Russell Shaw
Lent and temptation
It would be like telling the story of World War II and leaving out Hitler. That’s what telling the story... Read more
Why does the media seem to think everything Trump says is newsworthy?
The potential presidential candidacy of Donald Trump, a media critic when it suits his purposes, is a creature of the... Read more
Belloc and Christendom
Chatting with a British bishop who’d said the famous Catholic writer Hilaire Belloc sometimes came to his home when he... Read more
Catholic voters and 2016
With the election of a new president less than a year away, at least one thing about the outcome seems... Read more
Roots of the Great Divide
The inability of parties to America’s culture war to communicate meaningfully with one another on issues like abortion, same-sex marriage,... Read more
Assisted suicide a century ago and now
As Robert Hugh Benson’s apocalyptic novel Lord of the World moves toward its shocking conclusion, a naïve young woman who... Read more
America has accommodated conscientious objection before. Why not now?
Let’s begin by recognizing that the case of the Kentucky county clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex... Read more
The Pope and popularity
Journalists are understandably fond of conflict—after all, it gives them something to talk about. Media coverage and commentary relating to... Read more
Why we need to pray for personal vocations, too
In the prayer of the faithful said at Mass in my parish day after day we regularly ask God for... Read more
Complementarity in marriage
Does Henry Higgins hold the key to settling the same-sex marriage debate? Not quite. But in the wake of the... Read more
Is spiritual direction just for nuns and clergy?
Is spiritual direction intended only for a small elite group composed of clergy and nuns and a handful of laity... Read more
What the Pew Research Center is telling us about religion in America
The first and arguably most important thing to say about the Pew Research Center’s new overview of American religion is... Read more
The Persecution Has Begun
The persecution of the Catholic Church and other morally conservative religious bodies has begun in the United States. As predicted,... Read more
The Pope’s visit and same-sex marriage
When Pope Francis comes to the United States in late September, chances are good that he will arrive in the... Read more
The Devil is Real
Is the devil real? Here is Msgr. Ronald Knox on that: “It is stupid of modern civilization to have given... Read more
Hope in secularized times
A man I know was walking his dog when a neighbor woman approached him and inquired about his wife. Not... Read more
The Catholic Church and same-sex marriage
The likelihood that the Supreme Court next June will announce its discovery of a constitutional right to same-sex marriage raises... Read more
The problem of unserious politics
I try to take American politics seriously, I really do. Serious issues are at stake, after all. But sometimes, entirely... Read more
Ideals and Norms
Is the Catholic Church’s teaching on marriage, including indissolubility, an ideal or a norm? Although the question may sound abstract,... Read more
Great Society
President Lyndon Baines Johnson had spoken the words “Great Society” before, but on January 4, 1965 he brought the pieces... Read more
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