I love spending time going through my various “Quotations” books. I have Bartlett’s,of course, and many others, some from the popular culture, some from politics, some from business and so forth. I have always wished to be better-educated than I am, and I find the “quote” books to be an expeditious way of familiarizing myself with the thoughts of writers, philosophers, thinkers; often reading a provocative quote from a writer will be the springboard for a brief obsession – a... Read more
“Earlier today, I ordered America’s armed forces to strike military and security targets in Iraq. They are joined by British forces. Their mission is to attack Iraq’s nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs and its military capacity to threaten its neighbors” – President William Jefferson Clinton 12/16/98 Karl Rove and Matt Lauer apparently went at it today about whether “Bush lied” about WMD. Lauer has decided he will stick to the narrative established by the media and Democrat party: ROVE:... Read more
My friend Tony Rossi has had the opportunity to interview one of the foundresses of the Sisters of Life, Mother Agnes Mary Donovan, for The Christophers Closeup, and it’s really rather wonderful and inspiring: Founded after New York’s Cardinal John O’Connor visited the Dachau concentration camp and vowed to protect the dignity of every human life, the Sisters of Life provide a safe haven for women who experience an unplanned pregnancy and aren’t sure what to do. Mother Agnes Mary... Read more
I’ve cribbed the video, but after watching it, do go read Ed Morrissey’s whole piece. They lie and lie. And they may get away with it, too. The reason they may get away with it, even with boldface lying like this, is because they are assisting in strenghtening the resistance of the world, that there may be no breach by which to “open up space for God’s life to pass through.” Am I actually suggesting that at this point The... Read more
I’ve written many times, albeit rather clumsily, on the notion that abortion prevents the absolute love of God, ever ancient, ever new, from entering into the world, and thus serves darkness, not light. I feel compelled to write more about that, in the coming days, but for now I must share this incredible insight by the servant of God Madeleine Delbrêl, a French laywoman and writer who died in 1964, and who manages -at the end of this excerpt- to... Read more
Picking up on something Fr. James Martin wrote in a chapter on Friendship With God, in his latest book, The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything; A Spirituality for Real Life, I asked Fr. Jim: You talk about tuning into the various ways God can actively communicate with us in “real time,” -emotions, insights, memories, physical feelings – what you seem to be describing is a kind of “everyday” and casual mysticism. Catholics tend to be very careful when it comes... Read more
As Bill Creed, a Jesuit spiritual director, once told me, “In the bright sunshine of God’s love, your shadows begin to emerge.” — James Martin, The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything; A Spirituality for Real Life Boy, does that resonate with me, and with everyone I know who is serious about deepening their relationship with Christ. Face-to-face with the All-in-all, one eventually comes face-to-face with oneself, in all one’s glaring inadequacy; the soul is planed down through prayer and examination... Read more
Especially in Lent, it would be great if Christians could stop sniping at each other or spreading false information and perceptions about each other. Two Baptist church pamphlets are causing controversy with a Roman Catholic church in Pigeon Forge. The pamphlet suggests the Roman Catholic church isn’t Christian and the pope is an anti-Christ. While some people say the pamphlet expresses religious freedom, others say it’s a hate crime. Father Jay Flaherty, of Holy Cross Catholic Church, said he first... Read more
This is not what you think. See here Yeah, that was news to me, too, but then again, the Crescat is all about blowing the mind: … I once had the pleasure of attending a Nascar event with a certian Franciscan friar friend dressed in his brown Capuchin habit. You would not believe the questions people stopped us to ask him. My favorite of course being, “are you in the KKK?” Wearing a habit to a Nascar race in North... Read more
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