Hordes of people are descending on Europe, destroying local cultures and straining infrastructure. They are descending upon picturesque villages and public squares. Locals are moving out. Some might think that this invasion refers to the immigration crisis. However, these new invaders do not stay. Unlike conquering Caesar, they come, they see, and they leave. They … Read more
To the scientific community, religion is a mystery that should not exist. The greatest mystery is the God problem. There must be some kind of scientific explanation to account for why people believe in God. Since the Enlightenment, secular scientists have held that God is an imaginary being, created by weak people who need psychological … Read more
September 25 is the feast of the Divine Shepherdess. This devotion dates back to 1703, when Capuchin Friar Isidoro of Seville, a scion of Spain’s most noble families, experienced a mystical illumination in which the Virgin Mary asked him to spread devotion to her as Shepherdess of Souls. He commissioned a painting, preached this devotion, … Read more
You are waiting for your food at a restaurant. Near you, four diners sit in silence at a table. Each diner is operating a cellular telephone. If you have seen this picture, you already know that digital media have replaced conversation for many. Typically, they are young, but not always. Children, fathers, mothers, and even … Read more
The outrage over both the sexual scandals and the complicity of members of the hierarchy is definitely morally justified. This makes a discussion of the causes all the more necessary. A Sin That Cries to Heaven for Vengeance The sin of homosexuality is extremely grave. Consequently, catechisms and other texts used to list it among … Read more
One sign of a disordered society is a disordered educational system. “We can teach anybody,” is one of the most common catchphrases in American Education. Consider the names of the education programs of the last two presidents. Government Education Programs President Bush wanted to be known as the education president. When he took office, he … Read more
Ten years have passed since the 2008 subprime mortgage crisis. It was the worst financial panic since the Great Depression. Now it seems that some of the lessons learned back then are being forgotten. Growing debt burdens in emerging markets are igniting new fears of a crisis that could shake economies everywhere. This time the … Read more
In the Nicene Creed, the faithful profess: “Credo in unam, sanctam, catholicam et apostolicam Ecclesiam”—“I believe in One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.”1 When reciting the Creed, Catholics profess, therefore, to believe in the sanctity of the Church. This sanctity, nonetheless, is often not visible, especially when the weaknesses of Her members appear to demonstrate … Read more
There are many issues that President Trump can solve. His first great accomplishment was solving the election. Almost all conservatives adopted a thank-God-it’s-not-Hillary approach to the Trump presidency. There was a general sigh of relief over a bullet dodged. As time passes, the administration now stands on its own merits beyond being not-Hillary. In this … Read more
Since the hierarchical structure of the Church is a truth of the Faith, it is not surprising that the Popes uphold this teaching. A sampling of Papal declarations on this point illustrates the importance of this truth. Old Condemned Heresies In the fourteenth century, Marsilius of Padua, in his book Defensor Pacis (The Defender of … Read more
