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  The Nazis produced powerful propaganda. Among their many propaganda products was “Dasein ohne Leben,” which is German for “Existence without Life.” The original film and its copies were lost at the end of World War II.  What follows is the transcript of a ten-minute... Read More →

  This article is a reprint from the Bulletin of the Institute for Theological Encounter with Science and Technology (ITEST), Vol. 39, No.1 (2008), p.5-7. For more about ITEST, see https://www.faithscience.org. __________________________________________________________ I do... Read More →

  Your Eminences and Excellencies, my brother priests, consecrated men and women, dear brothers and sisters in Christ. It is a deep honor and privilege to celebrate this Vigil Mass here at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, on this “National... Read More →

  It is just another bleary January Monday morning. In my best internal Eeyore voice, I find myself saying “well, here we are again, my least favorite month of the year.” I could add any number of thoughts to that, all of them dreary: How grey it is outside, how much the... Read More →

  By the time you read this, my local airline will have abandoned its “open seating” policy of letting people sit wherever they want as they board the plane. The money crunchers have decreed that there are greater profits in being an airline where people pay more for... Read More →

  Pope Leo XIV addressed the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See on January 9th. He spoke forcefully about the need to defend the truth against manipulations which make language not a means of honestly engaging with our fellow man, but rather a tool to exercise... Read More →

  Early in December of 2025, our youngest son and his wife welcomed their newborn son into their arms. Her pregnancy had been difficult. “How difficult?,” you ask. While carrying the baby, she passed kidney stones on multiple occasions. That’s how difficult. Also, her... Read More →

  Over the past few years, I have occasionally written in this space about films in which we see the persistence of pro-life concerns. These are worth noting, for the film industry, like most of our high culture, subsists within a largely progressive environment. My view is... Read More →

    [This text has been slightly adapted from Rev. Blackburn’s Pastoral Reflections meditation published Dec. 22, 2017.]   And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger (Luke 2:12). Why does the Church make so much of... Read More →

  The readings for the third Sunday of Advent in the Catholic lectionary include this passage from the Letter of James: “Do not complain, brothers and sisters, about one another, that you may not be judged. Behold, the Judge is standing before the gates.” (5:7-10)  This must be... Read More →