Dark Joy, Inclusion, Mad Men, Conceit, Accommodation and the American Church

Last updated on: March 2, 2017 at 8:58 pm By Elizabeth Scalia

My First Things column this week was more or less (and a little weirdly) inspired by three very disparate things: Pope Francis’ thoughts on “the dark joy of gossip” (and his homily from yesterday morning), Harry Crane’s outburst on last Sunday’s episode of Mad Men and Russell Shaw’s new book, American Church: The Remarkable Rise, Meteoric Fall, and Uncertain Future of Catholicism in America The pope’s words on gossip have been reverberating within me (and, I know, within others) for... Read more

Clear your Head: “How Long is a Piece of String?”

Last updated on: March 2, 2017 at 8:58 pm By Elizabeth Scalia

With so many awful stories all around us — and so many emotions tearing at us — it’s a good time to clear the head and find something to wonder about. In this case, “how long is a piece of string?” The answer is surprising, and this is a very entertaining video that — at least for me — brings God into the thing Check it out. Read more

Pray for Boston Victims, First Responders

Last updated on: March 2, 2017 at 8:58 pm By Elizabeth Scalia

Deacon Greg has the awful video. After a while, the cable channels and the twitter feeds descend into something like uninformed crisis porn, and tempts us to say stupid things. I’m turning everything off and heading to Vespers. Let us pray for the dead, the injured, the traumatized and all first responders. Time enough for speculation and all the rest of it, late. God help us. Read more

Pope Francis Endorses My Book, “Strange Gods”? – UPDATE

Last updated on: March 2, 2017 at 8:58 pm By Elizabeth Scalia

Well, no, not officially, but I had a little fun on Twitter this weekend, when several friends mentioned Pope Francis’ latest tweet at @Pontifex: It just slips in so very well with the whole topic of my book, Strange Gods; Unmasking the Idols in Everyday Life, which will be hitting bookstores soon. In the introduction I write: Do we stop to think of what it means to have something “before God”? It means to put something “first”, yes, but more... Read more

Using Gosnell to Snip at Obama, or the Press? – UPDATED

Last updated on: March 2, 2017 at 8:58 pm By Elizabeth Scalia

“If these children are being born alive, I have confidence that a doctor…” That is part of State Senator Barack Obama’s argument, in 2003, as to why he would not support any sort of legislation insuring medical care for babies delivered during botched abortions. More completely, he said: I think it’s important to understand that this issue ultimately is about abortion and not live births. Because if these children are being born alive, I, at least, have confidence that a... Read more

Writing on Gosnell Media Blackout in 2011 -UPDATED

Last updated on: March 2, 2017 at 8:58 pm By Elizabeth Scalia

On twitter yesterday, it was mildly irking to see a few tweets in my timeline from people like Kevin Drum and I forget who else, basically saying, (essentially) “oh, yeah? Well, if the Gosnell story was such a big deal, why weren’t any of you people writing about it in 2011, huh? Answer that! Burn!”. It was pretty easy to do a quick search and send him links of this blog and Hot Air and Michelle Malkin and others, writing... Read more

Is MSM Awareness of Gosnell a Wave in Tide of God’s Mercy? UPDATE

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 12:29 am By Elizabeth Scalia

It has been, as Ed Driscoll notes a slow awakening for the mainstream media, but now that they are reading the Grand Jury reports on Kermit Gosnell and the testimony at his trial, some members of the press are saying yes, this story deserves covering and in fact demands it from many angles. Perhaps no one has touched on the crux of the thing like Seth Mandel at Commentary: The media should be ashamed beyond description for this behavior. The... Read more

Media Assist: Easy, Logical, Fair Angles to Pursue on Gosnell Story – UPDATED

Last updated on: March 2, 2017 at 8:58 pm By Elizabeth Scalia

So, something happened yesterday, something I have been praying would happen, regarding many stories, for years — at least since the death of Tim Russert. A mainstream reporter looked up from headlines full of spin, distraction and politically expedient, empty themes (“war on women!”) and said, essentially, “why the hell is this absolute horror in our midst not on every front page?” The reporter was Kirsten Powers, who reached her breaking point with the Kermit Gosnell Butchering of Women and... Read more

God in the Balance; Loving Dark and Light

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 12:29 am By Elizabeth Scalia

Regardless of our religion — whether we are Catholics or Evangelicals or Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist — the spiritual life challenges us to find balance. One of the reasons I was attracted to the Rule of Saint Benedict was because in ora et labora there is a prescription for balance. In the recitation of the Divine Office, we not only sanctify our time but we also set a pace for the whole day of prayer; work; prayer; work until —... Read more

Acts 4:32: Christian Commonality Ends Where Compulsion Begins UPDATED

Last updated on: March 2, 2017 at 8:58 pm By Elizabeth Scalia

I love today’s reading from Acts, which gives us a beautiful snapshot of the early church: The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common. With great power the Apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great favor was accorded them all. There was no needy person among them, for those who owned property or houses would... Read more