The sexual abuse of children and its cover-up by the hierarchy has been an open wound on the Church for 25 years, hemorrhaging since the Boston Globe reports a decade ago. This is a subject which has tormented me on many levels, but I have never known what to say. I feel like the character in the eponymous Harlan Ellison story: I have no mouth, yet I must scream. The story out of Philadelphia only deepens the wound. From... Read more
(Matt. 13:1-23) On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd stood along the shore. And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it... Read more
While the “sola skirtura” debate raging elsewhere in the Catholic blogosphere is not interesting to me personally, the torrid ground from which it springs is. For some of the skirts-only enthusiasts, the matter is ostensibly a question of femininity. For others, it’s a question of whether women in pants are in commission of a sin, or are providing men with a near occasion of sin, by allowing the outline of their lower bodies to be seen, however discreetly, rather than... Read more
Despite its short length, the Book of Jonah is a major text for the Christian faith. When asked for a sign to prove his messianic claims, Jesus responded, “It is an evil and unfaithful generation that asks for a sign. The only sign it will be given is the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was in the belly of the sea-monster for three days and nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of... Read more
For my second “guest post” here at Vox Nova, I had originally intended to write on one of several subjects that have claimed my interest lately, such as the application of Catholic Social Teaching to the rebuilding of local economies. I also considered offering a reflection on one of my favorite devotional books. I thought maybe something on de Caussade’s “Abandonment” or da Bergamo’s “Humility of Heart” might be appropriate. But life has a way of hammering the cruelest twists... Read more
Here is a little poem I wrote awhile back, on the trivial and profound aspects of rhetoric and language: (more…) Read more
Times like these remind me of Kevin Trudeau. I’m not shocked that a guy was convicted of huckstering. I’ve been the victim of a couple of scams myself, for-profit-education and work from home. The former cost me a doozy. The latter cost me about $200. Anyhow, the shocking thing about Trudeau is that people still defend him and buy his products after it has been well established that he is a huckster. He of course doesn’t deny his interactions with... Read more
From a recent speech by Cardinal Peter Turkson, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace: “Basically, it [Caritas in Veritate] argues for the urgent need for a true world political authority over many – indeed, I would say all – of the important topics that we have been talking about. Its simple premise is that human activities which have global consequences should not be left to chance or hidden forces, but should be humanely governed, ethically governed, and indeed... Read more
In the United States of America, the 4th of July is a secular holiday. In my home, the 4th of July is my youngest son’s birthday. In the Roman Church, the 4th of July is the optional memorial of Saint Elizabeth of Portugal. At first glance this may seem to create a spirit of competition between the three candidates for celebration, but I don’t experience the day in that fragmented sort of way—at least not this year. I have taken... Read more
“Do not quench the Spirit, do not despise prophesying, but test everything; hold fast what is good, abstain from every form of evil” (1Thes. 5:19-22 RSV). The Apostle Paul reminds us that we are to welcome the promptings of the Spirit, but yet not accept everything which claims to be from the Spirit. We are to test everything, to prove all things, and follow that which is good, for if it is good, it is true. Revelation exists to help... Read more
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