Monday Musings

A few random thoughts and ponderings to start the week...

Don't forget that it is still Easter!! Be counter-cultural...embrace your Catholic culture... continue to celebrate the Easter Season even though the pop culture has packed it up and moved on. Find ways to keep the Season alive in your home. Set out candles to remind you that Christ is our light. (We use candles at meal times during the Easter Season to remind our kids - and us - of the Paschal Candle that is featured prominently at Mass during this liturgical time.) Leave out other reminders of Easter, decorative eggs, floral arrangements, what ever reminds you of Easter Sunday morning and keeps that memory fresh in your mind. Indulge in candy and treats! Don't follow the popular trends, don't leave Easter behind when we still have more time to celebrate. Bring the liturgical calendar into your home and celebrate it.

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I've kind of left in limbo the "Male-Only Priesthood" series of posts that I was working on a few months ago. I never actually finishing them, although I have the material I was going to use for the last couple of posts. I'm thinking I may reboot the whole series - possibly start over with a re-write so that I can tighten them up a bit and give them a proper finish. Look for that in the near future.

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Last year, before I purchased my new missal, I used my Android tablet with the iMissal app installed so that I could follow along at Mass. I felt a little awkward and tried to hide the fact that I was using an electronic device, because I was afraid to create any unnecessary distractions for people around me. This was especially true since we go to the early Mass where most of the congregation is elderly and may not know what I'm doing with a large glowing screen in my hands...

Well, I guess I don't have to worry about that anymore. A couple of weeks ago an older gentleman sitting across from us was using what looked like a Kindle Fire (or a similar device) to follow along with the readings. I suppose the new technology is beginning to catch on at our parish... and here I am back to using old fashioned books.

This Week's Headlines

As another week comes to an end, this is your chance to top off your glass with a final helping of news, current events, and just plain interesting stuff that may not have made into the mainstream media. A chance to linger for a few more moments before we close the door on the week. Below are some links to articles, blogs, and miscellaneous happenings that caught my eye over the past few days. Sample what you like. I'll serve up more next Friday...


Pope Francis: Where Calumny is, There is the Devil - "The Church has many men and women who are maligned through calumny, who are persecuted, who are killed in hatred of Jesus, in hatred of the faith. Some are killed because they teach the catechism, others are killed because they wear the cross ... Today, in many countries, they are maligned, they are persecuted ... they are our brothers and sisters who are suffering today, in this age of the martyrs."

Sacrifice necessary for Christian life, Pope teaches - "Whichever way we are called to follow Christ, the Holy Father taught, we must remember 'one cannot proclaim the Gospel of Jesus without the tangible witness of one’s life.'"

Many Years! Happy Birthday Benedict - "Last year, when celebrating Mass on the day of his 85th birthday, Pope Emeritus Benedict opened his heart up in a homily. It offers us insights into who he is. It reveals his personal, living faith, the beauty of his spirit, and his capacity for profound theological reflection. So I offer a few excerpts..." [How fitting that I post this piece about Pope Emeritus Benedict's birthday, which occurred earlier this week, and today it is the anniversary of his election as Pope.]

Even amid the celebration of his life, there remains this question: Are we about to lose Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI?

Yes, There Is A Gosnell Trial Coverup by the Big News Organizations - [This trial has NOT been given the publicity that it deserves. To counteract that in my own little way, I have assembled a number of articles that expose the horror that was perpetrated by this man and, by extension, the abortion industry in general.] Here are a few more articles: Report: Mainstream Media Still Ignoring Gosnell Murder Trial ; Gosnell Trial Highlights Media and Regulatory Failure to React to Abortion Abuses ; 72 Members of Congress Demand Media Coverage of Gosnell Trial ; Why I Didn't Write About Gosnell's Trial--And Why I Should Have ; Why Dr. Kermit Gosnell's Trial Should Be a Front-Page Story ...Please share these and other stories about the trial so that word gets out... The mainstream media is not doing its job.

Kermit Gosnell is No Exception: He’s the Face of Abortion - "Kermit Gosnell has been accused of “snipping” the spinal cords of babies born alive in his Philadelphia abortion clinic. Is such behavior crazy, or does it simply follow the logic of an industry that believes the mother’s choice overrides any right to protection that the baby has?"

From Roe to Gosnell - [Very long article to wade through...but it offers much to think about.]

GosnellGate: It’s the A-Word - [The author of this piece is still pro-abortion...but you get the sense that the Gosnell trial is deeply affecting those who hold this view.]

Gosnell Trial, Long Ignored by the Media, a Potential Game Changer - "This is why the Gosnell case can be a game changer for the American conscience: Because decent people shudder at the notion of a baby’s neck being “snipped” on an operating table, they are forced to realize that the same disturbing procedure is legal when performed inside the womb."

The Lethal Logic Behind the Abortion Rights Movement - "...I suspect they are avoiding the story because it demonstrates an undeniable fact: abortion is an act of violence against an unborn child."

In related news: Obama Can’t Comment on Gosnell, Because Obama Stands With Him ; and a friend wrote this piece: On Kermit Gosnell - An Open Letter to the President

Margaret Sanger, the Soviets, and Democrats: Loving Abortion - "It took Democrats a while to get there, but, finally, almost a century after the launching of the Bolshevik Revolution and Margaret Sanger’s organization, they’ve finally arrived at where Sanger and the Soviets found common ground. They indeed act as if, as Sanger said about Stalin’s Russia, 'birth control… is part of the regular service of the government.'"

Author calls for US 'Catholic subculture' to regain identity - "'My critique of Americanism and of cultural assimilation is very real,' he explained. 'What has happened has turned out not to be in the best interest of the Catholic Church in the U.S., but no one started out with bad intentions.'"

Will the Government Tell Christians to Shut Up? - "The First Amendment is supposed to assure citizens that the government will not interfere with their right to free expression. In recent years, however, lawmakers have tried to protect certain groups—women, racial minorities, religious minorities, and homosexuals—by punishing speech that offends those groups."

The Slide Toward State Control - "President Obama, has made his disregard for the consciences of Christians as well as his disregard for religious freedoms, sufficiently clear.  His stance on these issues has provoked a blizzard of lawsuits.  The President does not mind Christians worshipping on Sundays, but he strenuously objects to them practicing their religion during the rest of the week."

Archbishop Lori: ‘We Cannot Evangelize If We Cannot Engage’ - "The U.S. bishops’ point man on religious liberty affirms the continuing need for Catholics to live out their faith-based values in the public square."

Why is the World Ignoring an Islamic Declaration of War of Christians? - [Though this article focuses on Egypt, it is a timely piece considering the developments in Boston.]

Pope Francis calls on Bostonians to "not be overcome by evil" - [I don't really have the kind of blog that can keep up with a story such as the Boston Marathon bombing. But as the story develops it is important to reflect on the spiritual and moral repercussions, which often get lost in the headlines.] And there is this piece: Human Goodness Shines Through, as Boston Reacts to Unspeakable Evil And this post: Boston Marathon: Can We Still Believe in Easter

12 people dead, 60 still unaccounted for in Texas plant explosion - [Please remember this community in your prayers.]

'I just see a huge train wreck coming down,' Senator warns - "Baucus says that people do not understand how the law will work. Speaking to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, he noted that 'You and I have discussed this many times, and I don't see any results yet.'"

A Vigil for Your Marriage - "I realized again how important one hour can be. Making the extra effort, regardless of how busy or fatigued or ready to quit for the day you may be, can be a huge blessing to your marriage."

Marriage Equity Makes Sense - "There is no limiting principle to marriage equality. If all those who seek to marry are to be treated equally, i.e., equal to a man and a woman who seek to marry, then on what basis can we deny two women from seeking to marry one man? On what basis can we deny a father from marrying his daughter? These are not hypothetical."

Justice Sotomayor and the Path to Polygamy - "Surprisingly, the polygamy problem that same-sex marriage presents was raised by an Obama appointee, the liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Sotomayor interrupted the presentation of anti-Prop 8 litigator Theodore Olson to pose the following question: If marriage is a fundamental right in the way proponents of same-sex marriage contend, 'what state restrictions could ever exist,” for example, “with respect to the number of people . . . that could get married?'"

Is Christianity Homophobic? - "No true Catholic church can preach that Jesus hates gays. “Love your enemies” is the message of Christ. Hate the sin and love the sinner is taught as gospel truth in Catholic schools. This has been Catholic doctrine for 2,000 years."

Why the Church would be so ridiculous as to oppose IVF - "The evils and difficulties that result from IVF are not the reason IVF is wrong, they are the natural result of separating life from the act of love, indicators of something rotten at the core of this scientific procedure that holds high the banner of compassion."

Has Stephen Hawking made God unnecessary? - "Stephen Hawking is a brilliant expert in the area of physics, but just because someone is an expert in how one part of reality works does not mean he is an expert in how all of reality works (or what is called metaphysics). Hawking's claims in this area should be reviewed carefully and not taken solely on his own authority."

Visibly shaken Obama bemoans defeat of gun bill - "Obama, now as a lame-duck President has been quite busy between rounds of golf. He has attempted to push through sweeping immigration on a number of issues, however restricting the easy access to guns for citizens was his preferred priority, and remains so."

So Long, and Thanks for All the Intersex Fish - "He's not trying to force you to eat organic food, and he's not trying to prevent you from putting hormones in your body.  He's just reaffirming his right not be forced to supply those hormones to his employees."

Why Gregorian Chant Rocks - "One reason is that it conveys the sacred to the secular. Contrary to the agitating sounds of hip hop, hard rock and heavy metal, Gregorian chant is instead a soothing balm for weary souls and a source of comfort for unsettled hearts. "

5 Reasons to Kill Christian Music  - "Jacques Maritain sums it up: 'God does not ask for "religious" art or "Catholic" art. The art he wants for himself is Art, with all its teeth.'"

Everyone going forward at a “healing Mass” for Anointing of the Sick - "The recent and widespread practice of anointing anyone who is 'not feeling well', or even 'along with a sick person but who doesn't want to be left out', is not consistent with a plain reading of the law of the CCC."

Surprising Debate: Rabbi Lapin asks Penn Jillette if he thinks world would be better if all Muslims became Evangelical - [You really need to watch this. Very interesting exchange. It helps to know going into this that Penn Jillette (from the Vegas duo Penn & Teller) is an atheist.]

The Gosnell Trial Gives an Opportunity to Change Hearts

The inexcusable silence of the mainstream media concerning the Kermit Gosnell trial has meant that pro-lifers have turned to less conventional means of spreading public awareness - blogs, social media, and even just plain old word-of-mouth - in an attempt to raise public awareness. If the news outlets won't cover the trial, then individual pro-lifers must take up the slack. The result is that one-on-one conversations and friendly (or not so friendly) chats are taking place in com boxes, news feeds, and around the water cooler on the socially taboo issue of abortion...

"Have you heard about that late term abortionist who's on trial now for murder?"

"No. It hasn't been in the news."

"I don't see how anyone can support abortion when you hear the stories of what really occurs during a procedure. This trial ought to open some people's eyes."

"What do you mean by that? I'm pro-choice..."

Who wants to have THAT conversation with a friend or family member? Well...frankly, we all should. Certainly it may be uncomfortable and perhaps emotionally charged, but standing up for the truth usually is uncomfortable when the whole culture is lined up against you. If we as Christians are called to transform the culture and evangelize, then we cannot afford to sit idly by, keeping our mouths shut for fear of offending someone. It is our duty to speak out on behalf of the voiceless.

It was just such a recent conversation I had on Facebook that yielded a promising result. I had just commented on an article posted in the news feed that dealt with the Gosnell trial. During the course of my comment I used the terms "pro-choice" and "pro-abortion" interchangeably, meaning of course that to be pro-choice on abortion rights makes a person by default pro-abortion, whether you like that label or not (read more on that here). Well, a pro-choicer read my comment and took exception to this equating of pro-choice with pro-abortion, saying:

"I am not sure if I would call pro-choicers...pro- abortionists...[J]ust because someone may believe in the right to decide [to terminate a pregnancy] in their body does not necessarily mean that they want all people to go out and have abortions...I do not believe in abortions myself but I do think that if the choice is a back alley abortion or a clinic...that I would rather they were in a hospital... [P]eople have to live with their own choices in life."

My response:

"If you support someone's right to 'choose' abortion, then you support abortion... Imagine someone in the early 1800's saying, 'I would never personally choose to own a slave, but I support the right of someone else to own slaves. I would not want that choice to be taken away.' That person would rightly be called be 'pro-slavery.' To use a paraphrase of your own argument (substituting 'slavery' for 'abortion'): I do not believe in slavery myself but I do think that if the choice is an undocumented slavery or a state regulated slavery that I would rather they were state regulated... That's a pro-slavery statement. Your's is a pro-abortion statement."

You cannot really argue with those facts. But the problem is that most pro-choicers are never confronted with the stark reality of their position. They believe that they can live in the shady grey area, between personal opposition and public support of abortion rights. But just like slavery, there is no comfort zone: you either favor killing babies, or you oppose it.

Amid the back-and-forth of this conversation, I eventually received this response:

"Personally I would never have [an abortion], I believe in adoption. However to someone who has been raped or molested or any number of other factors it is their choice... It is not a method of birth control and it is abhorrent to me that some people (women) choose to do that instead of a myriad of other things they could be doing....keeping their legs closed, birth control, adoption..etc. etc. I do see your point however and will think on it." [Emphasis added] 

And that is about as good as we can expect for a first step when spreading the pro-life message amid the pro-abortion culture. If they will at least "think about it," if they open their minds to the possibility of being wrong, rather than give in to the cultural pressures around them, then perhaps they will see the truth. Most pro-choice people I know are "personally opposed" to abortion and could never choose it themselves, yet they support the "right to choose" because that is what the culture tells them is the tolerant position. Perhaps the horrors of the Gosnell trial can provide a wake-up call for these half-hearted pro-abortionists so that they can see the logical error of their position.

But we pro-lifers have our work cut out for us. The mainstream media has its own agenda that is decidedly anti-life. Perhaps if we take it upon ourselves to spread the story of the atrocities committed by Gosnell (and other abortionists) we can wake up those who have been lulled into a passive acceptance of this brutal and inhumane practice. It may not be a comfortable conversation to have, but it is a necessary one. Now is the moment to have it.

Quote of the Week

“The so-called right to abortion has pitted mothers against their children and women against men. It has sown violence and discord at the heart of the most intimate human relationships. It has aggravated the derogation of the father's role in an increasingly fatherless society. It has portrayed the greatest of gifts--a child--as a competitor, an intrusion and an inconvenience. It has nominally accorded mothers unfettered dominion over the dependent lives of their physically dependent sons and daughters. And, in granting this unconscionable power, it has exposed many women to unjust and selfish demands from their husbands or other sexual partners.”

- Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

Catechism for the Year of Faith

Part of a continuing series.A selected quote from the Catechism of the Catholic Church in honor of the Year of Faith (October 11, 2012 - November 24, 2013)

947 "Since all the faithful form one body, the good of each is communicated to the others. . . . We must therefore believe that there exists a communion of goods in the Church. But the most important member is Christ, since he is the head. . . . Therefore, the riches of Christ are communicated to all the members, through the sacraments." "As this Church is governed by one and the same Spirit, all the goods she has received necessarily become a common fund."

948 The term "communion of saints" therefore has two closely linked meanings: communion in holy things (sancta)" and "among holy persons (sancti)."

Sancta sanctis! ("God's holy gifts for God's holy people") is proclaimed by the celebrant in most Eastern liturgies during the elevation of the holy Gifts before the distribution of communion. The faithful (sancti) are fed by Christ's holy body and blood (sancta) to grow in the communion of the Holy Spirit (koinonia) and to communicate it to the world.

949 In the primitive community of Jerusalem, the disciples "devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of the bread and the prayers."

Communion in the faith. The faith of the faithful is the faith of the Church, received from the apostles. Faith is a treasure of life which is enriched by being shared.

950 Communion of the sacraments. "The fruit of all the sacraments belongs to all the faithful. All the sacraments are sacred links uniting the faithful with one another and binding them to Jesus Christ, and above all Baptism, the gate by which we enter into the Church. The communion of saints must be understood as the communion of the sacraments. . . . The name 'communion' can be applied to all of them, for they unite us to God. . . . But this name is better suited to the Eucharist than to any other, because it is primarily the Eucharist that brings this communion about."

951 Communion of charisms. Within the communion of the Church, the Holy Spirit "distributes special graces among the faithful of every rank" for the building up of the Church. Now, "to each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good."

952 "They had everything in common." "Everything the true Christian has is to be regarded as a good possessed in common with everyone else. All Christians should be ready and eager to come to the help of the needy . . . and of their neighbors in want." A Christian is a steward of the Lord's goods.

953 Communion in charity. In the sanctorum communio, "None of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself." "If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it." "Charity does not insist on its own way." In this solidarity with all men, living or dead, which is founded on the communion of saints, the least of our acts done in charity redounds to the profit of all. Every sin harms this communion.

954 The three states of the Church. "When the Lord comes in glory, and all his angels with him, death will be no more and all things will be subject to him. But at the present time some of his disciples are pilgrims on earth. Others have died and are being purified, while still others are in glory, contemplating 'in full light, God himself triune and one, exactly as he is"':

All of us, however, in varying degrees and in different ways share in the same charity towards God and our neighbors, and we all sing the one hymn of glory to our God. All, indeed, who are of Christ and who have his Spirit form one Church and in Christ cleave together.

955 "So it is that the union of the wayfarers with the brethren who sleep in the peace of Christ is in no way interrupted, but on the contrary, according to the constant faith of the Church, this union is reinforced by an exchange of spiritual goods."

956 The intercession of the saints. "Being more closely united to Christ, those who dwell in heaven fix the whole Church more firmly in holiness. . . . They do not cease to intercede with the Father for us, as they proffer the merits which they acquired on earth through the one mediator between God and men, Christ Jesus . . . . So by their fraternal concern is our weakness greatly helped."

Do not weep, for I shall be more useful to you after my death and I shall help you then more effectively than during my life.
I want to spend my heaven in doing good on earth.

957 Communion with the saints. "It is not merely by the title of example that we cherish the memory of those in heaven; we seek, rather, that by this devotion to the exercise of fraternal charity the union of the whole Church in the Spirit may be strengthened. Exactly as Christian communion among our fellow pilgrims brings us closer to Christ, so our communion with the saints joins us to Christ, from whom as from its fountain and head issues all grace, and the life of the People of God itself":

We worship Christ as God's Son; we love the martyrs as the Lord's disciples and imitators, and rightly so because of their matchless devotion towards their king and master. May we also be their companions and fellow disciples!

958 Communion with the dead. "In full consciousness of this communion of the whole Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, the Church in its pilgrim members, from the very earliest days of the Christian religion, has honored with great respect the memory of the dead; and 'because it is a holy and a wholesome thought to pray for the dead that they may be loosed from their sins' she offers her suffrages for them." Our prayer for them is capable not only of helping them, but also of making their intercession for us effective.

959 In the one family of God. "For if we continue to love one another and to join in praising the Most Holy Trinity - all of us who are sons of God and form one family in Christ - we will be faithful to the deepest vocation of the Church."

Monday Musings

A few random thoughts and ponderings to start the week...

Something struck me in the Gospel this Sunday... I've noticed it before, but it really stuck out this time for some reason. After fishing all night unsuccessfully, the Apostles are told by the risen Jesus to cast their nets out and try one last time to catch some fish. As they haul in a huge amount of fish, they realize that it is the Lord standing on the shore, and Peter swims to Him ahead of the boat. Peter finds Jesus already cooking some fish on an open fire. Jesus tells the disciples to bring some of their fish so that He can cook it for them.

What struck me is that Jesus already has fish. He can already feed us without our help. Yet we bring what we have as an offering to Him, He asks for it and He receives it and prepares it for us. He already has what we need, but He takes what we offer to Him, and He perfects it and gives it back to us. And truthfully it is not even our fish that we bring to Him...after all, it is because of Him that we caught the fish in the first place. Without Him we would still have empty nets. It all comes from Him, and He offers it to us in abundance.

I know this is a theme that has been discussed many times before, but like I said, it really struck me this Sunday for some reason.

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I saw this article this morning, and thought I would post it today rather than wait until Friday with the rest of my headlines. This one isn't so much a "news" story as it is just a cute anecdote. It's just another example of Pope Francis' humble style... “But I’m the Pope. Sit down.”

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Finally, and most importantly, prayers go out to the people affected by the terrorist bombings in Boston today. Pray for healing, for comfort, and for justice. Pray for the lives lost and the lives disrupted by this senseless and cowardly act of evil and hate...

This Week's Headlines

As another week comes to an end, this is your chance to top off your glass with a final helping of news, current events, and just plain interesting stuff that may not have made into the mainstream media. A chance to linger for a few more moments before we close the door on the week. Below are some links to articles, blogs, and miscellaneous happenings that caught my eye over the past few days. Sample what you like. I'll serve up more next Friday...

8 things to know and share about the Annunciation - [This Feast Day was transferred to April 8 this year because March 25 (the usual date for the Annunciation) fell during Holy Week. Here are a few facts that may be worth sharing.]

Archbishop Gomez On Our New Pope's Challenging Vision - "Our new Pope is reminding us that everything starts from our deep life of prayer and our intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. But we can't stop there. We can't forget that the Church exists to evangelize."

Christian Marriage and Family is a Vocation and Call to Holiness - "From antiquity the Christian Family has been called the domestic church. This is more than piety, it is to become reality, by grace. "

The Preservation of Marriage: A Battle Worth Fighting - Pope Francis: "At stake are the lives of many children who will be discriminated against in advance and deprived of their human development given by a father and a mother and willed by God. At stake is the total rejection of God’s law engraved in our hearts."

Same-Sex "Marriage" Is Not a Civil Right - "The much disputed question of whether same-sex relationships are morally good or bad, healthy or unhealthy, is beside the point at this stage of legal consideration. The first question is about identity and difference. This is the material legal matter of properly recognizing and identifying what exists and distinguishing between marriages and auto clubs, between schools and banks, between friendships and multinational corporations. It has nothing to do with civil rights."

The World is Upside-Down - "Increasingly today, what is undeniably evil is depicted as good and what most traditionalists, at least, used to agree is good passes often for evil."

Three Arguments the World Can Still Hear -  "...when every statement we make is answered by “You are a hater,” what can we talk about?" See also, this great video by Fr. Barron: Fr. Barron on Gay Marriage and the Breakdown of Moral Argument

Four Reasons Why the Media Isn't Covering the Gosnell Murder Trial - "Although Gosnell was charged with eight counts of murder, witnesses have testified he murdered over 100 babies over three decades. If true, this would rank Gosnell as one of the top five known serial killers worldwide of the 20th and 21st Centuries by victim count." [Warning: There are some disturbing images in this article.] See also: Philadelphia abortion clinic horror: Column

Congressman: If Gosnell Killed Babies With a Gun It’d Be National News - "Will Americans ever be informed by a conscientious, unbiased news media that in the past 40 years, over 55 million child victims have been brutally killed by abortion—a staggering loss of children’s lives that equates to the entire population in England?"

Teen Worker at Gosnell Abortion Clinic: “They Looked Like Babies” - "Ashley Baldwin, a 15-year-old sophomore at University City High School, found herself employed at Gosnell’s abortion clinic and, despite no medical license or training, working alongside him performing gruesome late-term abortions."

“Is It a Baby?” Abortion Clinic Workers Respond - [The response may surprise you.]

Post-Newtown Gun Control is Not About the Children, but Control - "Anyone. And I mean anyone who does not want to talk about Kermit Gosnell’s actions and our abortion-saturated culture but does want to use Newtown to push gun control because of our gun-saturated culture does not care about saving kids. They care about control."

‘The Ugliest Form of Misogyny’: Sex-Selective Abortions and the War on Baby Girls - "Every year in India and China, more baby girls are killed by abortion and infanticide than are born in the United States."

Did You Know? 90% of Babies With Down Syndrome are Aborted - "We blame things like misinformation and prenatal testing, but there’s a much more disturbing problem simmering beneath the surface: the lack of Down syndrome parents willing to speak out against it."

Obama seeks protection from Church subpoena - "The documents filed by the Obama administration also claim that Supreme Court decisions of the past should protect his administration from having to provide the documents, except in extraordinary circumstances."

No King But Cesar - "What exactly were the Google executives thinking? They could have let the day pass unmarked, and nobody would have minded. Instead, they chose to pay tribute to an obscure cultural figure on a day when hundreds of thousands of their users were celebrating the holiest day of their liturgical year."

Breaking: DoD Lumps Catholics in with Al Qaeda and KKK as Examples of "Religious Extremism." - "That's right, your taxpayer money is going towards training reservists to view Catholics as dangerous as terror groups intent on America's destruction."

Is the Church a Thermometer or a Thermostat? A Biblical reply to those who prefer a trendy and compliant Church - "The Church does not exist to merely reflect and parrot the views of her parishioners, gleaned from polls and focus groups. She exists to reflect the views of her founder and head, Jesus Christ."

Disney World and “C & E” [Christmas & Easter] Catholics - "...we have countless thousands of Catholics who are not actively practicing their faith marching into our parishes twice a year and we are doing very little to win them back.  This group is possibly the most fertile ground for our evangelization efforts.  How can we help them?"