I know, I know. You should never read the comments. But I couldn’t help myself. I’m a rubberneck and I read the comments. And I got this: “Wish we could end the Year of Mercy early.” Oh Lord. “Father Hamel’s death will unite France and Catholics everywhere to expel Muslims from places they have no business occupying!” Oh yikes. For the record, one of those people was an atheist, and the other was, as far as I know, a Catholic, so... Read more
(Image: Icon of Mary Magdalene courtesy of Wikimedia Commons) Last Friday (July 22) is the day set aside to remember Mary Magdalene. One thing I know about her is that the medieval rumor to the effect of her being a repentant prostitute is not grounded in any ancient tradition. (For a very quick summary of other traditions about her and a truly beautiful hymn in her honor you can check the Prologue from Ochrid.) Scripture tells us that the Lord healed... Read more
Once again, I turn on my computer and hear of a terrorist attack in France. Once again, I wonder if I have anything to say. Earlier today, it seems, men wielding knives and screaming “God is Great” invaded a Catholic church in Normandy, in the middle of daily Mass. They have been shot, two hostages were wounded (one critically), and the priest who was saying Mass, Father Jacques Hamel, had his throat slit. Eternal Rest grant unto him, O Lord.... Read more
(image via Pixabay) I take politics very seriously. I study the candidates’ positions, I pray for prudence, I vote and I encourage my readers to do likewise. Form your conscience and then vote your conscience, as I said the other day. If you can’t stomach checking a box on the presidential ballot, there’s always congress. Research, reason, fast and pray, and then go to the polls. Now, that said, I do not take political conventions, debates or ads seriously, and... Read more
I was moving back and forth between tabs trying to finish the post I hope to share with you tomorrow when I saw this. I was struck deeply by these words of Karen Overman and I wanted to reshare them with you. “When I was young, growing up in London, the IRA (Irish Republican Army) launched a campaign of terror in my hometown. Indeed, throughout the 1970s the IRA planted bombs – that killed and maimed – throughout England. The... Read more
A friend posted something political on her Facebook page and, as these posts tend to go, talk of Trump turned into talk of Muslims. One man insisted that Islam is a religion of violence, no matter what people say. “Kill the infidel” is right there in the Koran, he proclaimed. Just go read it, read the Koran, he asserted again. This was my response: “As to the call for us to read the Koran so that we can see how Muslims... Read more
(This review is a contribution to the Patheos Book Club.) I read Jewish-Christian Difference and Modern Jewish Identity: Seven Twentieth-Century Converts with no prior familiarity with the so-called “Jewish identity wars” that form the backdrop for its stories. Also, while I am somewhat qualified in historical scholarship, history is not my primary field and I have no competence in any historical specialty that would give me special insight here (Jewish history, Israeli history, Jews during and after WW2 or the like). The vantage point... Read more
When I was a little girl, I did not like the book Heidi very much. I preferred my Narnia books and The Lord of the Rings; I wanted exciting stories with a good bite to them, not improving moral stories about Divine Providence. I read Heidi for the goats, the blue-tiled wood stove and the frequent loving descriptions of toasting cheese, but I didn’t care for any of the characters. I especially didn’t care for the spoiled brat Clara, so I was rather... Read more
The neighbor family across the street from us is having a fire in their house as I write this. It appears that the firefighters have everything under control and that the family is not home. Lord, have mercy. Read more
Take a look at these news stories, but I do warn you, there are graphic images. I want to say something that all Catholics should know, but that needs to be repeated. That dead baby in the striped sleeper is not worth any less to Christ, than your own children. That child is of the same value to God, as you are. That child is every bit as precious in the eyes of Heaven, as the children killed in the... Read more
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