Resolved: Roman Catholic theology, despite some changes in the past fifty years, still places too much emphasis on the procreative ends of marriage to the detriment of the unitive ends. In saying this I am not suggesting that the two can be divorced. Rather, a careful balance needs to be made, and I wonder if our (Catholic) understanding has gotten out of alignment. I have been chewing on this question for a while, particularly since I found the following quote... Read more
It all started at Trinity’s reunion weekend. I was at a reception chatting with a student I had not seen in more than decade. Somehow, in the course of the conversation, Kim Kardashian came up. While I try to avoid reading anything about her and her family, I do not live under a rock and I had some vague knowledge about who she is. I response, I made a snide remark, referring to her as a “slut.” This provoked a... Read more
Recorded at Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles earlier this morning: Read more
In 1965, Dorothy Day wrote a column titled, “What Does Ammon Mean?” It was an appreciation of a long-time Catholic Worker collaborator, Ammon Hennacy. The article concludes with a plea for and promise of prayers for Hennacy, who had recently left the Catholic Church – into which he had been baptized only a decade earlier – because, in Day’s words, “he did not give wholehearted assent to the Church any longer, seeing only her faults.” … perhaps Ammon is on... Read more
My last post elicited an interesting dialogue with David Nickol on the topic of worry. David thinks Fr. Martin’s prayer is too irenic, too reliant on the “God is in charge and he will provide” business. According to David, human freedom and the propensity to do evil, combined with what are only minimal guarantees of the Holy Spirit’s protection, give us plenty to worry about when it comes to the Catholic Church, which he views as being in decline, and... Read more
I’ve just returned from my quasi-annual trip to Spain, and I thought I would bundle together some random observations and comments from this and previous trips. I draw no deep conclusions, but I think that seeing the daily life of the Church in another country is useful for understanding the Church in the US better. 1) The Church in Spain is on the rocks, with mass attendance reaching catastrophically low levels. Superficially, mass attendance looks good, until you stop to... Read more
… to the question: How should we think about and react to confounding and discouraging developments in our Catholic family? PRAY! Dear God, sometimes I get so frustrated with your church. I know that I’m not alone. So many people who love your church feel frustrated with the Body of Christ on earth. Priests and deacons, and brothers and sisters, can feel frustrated, too. And I’ll bet that even bishops and popes feel frustrated. We grow worried and concerned and... Read more
“Then the high priest rose up and all his companions, that is, the party of the Sadducees, and, filled with jealousy, laid hands upon the apostles and put them in the public jail. But during the night, the angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison, led them out, and said, “Go and take your place in the temple area, and tell the people everything about this life.” –Acts 5:17-20 In this selection from Acts, the angel commands... Read more
In the wake of Paul Ryan’s woeful misunderstanding of the wonderful and profound principle of subsidiarity, a number of experts have – thankfully – weighed in. Here are five really good ones (some might date before Ryan’s most recent bout of foot-in-mouth disease, but no matter). All are worth reading, and don’t require much comment from me. First – Steve Schneck. Second – Vince Miller. Third, Gerald Beyer. Fourth, Peter Brown. Fifth, James Barasel. On the last one, the authors lists... Read more
Although distinctly Catholic (or perhaps because of this), Eucharistic adoration can be a rather controversial practice among postconciliar Catholics. As a professor of mine has observed, many assertions are made about why it is done, often without asking anyone who does it. This professor, Dr. Kimberly Belcher, is seeking to fill this gap with her current research. She recently recruited me and a fellow graduate student to assist her in organizing a workshop for undergraduate women who practice adoration. She has... Read more
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