Stephen Hawking: Only the Christian View of God Makes Sense

Last updated on: October 21, 2018 at 6:39 pm By Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC

There are many different views of God. Hawking tries to argue against God’s existence but ends up leaving the Christian view of God as the only possible one. Many philosophers and non-Christian religions have a different concept of God from Christianity. Spinoza and Hegel identified God with nature. Other Modern Philosophers define it as something merely existing in our brains, or something necessary for morality. Most pagam religions have multiple Gods. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam instead believe in a God who is completely... Read more

Pope Francis Wearing a Rainbow Cross? It Isn’t What You Think✝️

Last updated on: October 22, 2018 at 11:15 am By Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC

This week Pope Francis wore a cross that had multiple colors on it that appear somewhat like a rainbow. Several traditional-minded Catholics posted it assuming it was in some way related to the LGBT pride flag. However, that is not the case. It is a symbol of Latin American Youth Ministry. Pope Francis Wears the Cross On October 17, Vatican News in Italian tweeted: Young people from Panama together with many synod fathers from Latin American delivered the World Youth... Read more

What Does the Orthodox Split Mean?

Last updated on: October 17, 2018 at 5:55 pm By Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC

This week, the Russian Orthodox Patriarch ceased Communion with the Ecumenical Patriarch in Constantinople. As this is the split between the two most important Orthodox Churches in the world, it is big news. Greater separation in the Church is also sad news. As many of us Catholics don’t think about Orthodoxy regularly, I want to provide a little context and meaning. I am bringing together the key points from various sources. Announcing an Orthodox Split First, RT reports on the announcement: The... Read more

Ideas for Increasing Confession (from Twitter)

Last updated on: October 11, 2018 at 11:53 am By Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC

Recently, several prominent Catholics have been tweeting about confession on Twitter. The consensus seems to be that Catholics frequent this sacrament less than they should. I want to not only present the problems but offer solutions. First the stats, How often Catholics in the U.S. go to confession: 2% once a month or more 12% several times a year 12% once a year 30% less than once a year 45% never Source: Patrick Carey, “Confession” — Matthew Schmitz (@matthewschmitz) October 2, 2018... Read more

The Nuance of Abortion Laws Without Roe v. Wade

Last updated on: October 10, 2018 at 4:31 pm By Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC

Today, the Washington Post carried a story about what happens if Roe is overturned. We need to remember that overturning Roe doesn’t make abortion illegal but allows states to set abortion laws. The Post notes that this leaves a complicated situation: If the high court acted to overturn Roe, some states would continue allowing women access to abortions, while others may bar them from receiving the procedure — or restrict access to it at various points in a pregnancy and... Read more

Bishop Henry: Speak Boldly and Evangelize in the Media

Last updated on: October 5, 2018 at 2:36 pm By Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC

Bishop Fred Henry, a retired bishop, recently spoke about the need for us to speak out as Catholics via the media. Grandin Media (a diocesan media company in Canada) reported his strong words. “I don’t think as clergy we should be running away from this,” Bishop Henry said. “Right now it is very uncomfortable to be wearing a Roman collar … even when I’m travelling, it’s much simpler to go incognito, to wear my secular clothing. “But I’ve decided this is... Read more

Bishop Caggiano: We Need to Address Sex Abuse to Reach Youth

Last updated on: October 2, 2018 at 7:56 pm By Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC

Bishop Frank Caggiano of Bridgeport, CT is a delegate at the youth synod. He recently spoke about what we need to do in order to reach young people. As the National Catholic Reporter stated: As the Synod of Bishops on youth and young adults prepares to open, one of the American delegate bishops said that for any efforts to minister to young people today to bear fruit, the church must first reclaim credibility by addressing the clergy sexual abuse scandal head... Read more

Millennials Have a Lower Divorce Rate (as a Percent of Marriages)

Last updated on: September 27, 2018 at 10:59 am By Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC

It seems like good news that divorce is declining in younger people. It is good news in general but not perfect news. Bloomberg published a report on a study about divorce: Americans under the age of 45 have found a novel way to rebel against their elders: They’re staying married. New data show younger couples are approaching relationships very differently from baby boomers, who married young, divorced, remarried and so on. Generation X and especially millennials are being pickier about who they... Read more

Insulin: Why Is There Rationing? How Can We Solve It?

Last updated on: September 25, 2018 at 11:03 am By Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC

I’ve seen a few recent stories about rationing of insulin by diabetics. This worries me as that could have very serious consequences. I hope to analyze it using Catholic Social Teaching. NPR reported on a death from this. Diabetic ketoacidosis is a terrible way to die. It’s what happens when you don’t have enough insulin. Your blood sugar gets so high that your blood becomes highly acidic, your cells dehydrate, and your body stops functioning. Diabetic ketoacidosis is how Nicole Smith-Holt... Read more

Announcement: New Weekly News Summary & Sponsoring Me on Patreon

Last updated on: September 23, 2018 at 4:53 pm By Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC

Writing online is a tough way to make a living. It’s even harder to pay the bills when I write on Catholic themes as they require a lot of effort compared to the number of views. Every major Catholic website relies on donations to stay afloat. As a religious, my community relies in large part on donations from people like you. We also rely on your prayers, but the electric company doesn’t usually respond well to payment in prayers. ;)... Read more