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  Four Sundays on the Church’s liturgical calendar are dedicated to prayerful expectation of God’s coming among us as a newborn child. We are full of joy as we prepare to celebrate his birth, an event that forever changed our world for the better. Those who are blessed to... Read More →

  Catholics call the month of November the “month of holy souls.” It is our annual commemoration of the dead. The month begins with All Saints’ Day, which is our celebration of the citizens of Heaven. On the day after, All Souls Day, we remember all the dead, especially... Read More →

  There is a quote going around the internet attributed to Margaret Atwood, which says, “Men are afraid that women will laugh at them. Women are afraid that men will kill them.” It is an easy enough assertion for the pro-life movement to dismiss, coming as it does from the... Read More →

  Prolifers and pro-choicers occasionally attempt to fortify their arguments by invoking older moral disputes. Prolifers echo Vietnam-era anti-war protests when they call pro-choicers “baby killers.” Calling pro-choicers “eugenicists” insinuates a similarity to Nazis and... Read More →

  In the Great Litany one finds the following petition: “From lightning and tempest; from plague, pestilence, and famine; from battle and murder, and from sudden death, Good Lord deliver us.” Why is “sudden death” in this list? What is wrong with sudden death? Most people... Read More →

    Motherhood is denigrated in our culture, sometimes even within the church. This stifles our witness on behalf of the unborn and the women who are their mothers. Something similar could be said of the denigration and abdication of fatherhood. But that is for another... Read More →

  The Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade sparked celebration and joy throughout the pro-life community. It also unleashed protest and anger in many sectors of the pro-abortion community. “Pro-choice” outbursts of fury in the streets and in the media were... Read More →

  When we pray on a daily basis, we fulfill God’s intention that we be united to him in thought and affection. Prayer is the fruit of our love for the One who made us and redeemed us. Prayer is a kind of conversation with God: We speak to him using either set prayers or... Read More →

  The feast day of St. Francis of Assisi tomorrow (October 4) prompts us to consider what this most beloved of Christian saints has to contribute to how we think of the natural environment and our current concerns about it. His “Canticle of the Creatures,” a hymn of praise... Read More →

  At the altar rail to receive Communion, she knelt, with intention that might not have been so obvious a decade or two ago. Looking up at me, she held out her hands, and then wiggled her fingers to show off her sparkly new manicure. She was a grandmother, but in that moment... Read More →