Monsignor Charles Pope posts a terrific article to the blog at the Archdiocese of Washington’s site. Titled “To What Political Party Does the Catholic Church Belong?”, the piece neatly summarizes the views of some of us here at Vox Nova (or “Vomitus Nova,” as we were recently called by a partisan bomb thrower commenting at Catholic and Enjoying It). Some of Msgr. Pope’s choicest observations: What political party is the Catholic Church? Neither of course. But depending on what is... Read more
(Today I led the weekly ecumenical chapel service in Tuttle Chapel at Wabash College. Here are the selected readings, a short meditation, and a hymn.) Genesis 15:5 And he [God] brought him [Abraham] outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” Psalm 19:1-4 The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours... Read more
A new casino is trying a new idea: “term limits” for workers. Every four to six years, the workers will have to reapply for their job. The idea seems to be something other employers are now considering. It is seen as a way to make sure employers get the “most” out of their workers. Watch this discussion from Fox: (more…) Read more
Today is the Feast of St. Photius the Great. That’s right. Saint Photius. He’s recognized as a saint in the Catholic Church, and has a feast day on the Byzantine Catholic calendar. For many, this might come as a surprise. St. Photius is remembered by many as being a staunch critic of Roman authority and the filioque. Many think, wrongly, that he died in schism from Rome, and so think he cannot be a saint. But this is not true.... Read more
In the comment thread on my last post, I spoke of the need to prophesy from the center, a point that I think needs to be elaborated. In the same comment I also admitted that “there is a kind of paralysis in my commitment to bipartisanship, in that I sometimes feel unable to critique either the left or the right (at least not in the abstract) without hastening to critique the other as well, lest I be mistaken for something... Read more
From the U.S. Bishops website: The Obama administration, to justify its widely criticized mandate for contraception and sterilization coverage in private health plans, has posted a set of false and misleading claims on the White House blog (“Health Reform, Preventive Services, and Religious Institutions,” February 1). In what follows, each White House claim is quoted with a response. Some highlights: Claim: “No individual will be forced to buy or use contraception: This rule only applies to what insurance companies cover.Under... Read more
One of the more arresting changes to the liturgy has been the introduction of “He descended into hell” into the creed. We can go for a long time without hearing the word “hell” in Church and, now that we hear it every week, some of us can feel a little uncomfortable. Not only that, but many will wonder why we would be “moving backwards” like this. Isn’t this some indication of undoing the Council? And, as I have recently heard... Read more
I’d like to thank Mrs. Darwin over at Darwin Catholic for this very favorable review of a book I co-authored: How Far Can We Go? She really captures the spirit of the book well in her review. Brett Salkeld is a doctoral student in theology at Regis College in Toronto. He is a father of three (so far) and husband of one. Read more
There has been a lot of talk about the Obama administration’s egregious violation of religious freedom through its contraception mandate. There has not been a lot of talk about the other areas where religious freedom is under threat today. One of those core areas is immigration, where some states are enacting laws that basically outlaw the practice of core tenets of the Christian faith. Think of Alabama. Here, the Catholic Church is suing – alongside some key Protestant denominations –... Read more
But I hope Mr. Romney and his culture warrior friends (whether on the Right or Left) won’t be surprised if some of us find it hard to believe in Americanism and its God of liberty. Some of us just can’t muster faith in the generic theism that is preached on the campaign trail, whether from the Right or Left. Some of us Christians have a hard time reconciling the Almighty, all-powerful, law-giving God of liberty with the crucified suffering servant... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In