Thomas Peters and company seem to have gotten under our skin a bit lately. By including us in the ranks of the major progressive Catholic voices on the internet who ignored the latest LiveAction subterfuge success, they have already got 3 responses (M.Z., Morning’s Minion, and Nate Wildermuth) from us. Make it 4. I can’t speak for why the others felt the need to respond to a rather weak argument from absence (in Bowman’s case compounded by the inexplicable suggestion... Read more
As noted by MZ, we have attracted attention from a rather dubious group. Young Thomas Peters named Vox Nova as one member of the “progressive Catholic blogosphere” who remained silent over videos made by a pro-life group at Planned Parenthood. Apparently, he did not think my post about Mike Huckabee supporting wholesale population transfers to make living space for Israeli settlers on Palestinian land was an important topic! At least he was (relatively) polite. His co-conspirator, Matthew Bowman, was less inhibited – we... Read more
One of the most unusual elements of modern Catholicism is the frequency in which Catholics receive communion. To be sure, one can find other times and places in which this also took place. For example, daily communion has often been encouraged in monasteries. Or, in times of triumph when a particular persecution against Christians had been stopped, the joy of a triumphant Christianity led to a healthy, vibrant liturgical life. In both of these examples, and in probably many more... Read more
Normally, I don’t comment on ridiculous allegations, but I’ll make an exception here. Sensitive soul of blogdom Matt Bowman asserts that the reason Vox Nova among others aren’t talking about LiveAction’s theatre troupe is because we were “born in [] public dissent from Humanae Vitae’s teaching on birth control over 40 years ago, and that dissent is [our] one core value.” Bobble heads appear in the combox validating Bowman in his brilliance. Naturally the reason for not discussing LiveAction’s theatre... Read more
I found an article in the most recent edition of America on the reform of the liturgy interesting. Here is a sample quote: One measure of the level of the disquiet among liturgists is a recent open letter to U.S. bishops from Anthony Ruff, O.S.B. Father Ruff has decided to withdraw from speaking engagements at eight dioceses around the United States intended to help promote the new missal. In his letter, he said that it is something he no longer... Read more
Today (February 5, fifth Sunday in Ordinary time) the first reading was from the prophet Isaiah: Sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; Clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own. Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed; Your vindication shall go before you, and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call,... Read more
So . . . who do you think is going to win the Big Game today? Is everyone huddling around their televisions to watch or are you planning on bowing out? Read more
John Garvey, former Dean of Boston College Law School, was installed as the new president of Catholic University of America (CUA) last week. He delivered an inaugural address that in my mind captures a stunning vision of what CUA–and indeed, any Catholic university–can aspire to be. Full disclosure: John and I worked together in a committee at Boston College that addressed the Catholic intellectual tradition. I valued his always thoughtful contributions to that conversation, and was delighted to learn of... Read more
While the future of Egypt is not clear, we have to avoid hasty, fear-mongering speculations which are preparing people to dislike what comes out of all the civil unrest. Some pundits are making this appear as a purely Muslim uprising, seeking to turn Egypt into an Islamist state. What they do not tell you is that the Coptics are actively working with and are among the protesters, as this article from The Catholic Review points out: “To date, you had... Read more
I’ve always been a fan of Al Jazeera. It is a force for change in the middle east, shining the light on areas that regional leaders prefer to keep in the dark. Al Jazeera is truly independent, pretty objective in its reporting. It has annoyed most Arab countries at one time or another, and has often been kicked out or sanctioned. It was the first Arab station to interview Israeli officials. It was precisely this objectivity that angered the United... Read more
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