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  In Shakespeare’s last play “The Tempest,” the island creature Caliban is enslaved by the exiled Duke of Milan who teaches him speech. Caliban used his new skill to curse his master, saying, “you taught me language and my profit on’t is I know how to curse.” This story of... Read More →

  The overtime victories of Team USA against Team Canada in men’s and women’s ice hockey at the Winter Olympics were the cause of resounding rejoicing south of the Canadian border, and of national stunned sadness, if not depression, to the north. Both nations’ squads played... Read More →

  Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert, to be tempted by the devil. The word “temptation” has a different meaning in our language than it has in the language of the Bible. For us, to be “tempted” means to be attracted to a choice that is against our better judgment.... Read More →

  The pro-life sensibility extends beyond the manifest beauty of a baby and the awesome realities of prenatal life. It extends beyond the intricate, sometimes self-sacrificing, and perduring interconnections of mother and child. Indeed, the pro-life sensibility extends... Read More →

  Like you, I’ve heard my share of sophomoric pro-choice jibes. “If only prolifers were concerned about children after they’re born!” Or, “If you were really prolife you’d be protesting the death penalty!” You, the reader, likely know many prolifers who labor diligently on... Read More →

  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 →