I very much like this piece by Pat Gohn: “Behold!” is one of my favorite words from the Bible. The wordsmith in me adores words that tickle my ears, words that are uncommon yet descriptive. Behold sounds somewhat archaic yet it still shows up in modern usage. Behold makes me perk up and pay attention. Simply defined, behold means to see, to gaze upon, to observe, to have vision. Whenever I find it in the New Testament, I always watch... Read more
Brian Saint Paul at Inside Catholic (which you surely want to visit daily) sent this picture my way; I call it the “photo of the day.” When I think of our soldiers, so far away from home, missing their loved ones and wondering with longing whether they’re being missed with the same intensity, I consider it be something like the “dark night of the soul” that many holy people experience. The dark night is not about doubt. Indeed, I suspect... Read more
I have never been able to “see” the configuration problems that some have recently complained about while using IE. Please let me know how it is, now? Read more
Emmanuel, God-With-Us… Emmanuel, born in Haiti the day after quake in which father died. He did not survive/Photo, “Missionary Ed” Stricken with some sort of bug, over here, and it has me under the weather and working at half-speed. But while I try to pull myself together, here is one of the best versions of this haunting call I have ever heard: Video via Matt Labash, who is looking at this Christmas with a perspective permanently changed thanks to his... Read more
It’s a wee bit early, but Our Sunday Visitor has posted a look at the 8 biggest stories of 2010. See if you can read this excerpt from the intro and figure out who wrote it: “…let us look back at a teeter-totter of a year, where high-riding America suddenly found herself hitting the ground of reality with a thud. War is not over; the economic recovery is slow-to-stagnant and those who are not yet struggling themselves know someone, or... Read more
Source Fr. James Martin has been declaring Christmas “lost” for the last few years, and he does so again here on Fox News. I take his point about the over-commercialization of the season, and am very sympathetic toward the idea of “reclaiming” Christmas” for oneself – the season of Advent beautifully gives us the opportunity to do precisely that. This year we did very little shopping–only the kids are getting gifts–and we only started listening to a little Christmas music... Read more
Julie Davis of Happy Catholic has a Christmas treat from an unexpected source: Agatha Christie! In a fast podcast, Julie reads one of Christie’s short stories. It is profound and moving, and I urge you to listen in! Read more
Illustration by Dr. Pat McNamara, 1993 I somehow neglected to share with you last week this very interesting profile of a very interesting Catholic priest who had an profound impact on the faith in America. Dr. Pat McNamara writes about the Vibrant, Active Piety of Fr. Isaac Hecker, yes, Hecker like the flour that is currently in my cabinet. That family: Early 19th-century America was an exciting time, an age of reform. Known as “the era of the common man,”... Read more
Sent along by reader Vicki, who is not Catholic, this video is one of the best brief expositions I’ve ever seen on the theological role Mary plays in this whole pageant of salvation in which we live, and for which we seek understanding. It may seem a little long at 11 minutes, but it moves quickly and covers quite a lot of ground. Stick with it and enjoy! Read more
Over at Hot Air, Ed Morrissey is looking at the failure of the DREAM act cloture vote and noting that six Democrats and two Republicans crossed the aisle to vote against their parties. Ed writes: It’s yet another miscalculation by Reid in a rapidly-closing window of opportunity. If he didn’t have six of his own caucus in hand, why press the matter at all? Reid raised expectations and then dashed them, a bad strategy in politics. I have enormous respect... Read more
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