Perspective
Plan B and some more
As the new year is often the season for making plans, my attention was captured in a gift shop by a plaque that offers the wisdom, “There is no Plan […]
Columns Archive
Columns
Movie Review: ‘The Greatest Showman’
NEW YORK (CNS) —The life of pop entertainment pioneer P.T. Barnum provides the subject matter for the big, brash musical “The Greatest Showman” (Fox). Ironically, the film arrives in theaters […]
Perspective
Compassionate responses when you meet suffering
In 2005, while undergoing chemotherapy, I was sitting in an uncomfortable recliner on the sixth floor of a medical facility. An IV dripped poison into my veins that would simultaneously […]
Perspective
Viva Cristo Rey!
In the 1920s, when the United States had a quasi-Stalinist regime on its southern border, “Viva Cristo Rey!” was the defiant battle cry of the Cristeros who fought the radically […]
The Sunday Gospel
All nations are invited to know the Messiah
Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord Matthew 2:1-12 This weekend the Church invites us to celebrate the feast of the Epiphany of the Lord, one of the most revered […]
A more human society
‘It’s no use reasoning with you!’
Have you had arguments in which the other person would not concede your point, no matter how many compelling facts and reasons you brought to bear? That is most common […]
Bishop's Column: In Truth and Charity
The shining example of the Holy Family of Nazareth
Following is the homily delivered by Bishop Rhoades on the Feast of the Holy Family, Dec. 31, 2017: On this first Sunday after Christmas, while we are still immersed in […]
Perspective
On cracked knuckles and self-care: a resolution for 2018
The themes emerge predictably. When it comes to New Year’s resolutions, we gravitate toward the biggies: Get healthy, get organized, get a life. We vow to travel more, read more, […]
The Sunday Gospel
A model for our own Holy Family
Feast of the Holy Family Luke 2:22-40 (A selection of readings is possible for this feast. These comments refer to one set of readings.) The Church always celebrates the Sunday […]
Perspective
Repeat after me
The Supreme Court heard arguments this month in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, a case about whether the government can make a Christian baker design a cake celebrating […]
Perspective
A plea for our fellow Catholics
This Advent, stop worrying about Christmas presents and hanging lights, negotiating mall traffic or scouring the web for the perfect gift. This Advent, imagine that you and your family lose […]
Perspective
The ‘bitter pill’ of false liberation
A major study published on Dec. 7 in the New England Journal of Medicine concludes that hormonal contraception increases the risk of breast cancer for women. The research used all […]