The “reason for the season” is the birth of Jesus Christ, but we wouldn’t know it by looking at the way many of us celebrate Christmas. Christmas has become excessively child-centered. It’s not about THE child. It’s about every child. (Ironically, this happens at the same time that the innocent unborn child has absolutely no legal protection.) I can appreciate the child-centered perspective to a certain extent. After all, there’s nothing like watching a child experience Christmas, whether it’s the... Read more

There hasn’t been too much discussion of the “reason for the season” this year. Nevertheless, I think it’s increasingly difficult to find the meaning of Christmas reflected in our Christmas cards. Fr. James Martin, SJ, offers some humor and perspective for a discussion on Christmas cards. I have to say that I love getting Christmas cards. I enjoy the letters and I appreciate the photos that people send. I try to keep them in an album so that we’ll have... Read more

Marcella Hazan, one of the foremost experts of Italian cooking, offers some sage advice for human relations in her recent column for the NYT. I’m a big fan of Marcella Hazan’s cookbooks, in part because they’re not overly complicated. They’re very Italian. A recipe, for example, will call for one onion. She won’t say a small, yellow onion that was harvested on a full moon. It’s just an onion. That’s all you need. Her simplicity and authenticity shows itself in... Read more

Remember the fuss about Governor Sarah Palin balancing career and family? Well, it turns out that it’s perfectly acceptable for other women to do so. In fact, they’re even encouraged. A friend of mine sent me this article about the “passionate debate” surrounding Michelle Obama’s role as First Lady and her apparent decision not to work. After all the hysteria about Governor Palin needing to give attention to her children, it’s interesting to note that this article does not discuss... Read more

And now the rest of the story…Yet again, a Catholic leader’s words get taken out of context. Cardinal Stafford recently gave a strong speech on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Humanae Vitae. Speaking just over two weeks after the election, he would have been remiss to not address the incoming presidency of the most extreme pro-abortion president ever. John Allen has an excellent piece that sheds light on the Cardinal’s talk. I have long admired John’s talent for... Read more

Last Thursday, November 13, in an address for the John Paul II Institute at Catholic University of America, Cardinal Stafford made some very clear statements about the effects of the 2008 presidential election. Suffice to say, they weren’t dull. The Cardinal reminded his audience that while fashions, music, and other trends have changed over the past 40 or 50 years, the Church’s teaching today on contraception and abortion is just the same as it was in 1968 and even before.... Read more

Oh yes, by the way, there is NO story about Palin and her alleged foibles on the campaign. ‘Turns out the story was not properly “vetted.” Read more

And in other news, the Catholic Church is still against abortion. Despite the back and forth of the election cycle, the bishops have confirmed the centrality of the Church’s teaching on abortion. The US bishops just concluded their regular fall meetings in Baltimore and issued this statement on abortion. While there’s nothing new regarding Church teaching, the statement clearly sets forth that the bishops, as a group, accept and even promote this teaching. Why now? In light of President-elect Obama’s... Read more

Apparently, everyone, including yours truly, has something to say about the “Palin effect.” Regardless of all the criticism heaped upon her, everyone is still talking about her… The Wall Street Journal has run several pieces, including one which offers an analysis of her effect at the polls. Conclusion: Mrs. Palin failed to win the election for Mr. McCain, but that’s setting the bar awfully high. Given the headwinds, Mr. McCain perhaps was lucky to do as well as he did... Read more