Memorial Day first began as Decoration Day. The Grand Army of the Republic – the group of Union veterans that survived the American Civil War – first established the day in May 1868 to decorate the graves of war dead with flowers. The focus for that day, and the array of activities that had come to define it, expanded after World War I to include all service personnel from all wars who lost their lives in service to the United States.
The Catholic Church has its own version of...
In a recent essay, Humblesse Oblige, writer Simcha Fisher makes a lovely case for the neglected virtue of obedience, reminding us that the Church doesn’t impose obligations simply to throw her weight around, but because she understands our feelings aren’t always adequate to the situation.
“If obedience for the sake of obedience seems shabby and pathetic to you,” she writes, think of a mom putting nutritious meals on the table for her kids. Sometimes cooking seems like just the...
The appearance of yet another film version of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s "The Great Gatsby” provides the occasion for reflecting on what many consider the great American novel.
Those who are looking for a thorough review of the movie itself will have to look elsewhere, I’m afraid. I will say only this about the movie: I think that Baz Luhrmann’s version is better than the sleepy 1974 incarnation, and I would say that Leonardo DiCaprio makes a more convincing Gatsby than Robert...
To repeat: How many of us, who sincerely want to do good work for the Lord, spend more time in the office than in the sanctuary? Too many of us who set out to do the work of the Lord would dare not miss a meeting, a conference or a pledge drive, but we let prayer slip away from us too easily (To be sure, I am a work in progress in this regard). We forget that it is not what we do or say that is the most important thing. Rather, it is what God does with what we do or say that makes the...
Anything without heart, anything without love – and I mean politics, music, law, art, even religion – anything without love, no matter how brilliant, is finally inadequate and weak. At the end of the day, the human soul yearns to be loved, and to love in return. And it won’t settle for anything less.
God loves us so deeply that he sent his only son to live, suffer, die and rise again for our salvation. That’s the message of Easter. The message of Pentecost – the “birthday of the...
“The Church is opposed to science; look at the Galileo debacle.” Haven’t most of us heard this criticism of the Church? In fact, one of the best-kept secrets about modern science is the Church’s role in its development. As with the arts, the Church gladly supports scientific pursuits that defer to the moral order.
The Church and Cloning
On May 16 came the news from scientists in Oregon that they could clone human embryos in order to treat human diseases like Parkinson’s,...
As June approaches, get ready for the official celebration of “Gay Pride Month” by U.S. embassies abroad.
If sodomy and same-sex marriage are constitutional rights, what is their relationship to U.S. foreign policy? Despite the tremendous controversy regarding these issues within the United States, the Obama administration has gone ahead and placed them at the center of U. S. diplomacy. Why? In Libido Dominandi, E. Michael Jones wrote that the rationalization of sexual misbehavior...
I was sure I would hate it. Almost one hundred percent sure. But I went and saw “The Great Gatsby” anyhow. Mostly to figure out what all the fuss was about. Or, more specifically, to figure out what all the fuss among twenty-somethings was about.
Over the past few weeks, my “under-30” friends have been talking incessantly about the film. They’ve thrown grand 1920s themed parties and dressed up like flappers before heading out to see the movie. Afterwards,they’ve raved about it.
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Sickened and horrified but not at all surprised. That’s how veteran pro-life activists have responded to the oh-so-late charges against and murder conviction of Philadelphia abortionist Kermit Gosnell.
Those who have stood outside of abortion clinics praying or counseling women have known for years that these horrid practices take place unexamined – “snipping” the spines of born babies, placing them in jars, or leaving them in bedpans to wriggle and die unaided. They have stood...
The embryos killed are the first class of victims; the second class of victims will be the rest of us.
Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray is the sort of timeless morality tale students read as an antidote, or at least an objection, to the hedonism that seems to follow naturally from youthful ideas about immortality.
The story is familiar to many: Dorian Gray is a narcissist who wishes that a portrait of him — his copy in paint — would age in his place. His wish comes true,...
