A group of Democratic lawmakers has launched an effort to let President Biden appoint four new Justices to the Supreme Court. Their stated purpose is to change the balance on the Court so that it will approve the Democrats’ liberal policies. This is a highly questionably and likely unconstitutional practice known as “court-packing.” President Biden…
On April 5, Justice Thomas issued a concurring opinion in the case Joseph Biden vs. Knight First Amendment Institute, addressing the historically unprecedented control of information and communication by a few privately owned digital platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, Google and Amazon. While the case had originated as an attack against President Trump, Justice Thomas used…
Former South Carolina Congressman Trey Gowdy is a student of persuasion. He has learned that in the process of persuasion you either bring others closer to your way of thinking or at the very least, to learn about why it is you believe what you believe. Persuasion is an art, and it is about first…
Queen of Heaven, rejoice, alleluia. For he, whom you did merit to bear, alleluia. Has risen as he said, alleluia. Easter… The only Feast other than Christmas that is too big, too important, too life-transforming to be celebrated by anything less than an Octave — Not one day, but EIGHT days! May the fruits of…
There is a common misconception that if the Supreme Court overrules Roe vs. Wade, abortion will be outlawed. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Many, if not most, of the individual states would still allow abortion absent a nationwide ban. This would not put the issue to rest, just as state-by-state rules on slavery did…
Is there anyone who is a devout lover of God? Let them enjoy this beautiful bright festival! Is there anyone who is a grateful servant? Let them rejoice and enter into the joy of their Lord! Are there any weary with fasting? Let them now receive their wages! If any have toiled from the first…
The Lord GOD has given mea well-trained tongue, That I might know how to speak to the wearya word that will rouse them. Morning after morninghe opens my ear that I may hear; And I have not rebelled,have not turned back. I gave my back to those who beat me,my cheeks to those who plucked…
CNA—Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland in Oregon on Tuesday thanked Pope Francis for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith’s recent affirmation of the Church’s teaching on marriage and the human person. “I would like to express gratitude to the Holy Father for the recent statement from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the…
These past weeks, you have had occasion to look at this particular Iconic Image of Christ, which I am guessing you probably have not seen before. I chose this Icon with the hope of it being an occasion of beauty as well as grace for you as you journeyed through Lent anew. To see an…
Being in the second tier of qualification (over age 60) to get the Covid vaccine, Pat and I got our second Moderna shot just a few days before the snowstorm hit Texas. As with many others, we both had a substantial negative reaction to the second shot, but fortunately that only lasted for 24 hours.…
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! It’s a special day for us here in the Archdiocese of New York because Saint Patrick is the patron saint of our archdiocese. He’s also the patron saint of Ireland and Nigeria. What a tribute to the fact that he was an evangelist who brought the…
For the past few weeks you have been looking at the iconic image of Christ in its beauty, and you have considered the words of St. John of Kronstadt which point out Who this is and how He looks at you…. What do you see when you look at Him? This week, the image…
Just as in any art or science there are rules to follow, so it is with the art of the icon, both for the success of the art piece as well as for the spirit of the artist. Since we have chosen to focus on the Icon of the Holy Face this Lent, I would…
I am ready for Lent this year. Please don’t misunderstand me. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Something within always resists Ash Wednesday’s sober call to repentance and a reorientation of my life. But, after facing the challenges of the pandemic this year, I admit that business as usual has not been…
We have seen varying degrees of public hysteria since the beginning of Covid 19 and more than a little government overreach. Some of that may begin to subside now with reduced new cases and rollout of the vaccines, but with the vaccines we are also starting to see some new abuses in the form of…
This week I invite you to quietly look deeper… After my first and surprising experience of icons in Russia, the next experience was also amazing and drew me even closer to an understanding of the Icon. It is by entering into the process that one draws more closely to the icon subject, regardless of whether…
I never thought I’d watch Mass from the front seat of my car. I never thought I’d receive Holy Communion standing in the parish parking lot. But there I’ve been, Sunday after Sunday for months on end, in the parking lot at St. Kilian Catholic Church in Mission Viejo, California. From the start, I knew…
CNA—Benedict XVI addressed conspiracy theories about his resignation as pope, Pope Francis’ trip to Iraq, and Joe Biden in an interview with an Italian newspaper published on Monday. The pope emeritus told Corriere della Sera that he stood by his decision despite criticism from his friends in an interview released on March 1, a day…
This week I invite you to quietly look upon the face of this icon of Christ… Take note of the size of the eyes, the fineness of the nose, the delicacy of the mouth, because in the upcoming weeks we’ll be taking a closer look at each of these features of the face. There is…
On October 16, 2002, Pope St. John Paul II issued his Apostolic Letter on the Rosary, Rosarium Virginis Mariae (“The Rosary of the Virgin Mary”). In it, he gave us the luminous mysteries of the rosary. These mysteries, he explains, are those that are manifested in our Lord’s public life. Whereas the joyful mysteries have…
