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February 2015

February 18, 2015

Atheism, Beauty, and the Loss of Penance

My young daughter, whose cuteness makes her look even younger, sat on the stool at...

November 2014

November 24, 2014

Hating the Holidays as the Precursor to Happiness

You're supposed to be happy now, because it's the holidays. The rest of the year,...

November 22, 2014

In Favor of Incompetent Housewives

Your must-read column for today is Calah Alexander's essay on what it's like being...

November 04, 2014

Catholic Website Advises Parents: Obsession with the Occult is No Big Deal

The recently launched online Catholic magazine Crux has an advice column up, in which a parent...

November 03, 2014

A Right Relationship with Sister Death

The media is gushing over another high-profile suicide, which is of course high-profile precisely because...

October 2014

October 31, 2014

ISIS and Just Warfare: Is Now the Time for Men of Good Will to Intervene?

To join the discussion about Rise of ISIS, a Threat We Cannot Ignore, or...

October 08, 2014

#Synod14 – In Which Justice & Mercy Try Dating for a Bit

The overall theme of this month's Extraordinary Synod on the Family seems to be this:...

October 01, 2014

If It Doesn’t Cost You Everything, You’re Not on the Little Way

I once made a mother cry by telling her it was the vigil of the...

September 2014

September 19, 2014

In the Face of Such Evil, the Only Thing Left is Hope

For those who know what such a thing is, the theme around my corner of...

September 16, 2014

Annulments, Divorce, Remarriage: We’ve Got it All Backwards

The Synod for the Family is coming up, and one of the vexing problems it...

September 11, 2014

Greed, Human Suffering, and Catholic Social Teaching – Links Worth Your Time

Linking around on human rights & Catholic social teaching: Brandon @ Siris debunks a few...

September 10, 2014

What Happens if Sacramental Confession Ceases to be Secret?

Why are some secrets worth dying for? The Jesuit Post blog has an excellent piece...

September 01, 2014

Get Young Adults to Join Your Parish in Two Easy Steps, Guaranteed.

The question came up at Sherry Weddell's Intentional Disciples discussion forum: How does one attract...

August 2014

August 29, 2014

Discipleship. You hear the word. What does it mean?

Up at New Evangelizers, I answer the question, "What exactly is this discipleship thing we keep...

August 16, 2014

Confession Primer: Forgetting to Confess a Mortal Sin

My friend John Hathaway recently hosted a conversation prompted by a classic comic from the New St....

August 06, 2014

Charlotte, NC Missionaries of the Poor Benefit Concert – The Messiah August 9th

A head's up from Mrs. Curley: Hello Everyone, I have been asked by The Missionaries Of...

July 2014

July 21, 2014

Something Beautiful: Lectio Divina Blog

Serendipity is following a link to the Lectio Divina site by transitional deacon Ian Van...

June 2014

June 25, 2014

Modesty as the Language of Mutual Respect

"I just hate it when people tell me what to wear." That's the open admission...

June 20, 2014

Quick Links – Corrections on Guns & Tuam

Two links, unrelated, that deserve your attention: 1. The Associated Press issued a correction on...

June 19, 2014

Dead Priests, Dead Babies, Guns, Cars, Accidents, Guilt & Absolution

The death of Fr. Kenneth Walker has opened back up the discussion about whether priests...

June 16, 2014

F-Minus Christianity: Loving My Enemies

Christianity, I remind myself, is an aspirational religion. I usually get to pray the daily...

June 12, 2014

Gender Reassignment Creates Problems, But Not Irredeemable Problems

Thanks to Sean Alderman for the link to this 2004 article at First Things about...

June 04, 2014

Evil is Easy – updated twice

Fresh reports of horror out of Ireland, these far grimmer than what I had seen...

May 2014

May 28, 2014

“I Got My Life Back!” And Similar Nonsense

At this writing, I am the poster child for Better Living Through Chemistry. If we...

May 22, 2014

God Neither Needs Nor Wastes

In your frustration, loneliness, isolation, pain, turmoil, desolation, and death . . . there is...

May 22, 2014

Come to Mass Ugly, Please – Fan Mail Edition

I got a note from Bryan Murdaugh this morning about my freshly-pressed column up at...

May 16, 2014

The Martyrless Delusion in Christopia

Julie Davis comments here on the pending execution of a Christian woman for the crime...

May 07, 2014

Religion is about Reality – and so is the Black Mass

One of the striking features of Harvard's planned Black Mass, being hosted by Satanists who...

April 2014

April 30, 2014

Nine Annoying Things Novena – Start Now

The prospect of death does not make cry. The prospect of choosing between another around...

April 30, 2014

Just Say No to Needy Busybodies

If you search Google images for the word "No", a bazillion variations pop up. If...