I may be a newbie Catholic, but I have an idea about Lenten fasting that might alarm you. Ordinarily, see, we “give up” something pleasant for Lent. Then, at the end of the season, we once again indulge in whatever it was that we “gave up” in fasting. What if we just went “cold-turkey” and never took up again that which we gave up for the Lenten fast? (more…) Read more
Choosing future popes prior to them being voted into office by the Papal Conclave is a great pastime, even if the odds of guessing correctly are long. When Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected by the conclave to assume command of the Barque of Saint Peter after the passing on to eternity of Blessed Pope John Paul II, nobody expected him to be named the Pope. (more…) Read more
The burden of the valley of vision. These seven words strung together, in a nice, taut sentence, is how the 22nd chapter of the book of the prophet Isaiah starts off. Isaiah was given the gift of prophecy, and what a double-edged sword that gift must be. Truly, a heavy burden, to be gifted with such visions as God inspired him with and then commanded him to share them with His people. (more…) Read more
And so we woke up this morning to the news that Pope Benedict XVI is resigning his post as Captain of the Barque of Saint Peter. The best reaction I’ve seen so far comes from Fr. James Martin, SJ, (more…) Read more
As Pat Gohn shames us men into drafting epic love letters for our sweeties this year, will us men be rewarded in kind? Here’s an idea, ladies. We’re pretty easy to please. (more…) Read more
Well played, Mother Church. Well played. Here are the Chinese characters for Happy New Year: 恭禧發財 Gong Xi Fai Cai! P.S. Check out the China Tag for some great stories about Catholics from China whom I love. Read more
To see the future of the USCCB’s discussion of the HHS Mandate, we need to turn back to the both the recent and the distant past. Just last year, on March 14th, 2012, the Bishops published a paper entitled, United for Religious Freedom. Timothy Cardinal Dolan, in his response to the February 1 rule proposal by the Administration, referred to that document and quoted liberally from it. Here’s a brief refresher, (more…) Read more
H/T to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena, Montana, a brief interview with Cardinal George posted by CNS over on YouTube. Take a look, (more…) Read more
When I was reading the HHS Mandate Rule proposal, I noticed a pretty big problem: folks have coverage forced upon them, whether they want it or not. Later, I wrote that the Church would react to the current proposal negatively if the HHS was mandating pornography be forced upon all. As it turns out, the inability to opt out of coverage was one of the points Timothy Cardinal Dolan made this afternoon when the USCCB released the letter he signed... Read more
Hint: It’s not the most recent attempt floated last Friday. Writing an op-ed piece in The Hill, Jim Towey, President of Ave Maria University, explains why the college is not impressed with the new version of the Mandate, and what a workable solution for religious liberty would look like. (more…) Read more
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