GODSTUFF: How do you solve a problem like St. Josemaria?

Last updated on: March 10, 2015 at 10:03 am By Cathleen Falsani

For most filmgoers, the words “Opus Dei” typically conjure up images of self-flagellating, hair-shirt clad fanatics slinking through the darkened streets of Paris on a mission to keep the supposed burial place of Mary Magdalene a secret. And for that you can thank Dan Brown and “The Da Vinci Code.” Brown’s blockbuster novel and film cast Opus Dei as villainous, clandestine, powerful and nefarious. Its followers are portrayed as mindless disciples, the keepers of secrets and corrupt manipulators of history.... Read more

GODSTUFF: Bin Laden has ceased to be. Discuss.

Last updated on: March 10, 2015 at 10:03 am By Cathleen Falsani

Late Sunday night, while perusing Facebook, a friend on Facebook updated her status to announce that Osama bin Laden was dead. It took a few seconds to confirm the news on CNN, and by the time I refreshed the screen, her status had changed once again. This time, she posted a prayer. “O God, it is your will to hold both heaven and earth in a single peace,” she wrote. “Let the design of your great love shine on …... Read more

Osama bin Laden in dead. Obama’s Remarks to the Nation.

Last updated on: March 10, 2015 at 10:03 am By Cathleen Falsani

Finally, let me say to the families who lost loved ones on 9/11 that we have never forgotten your loss, nor wavered in our commitment to see that we do whatever it takes to prevent another attack on our shores. And tonight, let us think back to the sense of unity that prevailed on 9/11. I know that it has, at times, frayed. Yet today’s achievement is a testament to the greatness of our country and the determination of the American people. Read more

The Royal Wedding Homily by Dr. Richard Chartres, Anglican Bishop of London

Last updated on: March 10, 2015 at 10:03 am By Cathleen Falsani

"'Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.' So said St Catherine of Siena whose festival day it is today. Marriage is intended to be a way in which man and woman help each other to become what God meant each one to be, their deepest and truest selves." — Anglican Bishop of London Richard Chartres to the happy couple Read more

GODSTUFF: What about Obama’s (re)birth certificate?

Last updated on: March 10, 2015 at 10:03 am By Cathleen Falsani

Those who insist that the president is a spiritual poseur will not be placated by any amount of evidence to the contrary. Jesus Christ himself could walk into the White House pressroom, throw his arm around Obama, look straight into the cameras and say, "He's with me," and in certain quarters doubts would still persist. Read more

GODSTUFF: “Christian” Film? What should be coming to a theater near you

Last updated on: March 10, 2015 at 10:03 am By Cathleen Falsani

While the prolific Lewis has enough material in his oeuvre to keep filmmakers busy for decades to come, his are not the only enduringly popular Christian books that could translate into powerful cinema. Read more

GODSTUFF: Reveling in the Greys with Sam Phillips

Last updated on: March 10, 2015 at 10:03 am By Cathleen Falsani

“I think that they felt that I was on the journey with them, which I have been. Nobody is static…People change and they grow and they learn.” Read more

GODSTUFF: Trump Presidency Doesn’t Have a Prayer

Last updated on: March 10, 2015 at 10:03 am By Cathleen Falsani

Let's just cut to the chase: "The Donald" has as good a chance of becoming "The President" as Pope Benedict XVI does of replacing Steven Tyler as a judge on "American Idol." Despite the legitimate news coverage Donald Trump's flirtation with running for president in 2012 has garnered in recent days, the eccentric billionaire will never reside in the White House for one reason alone (and it's not his questionable coiffure.) Read more

GODSTUFF: “Soul Surfer” strikes balance between faith and fiction

Last updated on: March 10, 2015 at 10:03 am By Cathleen Falsani

“Soul Surfer” succeeds where many other Christian-themed films fail. It strikes a satisfying balance between powerful storytelling and overreaching message-giving. The Hamilton clan's faith comes across as authentic and, in another uncommon feat, appealing. While some have criticized the film for not being explicitly "Christian" enough, its just-shy-of-understated approach to portraying real religious life on film allows "Soul Surfer" to speak the language of faith without beating the audience over the head with a Bible. Read more

A Lenten Reflection: (Don’t) Get Up Off Your Knees (John 12:1-8)

Last updated on: March 10, 2015 at 10:03 am By Cathleen Falsani

And where are we sure to be in the presence of the Living Christ? When we are with the poor, the suffering, the sick and marginalized. Because that's where Jesus always is. Read more