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March 3, 2021

Note from the Assistant Managing Editor:

As Catholics, we take the Fall and original sin as a given.  That said, I think we can still find it hard to accept the reality of sin.

As a teenager, I knew theoretically that girls my age were using birth control — but when I heard my fellow lifeguards-in-training talk about it casually in the locker room, the bottom fell out of my stomach.

Even the simple entertainment of a television show doesn't promise respite.  The halcyon sitcoms of the past have been replaced with a twisted, dark sense of humor that presents the most degraded human behavior and laughs at it — but it is the dead laugh of a rotting skeleton.

What helps me most when I feel bombarded by these dark realities and lies is hearing good men and women speak the truth.  I need to hear other voices than my own heart affirming, "This is wrong.  This leads to death.  God's way leads to life."

Our whole goal here at CERC is to bring these voices to you.  You don't need to go searching for them; they come to your inbox every Wednesday.  They appear on the front page of our site.  They're present in our wealth of resources, and speak the truth on every topic from the crusades to "white privilege."

Please help us to continue to bring these voices to you.  Click here to donate!  Your gift is tax deductible in either the United States or Canada.


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"So it is a great comfort to every person who finds himself challenged and provoked by temptation. He sees that his time of battle has arrived, and unless he behaves like a coward or a fool, he has the prospect of gaining his eternal reward." - Saint Thomas More



New Resources


 
Lent: The struggle between grace and our fallen nature - Fr. Pius Parsch - from Seasons of Grace

In the struggle between grace and our fallen nature, Christ stands at our sides, ready with His word and His bread to lead us on to victory.


 
Another Kind of Death Sentence - Anthony Esolen - Crisis Magazine

We must not complicate what Jesus makes clear.


 
The educational pilgrimage of St. John Paul II and its impact on the world - George Weigel - Catholic World Report

Karol Wojtyla had two convictions that shaped his papal ministry and his thinking about education.


 
Somebody needs to be dad - Francis X. Maier - First Things

The extraordinary fact of Catholic life in the United States is not the few bishops who humiliate us so bitterly, but the many who do the job so well.


 
To Control "Toxic Masculinity" and Heal the Family We Must Appreciate the Differences between the Sexes - Willis Renuart - Public Discourse

To combat "toxic masculinity," the APA suggests teaching boys to express their emotions and insecurities more openly.


 
The Rise of Barbie and Rambo - Father Dwight Longenecker - The Imaginative Conservative

Signs within the developing culture from the 1950s indicated, even then, a new confusion about sexual identity.

Editorials of Interest


Pope Francis accepts Cardinal Robert Sarah's resignation from divine worship congregation - CWR

Sarah, who turned 75 in June 2020, was the most senior African prelate at the Vatican, appointed head of the liturgy department by Pope Francis in November 2014.


Truth about the Equality Act - USCCB

The bill is well-intentioned but ultimately misguided. The Equality Act discriminates against people of faith, threatens unborn life, and undermines the common good.


The Chief Apologises - BBC Scotland Comedy

The Chief does his best to apologise without offending anyone.


Saying No in Lent - Life Craft

Saying 'no' to some things has great importance in life because we want to say 'yes' to something else.


Opinion: Is taking the COVID-19 vaccine a moral duty? - CWR

As in any other decision, a prudential choice has to be made, taking one's particular circumstances into consideration.


Rand Paul Confronts Biden's Transgender Health Nominee About "Genital Mutilation" - YouTube

Rand Paul confronts Biden's transgender health nominee Rachel Levine about "genital mutilation" in a senate confirmation hearing.


In Gratitude for Joe Biden - Catholic Culture

Sacraments, according to the Baltimore Catechism, are outward signs instituted by Christ to give grace.


German Catholic bishops call for change to Catechism on homosexuality - CWR

Bishop Peter Kohlgraf of Mainz has suggested that Catholics with homosexual inclinations cannot all be expected to live chastely and the Church should adopt a pastoral approach that acknowledges this.


Prepare to be cancelled - Catholic Culture

The ominous trend toward censorship, in the news and especially in the social media, is now unmistakably clear.


The Challenge of Marxism - Quillette

For a generation after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, most Americans and Europeans regarded Marxism as an enemy that had been defeated once and for all. But they were wrong.


The Avenging Conscience - Leila Miller

A few weeks ago, I read a disturbing blog post by Abby Johnson, former director of a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic.


On teaching a foreign language to your child - LMLD

Want your child to have what people call "critical thinking skills"? Make sure he learns a foreign language.


Catholic Culture Audiobooks - Catholic Culture

Voice actor James T. Majewski brings to life classic Catholic works, with a special emphasis on St. John Henry Newman and the Fathers of the Church.


CREATED EQUAL: Clarence Thomas In His Own Words - Justice Thomas Movie

Although Clarence Thomas remains a controversial figure, loved by some, reviled by others, few know much more than a few headlines and the recollections of his contentious confirmation battle with Anita Hill.


'Erasing Family' Documentary Illuminates The Unbearable Suffering Divorce Causes Kids - The Federalist

Divorce is not just the end of a marriage, it's most often the beginning of a tragic, life-long, evolving fallout for the entire family.


New Podcast: America on Trial - Center for the Restoration of Christian Culture

Phil Lawler interviews Robert Reilly on his thesis about the American Founding.


The Last Gospel Speaks the First Word of Faith - Adoremus

The "Last Gospel" is the name given to the beginning of the Gospel according to St. John as part of the concluding rites in the Extraordinary Form.


St. John Henry Cardinal Newman and
St. Justin Martyr, pray for us

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