This will be one of the few times I make a request of readers and particularly clergy. I can only speak for myself. During this time of year, many appear for Communion who in some cases had no intention of receiving communion or in other cases are inexperienced at receiving communion. In the latter case, I’m speaking of youths who have received their first communion, but have unfortunately not received communion regularly. During such times, an usher accompanying the minister... Read more
The House of Representatives voted last week to require US interrogators to follow the Army Field Manual, which respects the Geneva Conventions and prohibits torture. 95 percent of the Republicans opposed. Bush threatened to veto. Senate Republicans then blocked the bill. Just in case you were wondering about the techniques that the Republicans are united in supporting: “The administration particularly opposes restricting the CIA to interrogation methods approved by the military in 2006. That document prohibits forcing detainees to be naked,... Read more
For me at least, Mike Huckabee is probably the least objectionable of the Republican candidates. Given that Huckabee is on record calling for the quarantining of AIDS patients, this only highlights the extremely poor quality of his fellow Republican candidates. But is the Republican establishment, founded as it is on support for big business and the military, ready for somebody like Huckabee? In other words, would a Huckabee candidacy expose the shallowness of the official support for “social conservatism” in... Read more
Italian director, Franco Zeffirelli, whose credits include Romeo and Juliet and the magnificent Jesus of Nazareth, has offered to give Pope Benedict XVI a make-over. Reuters has the following comments from the illustrious film-maker: “Coming after a media-savvy pope like John Paul II is a difficult task … Benedict XVI still communicates coldly, in a way that is not suited with what is happening around him,” Zeffirelli said. (more…) Read more
As ranking curmudgeon of Vox Nova, I want to wish everyone a Happy Holiday Season. Rarely do I utter the phrase “Merry Christmas.” When I have the joy of answering the office phone, I give the standard greeting. I don’t even bother with the “Happy Holidays” dreck. Rest assured, when we actually reach Christmas Eve, I come around to wishing folks a Merry Christmas. At one time I used to be rather animated about remembering the reason for the season. ... Read more
There are some who become fearful and hesitant when faced with the wickedness of Communism, which aims to rob the faith from those very people to whom it promises material prosperity. . . . Others show themselves no less timid and hesitant in the face of that economic system which is known as Capitalism. The Church has not failed to denounce the grave consequences that can follow from it. (more…) Read more
José Ortega y Gasset, Spanish philosopher and politician, is one of the most exciting theorists to read. Commenting on themes philosophical, political, aesthetic and cultural, Ortega was perhaps the first modern Spanish thinker whose ideas made up a true export. Uniquely original, masterfully didactic and unusually perspicuous, Ortega is a genuinely enjoyable read. However, he has been eclipsed in existentialism by the likes of Sartre, Heidegger and Marcel, so few, even among the philosophy crowds, are aware of his thought.... Read more
Occasional visitor of our comboxes Kevin Jones offers a review of Why The Democrats are Blue (Link to book web site). He echoes a near universal frustration, the loss of the Democratic Party as an embraceable choice. One of the excerpts from the book follows: The differences between the leaders of the McGovern Commission and those in charge of the Chicago convention were stark. In 1968, the chairman o fthe DNC(John Bailey), the chairman of the Platform Committee(Rep. Hale Boggs), the... Read more
In case you missed it, the Pontifical Congregation for the Clergy has an excellent resource up called Biblia Clerus. It offers a search engine for biblical texts with commentary from the Doctors of the Church and the magisterium, and also has commentary on Canon Law and the Sunday Liturgy. An excellent resource for those who want a deeper understanding of their faith. Read more
A group of us from college are all turning 30 next year and we have come up with a collective idea on how to celebrate. We thought we would extend the invitation to you all, EVEN those who are not turning 30. Since most of us have more than enough THINGS in our lives we decided NOT to ask for presents next year. Instead, we are turning our 30th Birthdays into the 3o Ts: That is Time/Treasure/Talent 30 times over.... Read more
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