New York attorney general sued for ‘targeting’ pro-life pregnancy centers
The nonprofit law firm Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) and others are suing New York Attorney General Letitia James for allegedly “using her power to censor pro-life pregnancy centers” because they promote abortion pill reversal, according to a Tuesday press release. The naturally occurring hormone progesterone can be used to combat the abortifacient effect of the first abortion pill. James sued […]
When we’re tired or busy, here’s the way to pray
At the risk of being simplistic, I want to say something about prayer in a very simple way. While doing doctoral studies, I had a professor, an elderly Augustine priest, who in his demeanor, speech, and attitude, radiated wisdom and maturity. Everything about him bespoke integrity. You immediately trusted him, the wise old grandfather of […]
14 Catholics killed in Democratic Republic of Congo after refusing to convert to Islam
Pope Francis condemned the recent killing of 14 Catholics in the African Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) who reportedly were killed after they refused to convert to Islam. The Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano reported that the 14 Catholics, several of them very young, were killed in North Kivu by members of the ISIS-affiliated militia called […]
Why Can Only Practicing Catholics Receive the Sacraments?
In establishing his covenant with the Israelites, God also established three different leadership roles: priests, prophets, and kings. The role of the Israelite priests was to offer sacrifices as God described to Moses and his brother Aaron; Aaron and his descendants were to be the priests. The prophets were God’s spokesmen; he commissioned them to […]
Build a Chapel in Your Child’s Heart
I have just returned from a Select Tours Pilgrimage to some of Our Lady’s medieval shrines in Poland, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. I don’t think I have caught my breath yet—not because of fatigue, but from gasping repeatedly at the startling beauty that blew a fuse in my heart. These magnificent shrines were built without […]
A Hidden Gem: The 54-Day Rosary Novena
I was a high schooler when the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown struck. All of a sudden, there were no more days at the park with my homeschool group, no more choir or guitar lessons, no in-person Mass. By that time, everyone in the world had discovered Zoom. My family decided to put this up-and-coming technology […]
12 Preachable (or Teachable) Points from the Movie Wildcat
Lovers of literature will want to see one of the latest movies in theaters, Wildcat, a dramatized version of the life of author Flannery O’Connor. O’Connor is well known among readers for her complex stories and personal religiosity. Director Ethan Hawke does not disappoint and fills the biopic with the author’s stories, religious imagery, and spiritual […]
First, Communion
The first time I read G.K. Chesterton’s 1908 work Orthodoxy, I leaned repeatedly across the aisle of an airplane to share passages with my adult son. Chesterton recalled his days as a rationalist and described how puzzling Catholicism seemed when reading others’ critiques. He concluded that it was an unreasonable religion, being at the same […]
Internal Family Systems: What is it? New Age or Divinely Inspired?
There is a popular type of therapy sweeping the country. People are experiencing powerful mental health gains with Internal Family Systems (IFS) which is a “parts work” therapeutic model. Therapists are having such a difficult time getting into the much sought after IFS Institute trainings that they are desperately seeking alternative ways to learn about […]
In the Midst of May: The Crowning of Our Lady
Mary goes before us all in the holiness that is the Church’s mystery as “the bride without spot or wrinkle.” This is why the “Marian” dimension of the Church precedes the “Petrine.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 773) A memorable event from my childhood stands out to me and unfurls with a timeless grace—the May […]