THE PRINCE OF PEACE – He’s Still Knocking, But Is Anyone at the U.N. Listening?

Last updated on: September 8, 2016 at 7:52 pm By Kathy Schiffer

My mother was not an art aficionado. Perhaps I’ve forgotten—but aside from a crucifix and some First Communion photos of us kids, I don’t remember anything distinctive gracing the walls in our 1950s bungalow. But then came the Cuban Missile Crisis. In October 1962, during the Cold War, the Cuban and Soviet governments began to surreptitiously build bases in Cuba for a number of medium-range and intermediate-range ballistic nuclear missiles, with the ability to strike most of the continental United... Read more

LUTHER’S BONFIRE: A Conflagration of Ideas

Last updated on: June 17, 2015 at 12:22 am By Kathy Schiffer

Libraries are full of ordinary books stuffed with mediocre stories. Mind candy, daytime soap operas in paper and ink, they titillate the imagination but are soon abandoned on the cranial cutting room floor. But every so often, one encounters an idea or a string of ideas—like pearls on a choker—stated with such profundity that they catapult across one’s cerebellum, knocking lesser theses off their comfortable perches, crashing into misconceptions, and inciting a riot of reevaluation. . Such an essay is... Read more

EUNICE’S SHY, SICKLY LITTLE ILLEGITIMATE KID: God Can Use Anyone

Last updated on: September 8, 2016 at 7:52 pm By Kathy Schiffer

At the time of Christ, it was decidedly uncool for a young Jewish girl to take up with a Greek guy. It was so uncool, in fact, that when a Jewish maiden named Eunice married a Greek, the offspring from their union—whom they named Timothy—was considered by the Jewish community to be illegitimate. It’s understandable, then, that this small cast-off lad, rejected by the community, would be painfully shy. The poor guy was given to digestive problems, too. St. Paul,... Read more

LIFE: THE ONLY CHOICE

Last updated on: September 8, 2016 at 7:52 pm By Guest Contributor

LITTLE LAMB, LITTLE LAMB – Blessing of the Lambs Is a Highlight on St. Agnes' Feastday

Last updated on: September 8, 2016 at 7:52 pm By Kathy Schiffer

Little Lamb, who made thee? Dost thou know who made thee? Gave thee life, and bid thee feed, By the stream and o’er the mead; Gave thee clothing of delight, Softest clothing, woolly, bright; Gave thee such a tender voice, Making all the vales rejoice? Little Lamb, who made thee? Dost thou know who made thee? Little Lamb, I’ll tell thee, Little Lamb, I’ll tell thee. He is called by thy name, For He calls Himself a Lamb. He is... Read more

In Updating the Liturgy, the Bishops Had You in Mind

Last updated on: September 8, 2016 at 7:52 pm By Kathy Schiffer

Change Happens. Ready or not! So it’s a good idea to get ready. On Sunday, November 27, 2011—the First Sunday of Advent—the Catholic Church will implement changes to the Roman Missal, the book containing the prayers of the Mass. Several times in the past few years, it has been my privilege to report from the scene at the Fall General Assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. I’ve watched firsthand as our shepherds pored over the translations, struggling to... Read more

AN UNCOMMON GRACE: The Privilege of Being a Deacon’s Wife

Last updated on: September 8, 2016 at 7:52 pm By Kathy Schiffer

The internet has been buzzing this week, with rumors and reports about canon lawyer Ed Peters’ incendiary analysis of Canon 227 § 3, suggesting that permanent deacons (as well as Anglican priests who are being received into the Church and who embrace the Catholic priesthood) must abstain from sexual relations with their wives. The vitriol to which Dr. Peters’ assertion has been subjected is evidence that people feel deeply about this issue—“people” being, I think, not only the 15,000 permanent... Read more

SECRET SPACES: A Stroll in the Vatican Gardens

Last updated on: September 8, 2016 at 7:52 pm By Kathy Schiffer

The night is cold, snow blankets the earth, and I am indulging my memories—allowing them to transport me, with the help some of old snapshots, to faraway places and earlier times. Want to come along? I have secrets to share! It has been my great privilege to lead four pilgrimages to Rome—well, five, if you count our family’s four-country motoring adventure in the Jubilee Year. Ever ancient, ever new, the Eternal City is always beguiling, a city of reverence and... Read more

CATHARSIS THROUGH FILM: Why "The Notebook" Is the Only Film That Ever Made Me Cry

Last updated on: June 2, 2015 at 10:13 am By Kathy Schiffer

I am no one special. Just a common man with common thoughts. I’ve led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten, but in one respect I’ve succeeded as gloriously as anyone who ever lived. I’ve loved another with all my heart and soul and for me that has always been enough. –Duke (James Garner), “The Notebook” I’m a pretty tough cookie when it comes to the movies. I sit back... Read more

YOU MUST HAVE THE FAITH OF A CHILD (Mark 10:15)

Last updated on: September 8, 2016 at 7:52 pm By Guest Contributor

How many apostles did Jesus have?