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Serving Catholics for 25 Years
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| Note from the Managing Editor |
We know this life is passing away. We know to reach eternal life, we must pass through the Cross. But suffering can be so hard to accept. Even God himself prayed, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me." And, as Saint Maximilian Kolbe writes in our reflection, "The cup did not go away."
But what beautiful encouragement we have from Father Paul Scalia, who explains Christ's sense of humor in the parable of how to choose your seat at a dinner party. He says: "To keep from being overwhelmed by trials, we must have a sense of humor. Without it, our engagement in the spiritual combat will quickly make us brittle, bitter, and resentful. We ought to be warriors, but joyful ones." See "The Seriousness of Humor."
Mark Malvasi writes a long but worthy read, "Romano Guardini & The End of the Modern World." He argues, "The legacy of war, the peril of nuclear annihilation, and the rise of torture and terror have combined to effect the disintegration of political, social, and moral order." It reminds me of Venerable Servant of God Fulton J. Sheen's school talk where he says that by dropping the atomic bomb "we blotted out boundaries. And from that time on, the world has said, we want no restraint, no boundaries, no limits."
Also take note of Anthony Esolen's "Imagine ... What We Already Are," the first in a series—this one on the effects of pornography. As he says, "The first order of business is to recognize the problem." And thankfully, he'll give us some ideas of what to do next.
God bless you all this week! - Meaghen Gonzalez
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"Do not waste time bothering whether you 'love' your neighbor; act as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him." - C.S. Lewis
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| Abandoning Ourselves to Our Heavenly Father and Mother |
| Saint Maximilian Kolbe, The Writings of St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe, Volume I |
| Jesus himself in the Garden of Olives said, when he was begging his Father to release him from the appalling suffering that awaited him... |
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| The Seriousness of Humor |
| Father Paul Scalia, The Catholic Thing |
| At the risk of seeming disrespectful or irreverent, I'd like to propose that the parable in today's Gospel is, well, funny. |
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| Imagine ... What We Already Are |
| Anthony Esolen, The Catholic Thing |
| Imagine a boy growing up wild in the woods, without any human contact, taught by the wolves—such things have apparently happened in India. |
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| The Gift in One Man's Death |
| John Cuddeback, LifeCraft |
| "Breathes there the man, with soul so dead, / Who never to himself hath said, / This is my own, my native land!" - Sir Walter Scott |
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| The Witness of Queen Elizabeth II |
| Crisis Magazine |
| Whereas many 21-year-olds today can barely commit to show up at a minimum-wage job, Elizabeth made an enormous and life-long commitment and she stuck with it every single day of her life. |
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| A Tribute to My Queen |
| NC Register |
| As a spiritual mother and grandmother to millions, it seems fitting that she should have passed on the feast of the Nativity of Our Blessed Mother, the Queen of Heaven. |
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| Why the British Monarchy Is Still Relevant |
| The Imaginative Conservative |
| Perhaps it could be argued that the English monarch is nothing but an effectively powerless figurehead and that, therefore, his or her words are of little consequence. The real power resides with Parliament, not with the Monarch. Not so, I would reply. Or at least not necessarily so. |
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| Five Reasons for Hope |
| Catholic Exchange |
| The Church, marriage, the family, as well as society in general are experiencing a crisis of grave proportions. |
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| The woman who saved 15 sailors from drowning |
| BBC |
| In 1884, Jane Whyte, a 40-year-old mother-of-eight, was on New Aberdour beach in Aberdeenshire when she saw the Dundee steamer William Hope drifting towards rocks after its engine failed. |
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| Abigail Becker: Heroine of Long Point, Lake Erie |
| NMGL |
| Had Abigail Becker not been endowed with great strength and agility of body as well as with a most courageous spirit, she could never have performed the heroic feats of life saving which she did on the shore of Lake Erie in late November, 1854. |
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| Catholics, Log Off |
| Real Clear Religion |
| What does it mean for technology to obstruct our path to God? |
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| Vaccines Are Magic |
| The DisInformation Chronicle |
| Current social conventions allow disparagement of drugs and devices, but critique a vaccine—good night, and good luck. |
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| We Didn't Start the IVF Clinic Fire |
| Catholic Answers |
| The IVF clinic is on fire, and you can save 100 frozen embryos or a single toddler. If you choose the toddler, does that make you a hypocrite? |
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| Tips & Gift Ideas for Parents of Budding Artists |
| John Folley |
| Your child is drawing all the time; your child has a gift for cartooning; your child is asking for more materials and opportunities. You're not an artist or have never taught art—how to respond? |
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