Recently at Vox Nova there has been a bit of a spat about how abortion relates to the 5th and 6th commandments (in the Catholic reckoning), i.e. the prohibitions against killing and against adultery, respectively. I write this post in the spirit of calling out one’s allies. I am an ally of Matt Bowman who insists that abortion is the primary social justice issue of our time, and I am an ally of Morning’s Minion who believes that abortion will... Read more
Here is an interesting piece from Tuesday’s Washington post: Catholic Republicans’ political beliefs challenged by their faith I’d like to contrast my favorite two paragraphs from the piece with a response given to that paragraph over at America magazine’s In All Things blog. First Michael Gerson, whom I understand to be a Republican himself: What influence is this shift [towards more Republican Catholic representatives] likely to have? Judging from the broader behavior of Catholics in American politics, not much. A... Read more
Two minutes of fantastic white gospel to remind you of what really matters. Read more
Abba Pityrion, the disciple of Abba Anthony said, “If anyone wants to drive out the demons, he must first subdue the passions; for he will banish the demon of the passion which he has mastered. For example, the devil accompanies anger; so if you control your anger, the devil of anger will be banished. And so it is with each of the passions.”[1] We are all called to engage spiritual warfare in our lives. We all have temptations, weaknesses in... Read more
Some of us have recently been taken to task by our friends on the Catholic right for being incompletely pro-life, for not really caring too much about abortion, and indeed, for mere “pro forma condemnation”. To many of these people, being “pro-life” is everything and it is nothing. We are called to be absolutists on abortion itself, and minimalists on other life issues, and indeed the economic and social conditions that contribute to an abortion culture in the first place. (more…) Read more
In a fit of compassion, I’m going to move talk about me away from Brett’s post and to this one. In particular, Darwin Catholic made a claim that we don’t often correct people’s comments here when they dissent. I’m also going to address comments regarding the pro-life movement more generally. (more…) Read more
I gotta say, this appeals to me. In an effort to fight demographic collapse, South Korea is encouraging people to go home and make babies. (Slightly reminiscent of a Catholic diocese that bought ads on public transit for Valentine’s Day that encouraged spouses to take advantage of their, ahem, marital rights.) Add to that the South Korean Catholic Church’s new initiative that will give free delivery services to unwed mothers at Catholic hospitals, along with housing and financial support and... Read more
It was said of Abba John the Persian that when some evildoers came to him, he took a basin and wanted to wash their feet. But they were filled with confusion, and began to do penance. [1] Hospitality is an important virtue generally neglected by modern society. We prefer not to be bothered by (or to bother) others. Hospitality requires us to accept others when they come into our lives, whether or not we like them or what they do.... Read more
A soldier asked Abba Mius if God accepted repentance. After the old man had taught him many things he said, “Tell me, my dear, if your cloak is torn, do you throw it away?” He replied, “No, I mend it and use it again.” The old man said to him, “If you are so careful about your cloak, will not God be equally careful about his creature?”[1] We are sinners hurting ourselves each time we sin. When we sin, we... Read more
Everyone knows how much I love and admire our blessed and noble president, Barack Obama. I write about this often. My affection for him runs so deep that I cannot even begin to say why. The more difficult question is, “Why not?” How could anyone fail to see his majesty and the beauty of his ways? If I was forced to give one reason for my undying devotion to him and his principles, it would have to be this: his... Read more
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