When reading the Rule of St. Benedict, one is struck by the order and discipline he advocates. Whether prayer, work or rest: every single activity of a monk is given its precise time in the monastic schedule and he is taught to respect it.
We all know that some very talented people never achieve much because they are so disorganized, so undisciplined that all their rich gifts never blossom. On the other hand, we all know that many mediocre people occupy high positions. This might be...
In April 2005, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger gathered in Rome with his brother cardinals. With the world watching, he buried his friend, Blessed Pope John Paul II. A few days later, the cardinals were locked in the Sistine Chapel to choose the next Pope. They began with prayer, with the Mass, and Cardinal Ratzinger preached the homily.
Cardinal Ratzinger spoke to the Church's cardinals of Christ's friendship. "The Lord calls us friends, he makes us his friends, and he gives us his...
“A second look at porn” is a three part series. This is the final installment treating the theme of everlasting communion. Previous columns looked at the education of freedom and the need for the Infinite, respectively.
“Why ain't cha breast-feedin' (your baby)?” asks Gale. His goofy brother, Evelle adds matter-of-factly, “Ya don't breast feed him, he'll hate you for it later. That's why we wound up in prison.” (“Raising Arizona,” directed by Joel Coen).
Rev. William Virtue...
“A second look at porn” is a three part series. The first installment addressed the education of freedom. This second column discusses the human need for the Infinite. It will conclude on the theme of everlasting communion.
Author's note: Based on some of the feedback I've received since the first installment was published, it is clear that the term “desire” requires some clarification. By desire I mean the drive, the need, for total fulfillment that is in each one of us. It...
Aristotle’s sense of the concrete sheds light on many problems of human existence. He remarks wisely that we all can err by going to extremes: there is a “too much”, there is a “too little.” Common sense tells us that these excesses should be avoided.
The soup can be unbearably salty or totally tasteless. A sound can be too loud and deafens us, or it can be too weak, and remain unperceived. The list is endless, but the couple of examples given prove that Aristotle has a valid...
In a Jan. 23, 2013 column entitled “Deeper Into the Culture of Death,” Bishop DiMarzio of Brooklyn drew attention to the influence of Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, on the “so-called pro-choice movement.”
Bishop DiMarzio quoted Sanger who said she wanted to “assist the race toward the elimination of the unfit.” To which, the bishop responded, “Of course, a young Barack Obama was precisely the sort of unfit child that Sanger and her allies would want...
Will women in front-line combat duty change the way men behave in combat?
Men fight to protect their women. Or, at least, that's the way it used to be.
On Thursday, however, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said, "Today Gen. Dempsey and I are pleased to announce that we are eliminating the ground combat exclusion rule for women and moving forward with a plan to eliminate all gender-based barriers to service." This, in effect, voids the 1994 rule that mostly excludes women from units below...
When I first considered the question of whether civil partnerships or civil marriage should be permitted for same-sex couples, I wasn't quite sure how I felt about the subject. On one hand, I had my belief which has been informed by the Catholic faith. On the other hand, I questioned whether my own religious convictions should determine the civil law that applies to people of all different beliefs. As a person who experiences same-sex attraction, I personally have changed my opinion on the...
“We're stepped out upon the world's stage now – the fate of human dignity is in our hands.”
With the words above, Steven Spielberg's Abraham Lincoln faces his cabinet down and reminds them of the challenge facing his bleeding nation. He insists that they take a stand before the world, and fight on to abolish and criminalize slavery once and for all. Whether the real Lincoln said these exact words we will never know, but that they reflect the challenge of the moment and the certainty...
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I went to college in 1968 with the idea of becoming a doctor, like my father. College campuses in the late 60s and throughout the 70s were places of turmoil. I didn’t practice my faith much in the first three years of college and I certainly never imagined that the Lord would one day make me a bishop.
I spent my first three years of college working as a hospital orderly and assisting in the emergency room, at a university student health center and in a...
