A guest post by Deacon Jerry Schiffer Becomes Novelist. Supports life. Kills self. The words above (very loosely) represent a literary genre that has come to be known as “flash fiction”–the presentation of a story line that relies on few words to elicit the intellectual involvement and response of a reader. Some peg the number of words allowed at 1,000; others at 500. The most efficient example uses as few as six words to accomplish the author’s story-telling goals. The... Read more
Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; They will not be ashamed When they speak with their enemies in the gate. –Psalm 127:3-5 Somewhere in the world today, Baby Seven Billion was born. Of course, we don’t know who this baby is, or where she/he... Read more
It is probable that there is among Protestants a more obstinate—for I really must say so—a more complete misunderstanding on this point of doctrine than on any other. I say “obstinate” for the truth on this point has been stated so repeatedly that it seems impossible that it should not have been, at least to a great extent, accepted in the Protestant world by this time, had it not been for a firm determination not to accept it, and to... Read more
“Boys and girls, Barbie has made a terrible mistake.” I don’t know what else you could say to a wide-eyed little girl who can’t wait to get her very own “Tokidoki Barbie,” Mattel’s latest release in the specialty doll line. Alas, the toy company’s buxom beauty has gotten tatted up. And it’s not just one temporary tattoo, like her predecessor “Totally Stylin’ Tattoo Barbie” had. The new Tokidoki Barbie sports permanent ink running up her left arm and across her... Read more
On October 24, 1948, television station WJBK began broadcasting to the Detroit Metro area as a Dumont Network affiliate, owned by George B. Storer. In 1949, WJBK was the first station in Michigan to produce live telecasts of Detroit Lions and Detroit Tigers games. In 1952, Dumont Network went out of business and the station became a CBS affiliate; in 1994, it switched again to broadcast as a Fox Network station. Not a huge fan of television, I would say... Read more
Dear brothers and sisters, I am pleased to greet all the English-speaking visitors and pilgrims present, especially those here for today’s canonizations. In this Sunday’s Gospel passage, Jesus urges us to love God above all things and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Let us measure our actions every day by his call to love, and live it with courage and joy. May almighty God bless all of you! –Pope Benedict XVI With those words, Pope Benedict XVI greeted English... Read more
Reverend Sister Marianne Matron of the Bishop Home, Kalaupapa To see the infinite pity of this place, The mangled limb, the devastated face, The innocent sufferers smiling at the rod, A fool were tempted to deny his God. He sees, and shrinks; but if he look again, Lo, beauty springing from the breast of pain!— He marks the sisters on the painful shores, And even a fool is silent and adores. Robert Louis Stevenson Kalawao, May 22, 1889 On November... Read more
“I crossed Germany from north to south, from east to west.” –Pope Benedict XVI, speaking about his apostolic visit to his homeland We are a people of hope and a people of symbol. This was made apparent once again when Pope Benedict XVI, traveling by air during his recent apostolic trip to his homeland, flew from Berlin to Erfurt, from Eichsfeld to Freiburg—thus drawing the Sign of the Cross over the country of Germany. Amid the flurry of state... Read more
Okay, now this is just sad. Toys help children to learn and prepare them for life. That’s why industrial designer Ben Forman (benformandesign.co.uk) has introduced a new dollhouse to help today’s modern preschooler prepare for the inevitable unhappy changes in her family structure. It’s called Detacho. Detacho families, like so many contemporary American families, can reconfigure themselves, either expanding with the birth of new siblings, or separating into smaller groups of married or divorced or cohabiting adults and their complacent... Read more
“In communion with your bishops I invite you, the lay faithful, not to fail to use your skills and responsibilities to contribute to the construction of the common good.” A big challenge from the Pope! At the Angelus on Sunday, October 9, Pope Benedict exhorted lay Catholics to work toward the good of society. And our Holy Father, speaking in Calabria, in the south of Italy, led by example: After lunch with local bishops at the episcopal residence of Bishop... Read more
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