Well, this was a first for me: Today Facebook deleted a post I’d written, telling me that I’d offended community standards, and warning me that I should delete any other offensive content on my wall, or risk being permanently removed from Facebook. It’s been a few weeks since the post in question, so I am no longer able to go back and retrieve the conversation—but this is exactly what I said in my “hateful, offensive” post: Just poppin’ in here... Read more
What an incredibly busy week it’s been! First, a great honor: I was invited to be one of three guest-bloggers for The Anchoress this week, as Elizabeth Scalia tried to accomplish some other projects. What an intimidating venture, posting my thoughts on that highly-read page, where readers have come to expect such logic, intelligence and grace! I want to thank Elizabeth Scalia for entrusting me with this powerful platform, giving me the keys and letting me drive for a few... Read more
Oops! I forgot to mention this: This week, I’ll be guest-blogging over at The Anchoress, while Elizabeth Scalia takes some much-needed time off. You should come over and check it out! It takes three of us to fill The Anchoress’ shoes: Fr. Dwight Longenecker, Elizabeth Duffy, and me. It promises to be a week of fun with some good friends. Since my bilocation skills are not that great (and since I still have a day job!), I will probably not... Read more
In 1886, concerned about the spread of communism around the world, Pope Leo XIII penned a prayer to St. Michael the Archangel. Based on the Book of Revelation’s report of a great heavenly battle (Revelation 12:7), the prayer invokes the assistance of the Archangel Michael to protect us against the evil one. Pope Leo instructed Catholics around the world to recite this prayer after Mass. The Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel was commonly recited after Mass from that time... Read more
Twenty-six years ago, on January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, disintegrating over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of central Florida. All seven of its crew were killed, including the “Teacher in Space,” Christa McAuliffe. On this sad anniversary, it’s not space flight I want to talk about, though. I want to talk about jealousy, and about the seasons of life. When the Challenger exploded, I had three young children at home. ... Read more
I was a high school sophomore when someone told me that in China, aborted fetuses were considered a delicacy. I thought they were lying. I still think they were lying. I had seen a spider consume its prey, the hapless insect rolled in a silken web. I had seen our cat consume the placenta, after giving birth to a litter of kittens. But we humans—advanced beings made in the image and likeness of God, and upon whose hearts natural law... Read more
I have this neat trick that I can do. Sometimes I lie in bed at night and feel my brain. That is, I experience an idea as a physical entity, leaping from left to right, pounding against my skull from the inside. An action potential in the central nervous system: calcium ions firing, neuro-transmitters leaping across synaptic gaps, linking the present day with a far distant memory, giving rise to new, never-before-considered solutions to the day’s problems. This cranial super-awareness... Read more
Increasing numbers of Europeans are asking to be “de-baptized,” says a report in the Huffington Post, and Church officials are concerned. Say what? Doesn’t Baptism change you ontologically, leaving an indelible mark on your soul, just as ordination does for the priest? Well, yes. No matter how hard you scrub, you really can’t wash that mark off. But apparently, people—lots of people!—are trying. Some estimate the number of “de-baptisms” requested in Europe has reached the tens of thousands. Both Protestant... Read more
On January 25, the Church celebrates the Conversion of the Apostle Paul. Remember: Paul was en route to Damascus, in his quest to persecute the Christians, when he was thrown from his horse, blinded by a vision of Jesus Christ. People turn their hearts to Christ for many reasons: They begin to study the scriptures or apologetics, and they are led by their intellects. Someone in their life, a very holy person, inspires them to dig deeper. They experience a... Read more
Lord Jesus, You who faithfully visit and fulfill with your Presence the Church and the history of men; You who in the miraculous Sacrament of your Body and Blood render us participants in divine Life and allow us a foretaste of the joy of eternal Life; We adore and bless you. Prostrated before You, source and lover of Life, truly present and alive among us, we beg you. Reawaken in us respect for every unborn life, make us capable of... Read more
Select your answer to see how you score.
Seasons of Grace
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In