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June 28, 2017

Note from the Assistant Editor:

"It is not working with her husband that makes a bride his wife; it is being entirely possessed by him."  The two are one flesh.  It is this union we must seek with Christ, and then bring to the world.  See "Vine, Branches, Bride."

We reprint a review of On the Edge of Infinity: A Biography of Michael D O'Brien below.  O'Brien is a Catholic novelist, who sees the purpose of that vocation as awakening "the reader's imagination in such a way that he is recalled to the basic principles of life in Christ."  See "God save me!' A Catholic artist's journey to faith in an age of apostasy."

In "Sympathy for the devil," Archbishop Charles Chaput warns about the dangers of not believing in the devil who "knows that consigning him to myth inevitably sets in motion our same treatment of God."

Another in an excellent series on parenting, "10 Easy ways to wean a small child off a smartphone or tablet" offers some practical advice.  Detachment from technology is especially important because "these devices can interfere with normal brain functions, such as attention, concentration, or self-control."

Prager University consistently puts out pithy educational videos, and we reprint the transcript of "If There Is No God, Murder Isn't Wrong" below.  If there is no God, morality is only opinion — and "murder is evil" is the same as the statement "I don't like murder."

Finally, we have a wonderful piece from Fr. George Rutler about persistence.  "To discourage is to lose heart.  It is a trick of the Anti-Christ and the very opposite of Christ who encourages."  Therefore, "We do not lose heart."  - Meaghen Hale



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"We have been liberated from the old morality; but a puritanical anti-morality has come in its place." Roger Scruton



New Resources


 
Vine, Branches, Bride - Madeleine Delbrêl - La Joie de Croire

To be bride is to go constantly from the night of the theological mystery of Love out to the world.


 
'God save me!' A Catholic artist's journey to faith in an age of apostasy - Gabriele Kuby - LifeSiteNews

Upon closing the new biography of Catholic author and painter Michael O'Brien an image arose, planted into the Christian mind by Christ himself:


 
Sympathy for the devil - The Most Reverend Charles J. Chaput - Catholic Philly

A society that relies on reason and technology, without faith, risks forgetting God and making a deal with the devil, Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia has warned.


 
G. K. Chesterton - Heather King - Magnificat

G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936), English writer, lay theologian, poet, and philosopher, converted to Catholicism in 1922 and became one of its greatest contemporary apologists.


 
10 Easy ways to wean a small child off a smartphone or tablet - Álvaro Bilbao - Aleteia

If electronic devices are addictive for adults, what must be happening to our children?


 
Lessons from Lewis: The Silver Chair - Stephen Fitzpatrick - Crisis Magazine

When I first read and re-read the seven Narnia books, The Silver Chair was easily my favorite.


 
If There Is No God, Murder Isn't Wrong - Dennis Prager - Prager University

As Dennis Prager explains, without God, all morality is mere opinion.


 
We do not lose heart - Father George W. Rutler - From the Pastor

The legend of King Robert the Bruce, exiled from Scotland in a cave off the Irish coast in 1306, resembles a similar story in the Bible about King David when he was a boy.


 
12th Sunday in OT - Father John Horgan - CERC

Jesus is about to send his disciples out to preach in the towns and villages.

Editorials of Interest:

"With God's Grace" - The Catholic Thing
The Creative Catholic: John C. Wright - Catholic World Report

Editorials of Interest


Pope Francis: How to open yourself to the healing power of God - Aleteia

It is only by accepting that we are clay that "the extraordinary power of God will come and give us the fulfilment, salvation, happiness and joy of being saved."


Interview: The husband of Chiara Corbella on his wife's sacrifice and possible canonization - Aleteia

"More than feeling that the world was against us, we knew that we were with the Lord."


The book Christians should read instead of The Benedict Option - America Magazine

In spaces of individual freedom, Christians do not evangelize by withdrawing but by forming friendships. Christianity did not begin with a moral system or assent to dogmatic claims but with Jesus, who offered his companionship.


Why Do Protestants Reject the Notion of "One True Church"? - NC Register

Once sola Scriptura is firmly in place, any final or authoritative notion of a visible, institutional Church bolstered by apostolic succession, whose teachings are authoritative and binding, has to go.


Did You Know You Can Request Prayers from Nuns Online? - epicPew

A compilation of websites where one can request prayers from and donate to religious communities.


Bp Paprocki's norms on 'same-sex marriage' - In the Light of the Law

A few days ago, doubtless in response to pastoral questions he had been receiving from ministers in his local Church, Springfield IL Bp Thomas Paprocki issued diocesan norms regarding ministry toward persons who had entered a 'same-sex marriage'.


Rex Murphy: Liberals need to stop using Trump as a shield for their own incompetence in losing an election - National Post

There is no hubris greater than the hubris of those who feel they are entitled.


Canada Passes Law Criminalizing Use of Wrong Gender Pronouns - The Stream

Critics say that Canadians who do not subscribe to progressive gender theory could be accused of hate crimes, jailed, fined, and made to take anti-bias training.


Why Muslim imams have refused to pray for terrorists - Aleteia

In an unprecedented act, 185 British Muslim imams and representatives have refused to perform the funeral prayer (salat janaza) on the bodies of the terrorists responsible for the London attacks.


10 Bible Passages Every Catholic Should Know to Promote Chastity and Reconciliation - epicPew

We are all works in progress. Lest we develop a Pharisaical outlook, we must recall that "all have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God."


Can a marriage between a Catholic and an atheist work? - For Her

Father Zbigniew Kaplanski says mutual respect is the non-negotiable foundation for such marriages.


Fr. Dwight Longenecker: Some Straight Talk on Sex - Patheos

How to live chastely and how to deal with celibacy is the challenge — not just for homosexual people, but for anyone who is unmarried.


Should You Live Together Before Marriage? - The Art of Manliness

Fifty years ago, cohabitating with one's significant other before marriage was described in pejorative terms and often thought of as immoral. Today the picture is quite different.


The ministry in matrimony and the destruction of divorce - The Motherlands

Marriage is hard, but the sacred institution is meant for our good and the good of our children, the Church, and society.


What Men and Women Want in Marriage - Our World in Data

A rare opportunity to see how values have changed is offered in a survey in which people were asked what they seek in a spouse.


Mis-Educating the Young - NY Times

Childhood is more structured than it has ever been. But then the great engine of the meritocracy spits people out into a young adulthood that is less structured than it has ever been.


"With God's Grace" - The Catholic Thing

When we invoke God's grace and pray for His assistance, we do not presume His will be done. We hope His will is done through us despite our weakness if we are appropriately responsive to His grace.


The Creative Catholic: John C. Wright - Catholic World Report

"The writer's vocation is to write for some one person — a person he will never meet in this life — his favorite book."


Stephanie Gray: "Abortion: From Controversy to Civility" - Talks at Google

Stephanie Gray invites you to be "pro-conversation" on a topic that can be one of the most divisive, and demonstrates that it is possible to be gracious and respectful when encountering different ideas.


What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness - TED Talks

What keeps us happy and healthy as we go through life? If you think it's fame and money, you're not alone — but, according to psychiatrist Robert Waldinger, you're mistaken.


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

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