Because I said I would: Nope, the CDF has not ruled Medjugorje non-supernatural

Last updated on: June 26, 2015 at 3:51 pm By Simcha Fisher

So the Italian media was wrong! Dun dun dunnnnn. I said I would acknowledge it if yesterday’s report turned out not to be true, so here I is. According to an interview in the Register with Father Ciro Benedettini in the Vatican Press Office The Vatican said Friday that contrary to reports in Italian media, no decision has been made regarding certain doctrinal and disciplinary aspects of alleged Marian apparitions at Medjugorje. The CDF is slated review a report made after three years... Read more

Will the Catholic Church be hurt by the Supreme Court’s ruling on gay marriage?

Last updated on: June 26, 2015 at 2:54 pm By Simcha Fisher

Hats off to everyone who was surprised by today’s Supreme Court ruling that states cannot constitutionally ban gay marriage. Hats off for your optimism and your faith in the judicial branch! Those of us with a more jaded view knew that this ruling was inevitable, and that the seeds for this decision were sown decades ago, when contraception and no fault divorce became the norm. If marriage is just a financial and emotional arrangement to make adults happy, why not gay marriage? If marriage... Read more

Knock knock! Who’s there? A Catholic.

Last updated on: June 25, 2015 at 2:03 pm By Simcha Fisher

As an evangelist, I’m laboring under a triple whammy: I’m a New Englander, I’m shy, and I’m a Catholic. (Also I was in my pajamas, but so is half the country.) All three together mean that I’m entirely focused on closing the door as quickly as I can and getting back to my comfortable, private living room. I have almost zero inclination to tell a stranger, “Hey, have you heard about this magnificent truth which will transform you life? Let me tell you... Read more

Italian journalists: CDF says Medjugorje is not supernatural

Last updated on: June 25, 2015 at 12:38 pm By Simcha Fisher

Catholic World News says (emphasis mine): According to several Italian journalists—notably Vatican-watch Gianluca Barile—the CDF agreed with [a special papal] commission’s finding that there is no evidence of supernatural activity at Medjugorje. The only direct news reports about the CDF’s findings I can find so far are in Italian, so we will have to wait for more details. So far, nothing I’ve read surprises me. If these initial reports are true, the next step is for Pope Francis to give... Read more

Make homemade vanilla extract now for Christmas gifts!

Last updated on: June 24, 2015 at 10:20 am By Simcha Fisher

Last year, we gave a bunch of people homemade vanilla extract for Christmas. Was it appreciated? I have no idea. But we kept a bunch for ourselves, and it is wonderful. Here’s our current personal stash: It was quite cheap, and you can really taste the difference in recipes over store bought vanilla extract. (The boys also add a bit to their mice’s drinking water a few times a month, to make them stink a bit less. In theory.) Best... Read more

Sola Americana

Last updated on: June 23, 2015 at 5:36 pm By Simcha Fisher

I hereby move that American Catholics live up to their bad reputation and stop reading the Bible. Or at least, I move that they stop treating the Bible like a grab bag of political gotcha lines, rustling around until they find something that has all the right key words in it, and then wrenching it out by the roots, leaving all the really really important context behind. The latest example: On Herman Cain’s Facebook page, a post from yesterday says: Robert Laurie,... Read more

Has Etsy banned the sale of sacramentals?

Last updated on: June 23, 2015 at 2:21 pm By Simcha Fisher

To a casual onlooker, it really does seem like Catholics believe that if you die with a scapular, God has to let you into heaven; that if you stick a St. Christopher medal to your dashboard, you can drive like a maniac and walk away unscathed; that if you pray on a rosary blessed by an especially good Pope, or sneak a relic of your favorite saint underneath some sinner’s mattress, then whatever you wish will come true. This is not what... Read more

Big Families Say “Laudato Si!”

Last updated on: June 19, 2015 at 5:58 pm By Simcha Fisher

Got a big family? Then you already know that you’re crazy, a traitor to feminism, and a slave to the patriarchy; you’re neglecting most of your kids and robbing the rest of their childhood; you’re a burden on the system in general, and you probably don’t own a TV. But wait, there’s more! Don’t forget, you’re also destroying the earth. It’s become fashionable, in the name of the planet, to denounce large families as irresponsible, even selfish. Some politicians and a... Read more

Should you read Laudato Si? A quiz

Last updated on: June 18, 2015 at 11:19 am By Simcha Fisher

Laudato Si is here, and not a moment too soon. Any day now, all the pundits and politicians and armchair theologians were going to start feeling ashamed for going so berserk over an encyclical that hadn’t been released yet. Any day, I’m sure of it!. Now that it’s here, should you read it? It is kind of long, and there aren’t any pictures or gifs to break it up. Here’s a short quiz to help you determine whether or not you should... Read more

House Horrible! 7 quick ways to spruce down your home

Last updated on: June 17, 2015 at 11:39 am By Simcha Fisher

I was at the oral surgeon today. Actually I was at two oral surgeons. The first one kindly called around town until we figured out which oral surgeon I actually had an appointment with. Anyway, with all that waiting room hopping, I had the chance to flip through some magazines, including ones devoted to home décor. I love the ones that show pretty little domestic scenes, and then show you how you can achieve this effect in your own home.... Read more