and admits that Walker has beaten back Democratic challenger Tom Barrett. You know, my dad was a union guy. A truck driver, he was fiercely loyal to the Teamsters and their colorful (albeit controversial) leader, Jimmy... Read more
It’s a toy! It’s a work of art! It’s a devotional aid! It’s all of the above! It’s actually an automaton, a rare mechanical re-enactment of Leonardo DaVinci’s “The Last Supper.” The machine is created from wood and metal, fabric and paint, gears and drives—and, according to the Skinner Auction House of Massachusetts, it’s powered by two 110 and 220 volt, 60-cycle motors. The automaton measures 69 inches long, 30 inches high, and 22 inches deep. The working automaton—a large-scale... Read more
John Donne (1572-1631) was an English poet, satirist, lawyer and priest. He was born to a devout Roman Catholic family at a time when Catholicism was illegal in England: His brother Henry died of a fever while imprisoned for having given sanctuary to a Catholic priest. Many other relatives—including Sr. Thomas More—were executed for their faith. Donne officially renounced his Catholic faith in mid-life, perhaps because of his political ambitions. He published two anti-Catholic polemics: Pseudo-Martyr in 1610, and Ignatius... Read more
This Sunday, the Catholic Church (and many other denominations) celebrate Trinity Sunday. You’ve seen artists’ renditions of the Trinity: At Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan, there’s the Son of God in the water, God the Father in the clouds, and the third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, hovering like a dove above Jesus’ head. Or sometimes, you see them on the clouds in heaven: The Son and the Father sitting side by side, enthroned; and the Holy Spirit... Read more
The life of a monk is washed in silence. Seeking perfect communion with his God, the contemplative seeks out a quiet place where, unencumbered by the distractions of the society at large, he can spend his hours in prayerful devotion. A quiet place like this: Or this: Or this: Monasteries may be nestled in forests and fields, or precariously planted on rocky cliffs, on stony mountaintops, on islands severed from the mainland by choppy seas. For pictures of more of... Read more
The year was 1926, and newly elected President Plutarco Calles of Mexico feared that the Catholic Church was too powerful an influence in Mexican society. In June of that year, President Calles signed the “Law for Reforming the Penal Code,” restricting religious freedom in that nation. Under the new law, foreign-born Catholic priests and bishops were immediately expelled from the country. Priests and nuns could be heavily fined for simply wearing church attire, and could be jailed for criticizing the... Read more
Did you hear this? On Wednesday, May 23, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced the appointment of Mary Ann Glendon to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). Glendon is the Learned Hand Professor of Law at Harvard University and President of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, and former U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See. She writes and teaches in the fields of human rights, comparative law, constitutional law, and political theory. A devout Catholic, Glendon served... Read more
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