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February 2016

February 04, 2016

Why Mention 5,000 Men, and Slight Those Women and Children?

As I mentioned the other week, Sr. Simone Campbell has shown herself to be a...

February 01, 2016

Doing Something Right, Priest Edition

This past week a priest in our region died, suddenly and unexpectedly. He was not...

January 2016

January 28, 2016

Prayer Time – For a Dad in ICU, and others

Yesterday was my sister's birthday, and since I'd lost her phone number (again!) I dropped...

December 2015

December 20, 2015

Holiday Despair and the Meaning of Christmas

Years ago my husband had a business trip to Milan, and he went to church...

December 12, 2015

When Your Priest is a Jerk

So I have a couple priest-friends who can pretty much match me for jerk-power, but...

December 11, 2015

Good Riddance Evangelism

So this week at Mass I saw a priest pick a fight with a group...

November 2015

November 01, 2015

Catholic Life Hacks: Truly Last Minute Saint Costume

If you have a group of children who need a saint costume, stat, ask if...

October 2015

October 28, 2015

True Radiance Chapter 6: The Beauty in Every Vocation

My friend Lisa Mladinich asked me to write today on chapter six of her beautiful...

October 24, 2015

State Mandates Killing of Mentally Ill Patients

No no, I've got that headline wrong. It's all about "dignity" when you tell a...

October 14, 2015

“If You Were Really Pro-Life Then You’d . . .”

One of the red herrings of the culture of death is the, "What about those...

October 05, 2015

Updated – How to Help in SC, and Flood Notes of Interest #scflood

UPDATED: Go here for a better list of ways to help with immediate needs and...

August 2015

August 30, 2015

Pro-Life, Married, and Contracepting: Is There a Problem?

In light of the recent Planned Parenthood videos, I've been thinking about a group of...

August 14, 2015

Parenting Fail: Telling the World You Wish Your Kid Were Dead

I do not understand why the courts tolerate "accidental life" lawsuits. What a waste of...

August 10, 2015

The Perilous Trail Through the Culture of Death and Deception

The Catholic faith is difficult to believe. Oh sure, we can give assent to the...

July 2015

July 16, 2015

In Which We Compare the Cross to an Orange

Or a coconut? Pineapple, I think. Yeah, pineapple. Good thing I pre-prayed today's Gospel, because...

July 09, 2015

What’s the Point of Pointless Suffering?

An acquaintance lamented privately about a particular difficulty her family had faced, and the senselessness...

July 08, 2015

Will Suffering Make Your Marriage Better or Worse?

Suffering is called "suffering" because it's horrible. The amount of horror can vary from low-grade...

July 01, 2015

10 Things Christian Kids Need to Prepare for an Uncertain Future

In a private conversation Elizabeth Scalia posed a question, and I'm going to paraphrase it wildly:...

June 2015

June 19, 2015

The Terrible Problem with Laudato Si’

"Living our vocation to be protectors of God's handiwork is essential to the life of...

June 18, 2015

On Racism in the American South and the Shock of the Charleston Shootings

When I first heard about the murders at Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Church down in Charleston, the...

June 17, 2015

Three Signs It’s a Sexual Abuse Cover-Up and Not Just an Innocent Misunderstanding

In yesterday's installment in this series on preventing and stopping sexual abuse, I created three...

June 16, 2015

Phone Before You’re Sure: Why Stopping Sexual Abuse Requires Early Police Involvement

Yesterday I wrote this, and you might be wondering why: You can talk to an...

June 14, 2015

What Not to Read When You’ve Got a Rash

I don't have a rash, so I can read this book: Complications: A Surgeon's Notes...

May 2015

May 26, 2015

Love, Death, and the Communion of Saints: There are Movies for That

My chief occupation this Memorial Day was doing things to prevent my lungs from making...

May 23, 2015

The Perverse Pleasures of Chronic Illness: Ordinary Colds

Late this afternoon I gave up all pretense that my runny nose might be allergies...

May 07, 2015

Is there a Christian Answer to the Transgender Problem? How about BIID?

I've written on the topic of transgender Christians before, see the last two links in...

April 2015

April 28, 2015

Help a Widow and Two Orphans

I'd like to invite those of you with the means to do so to contribute...

April 05, 2015

The Kissable God

The feasts of the liturgical year intertwine. At Christmas we adore the baby Jesus, cuddly,...

February 2015

February 20, 2015

Christian Community and the Loss of Penance

In a private forum, someone asked why Catholics don't talk about acts of penance so much...

February 19, 2015

What Makes a Good Penance? 3 Tips for Mid-Lent Adjustments

Good news: If your Lent needs some improvement, there's no law that you can't adjust your...