Dietrich von Hildebrand and Our Relativistic Age By Very Rev. Robert Barron Postmodern relativism and deconstruction have produced, at the popular level, what I have termed the “Meh culture,” that is to say, a culture dominated by the “whatever” attitude, a bland, detached indifferentism to the good and the true. How often have you heard someone say, “that’s perhaps true for you but not for me,” or “who are you to be imposing your values on me?” or in the... Read more
by Russell Shaw To many Germans in the early 1930s, Adolf Hitler looked like just what Germany needed. Here, they imagined, was a charismatic leader capable of restoring social stability, economic prosperity, and national honor to their battered country. Relatively few saw Hitler for what he was—a megalomaniac demagogue driven by racial fantasies that included hatred for Jews and contempt for Christianity. Dietrich von Hildebrand was one of those few. He discerned the terrifying truth about Hitler and the Nazis... Read more
By Shana Buck, OFS When I read about the Holy Father addressing the needs of individuals with autism, I was elated. My husband and I have three children “in the spectrum” — a 23 year old daughter, Luci, with moderate Asperger’s; an 18 year old son, Austin, with what was once called pervasive developmental disorder, and 11 year-old Nicholas, with moderate autism. Our children are all individuals, with different strengths and weaknesses, and one single “program” could possibly address all... Read more
By Rev. Msgr. Kieran E. Harrington This past Wednesday I buried a friend. Actually, she was much more than a friend. She was a companion, a colleague, a role-model, and a religious sister. She was also my sister. The Lord called her home, on the Feast of All Saints, twenty-eight years after she first professed vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. I am ashamed to say that for most of the eight years we were assigned together, she was simply... Read more
By Very Rev. Robert Barron One of the classical demonstrations of God’s existence is the so-called argument from desire. It can be stated in a very succinct manner as follows. Every innate or natural desire corresponds to some objective state of affairs that fulfills it. Now we all have an innate or natural desire for ultimate fulfillment, ultimate joy, which nothing in this world can possibly satisfy. Therefore there must exist objectively a supernatural condition that grounds perfect fulfillment and... Read more
by Russell Shaw During the 10:30 Mass in my parish a couple of Sundays ago 32 boys and girls stood in front of the altar, faced the congregation, and formally affirmed their desire to be confirmed. It was part of the preparation for administering the sacrament next spring, and for many of us in that church it was a moving moment. But the occasion was darkened for me by something I’d read just a few days earlier. If those 32... Read more
By Judy Klein Author’s note: I have quoted and paraphrased liberally from Ann Voskamp’s blog at A Holy Experience. All quotes not from the Bible are from Ann Voskamp. Dear Ann, I like your work. I really like your work. You have a way with words that boggles the mind and settles the soul. Your insights can be astounding, and it’s clear as day they’re the ripe fruit of prayer. Thank you for that offering. That’s why I was thinking... Read more
By Russell Shaw The headline on a recent Washington Post Op-Ed about the rise of the Islamic State proclaimed “The Return of Evil.” Although one was tempted to reply that evil never went away, the headline writer had a point—the post-Cold War 1990s in the United States were indeed marked by naïve optimism that the era of conflict had ended and the world could now look forward to universal peace, prosperity, and democratic governance: the end of history, in other... Read more
By Very Rev. Robert Barron The controversies surrounding the recent Extraordinary Synod on the Family have often put me in mind of John Henry Cardinal Newman, the greatest Catholic churchman of the 19th century. Newman wrote eloquently on an extraordinary range of topics, including university education, the play between faith and reason, the nature of papal authority, and the subtle manner in which we come to assent in matters of religion. But the arguments around the Synod compel us to... Read more
by Colette M. Liddy When my mother passed away, my brother John found a list she had kept called “Dates that Changed My Life.” One of the entries read “November 5, 1985 — Charlene born –Grandmother,” marking the first time our Mom had became a Grandma. I thought of that after I heard Catherine Wiley, founder of the Catholic Grandparents Association, call grandparenting a “vocation,” while speaking at the Divine Mercy Conference in the Bronx last spring. Her international organization,... Read more
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