shutterstock_99170681 (1) walled in

Failing…in love again

January 9, 2013 By 1 Comment

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love." - First reading at Mass, from 1 John 4:17-18(Image courtesy of Shutterstock.com)As Popeye would say, "well, blow me down."I fail at love all the time -- grievously -- and when I consider how often that failure is connected to fear, I have to say, this is pretty spot-on.There is a great deal I do not fear; usually for me fear is connected to a breach of trust, and thankfully … [Read More...]

Myra-Andriake Excavations Myra Byzantine Chapel Altar

Fascinating News: 13th Century Byzantine Chapel Found

January 8, 2013 By 2 Comments

I threw this into social media, but must blog on it here, because I don't want anyone to miss this story: Under Turkish Mud Well, Preserved Byzantine Chapel Found.It's in Myra! Home of Saint Nicholas! And look!(Photo source Myra-Andriake Excavations via NY Times)After some 800 years as an important pilgrimage site in the Byzantine Empire it vanished — buried under 18 feet of mud from the rampaging Myros River. All that remained was the Church of St. Nicholas, parts of a Roman amphitheater and tombs cut into the rocky … [Read More...]

Atomic Stupidity: Obama has all the Numbers! – UPDATE

January 8, 2013 By 6 Comments

In telling the GOP to use the Obama playbook, yesterday, did Mark Thiessen calculate poorly in his Washington Post piece? He's a very smart man, but I suspect he did:Thiessen’s recommendation makes a deadly miscalculation: He forgets that Obama’s single-minded pursuits are fully backed and protected by the mainstream press.Whether in … [Read More...]

“And my, the dead did stink so…”

January 7, 2013 By

This has been going through my head for weeks.“I saw a huge steam roller, It blotted out the sun. The people all lay down, lay down; They did not try to run. My love and I, we looked amazed Upon the gory mystery. "Lie down, lie down!" the people cried. "The great machine is history!" My love and I, we ran away, The engine did … [Read More...]

Cravings: New Personal Perspectives for a New Year

January 3, 2013 By

I have been waiting for a long time for the release of Mary DeTurris Poust's latest book, Cravings: A Catholic Wrestles with Food, Self-Image and God, and here it finally is:Before I had read a word about the book a glimpse of the cover spelled out a central aspect of its message: we see a luscious berry, so overripe it's almost bursting; … [Read More...]

Les Mis: Just Men, Minimized Women and Immodesty?

January 2, 2013 By

Two very different women, coming from very different perspectives, are unhappy with Les Miserable. Their unhappiness reminds us that though we polish and burnish our preferred lenses, we obscure our own capacity to see.Feminist author Stacy Wolf takes to the pages of the WaPo to report that as a feminist, all she could see was the bad men and … [Read More...]

A New Year Full of Light

December 31, 2012 By

As we creep towards a new year, with no real idea what is around the corner, I just want to sincerely wish everyone a year filled with light, and -- from that light -- a measure of peace. In the Office we pray "in your light, we see light..." and yet we are never blinded by Christ's light, even when it transfigures ( and as Peter, James and John … [Read More...]

Stars in your multitudes, scarce to be counted…

December 30, 2012 By

...Filling the darkness with order and light you are the sentinels silent and sure keeping watch in the night... -- "Stars" from Les MiserableNo, I haven't seen the movie yet, but I couldn't help but think it after seeing what our darkened cities would show of the night sky, (H/T):(Excepted from link) © Thierry Cohen, "San Francisco … [Read More...]

The Muscular Spirituality of Leah Libresco – UPDATED

December 28, 2012 By

In its end-of-year issue, Our Sunday Visitor has profiled 9 Outstanding Catholics of 2012 who have been particularly effective "examples of leadership, service and witness in the past year."Three of those nominated for consideration blog here, at Patheos -- Marc Barnes (Bad Catholic), Lisa Hendey (A Good Measure) and Leah Libresco (Unequally … [Read More...]

“LOOK WHAT YOU DID!” Toys, Toys, Toys!

December 24, 2012 By

Isn't it nice to hear those words and know that what you did was something good, and not something bad?I can't wait to stop posting and to shut down for Christmas, but I can't do that without telling you folks what you have done!That pic (which I have cribbed from the Facebook timeline of the wonderful Leslie Cascone Rohrbacker with her … [Read More...]

« Previous Posts

O Oriens! O Radiant Dawn!

December 21, 2012 By

O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come, shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death. … [Read More...]

What the hell is WRONG with these people? – UPDATE

December 20, 2012 By

If you ever doubted that there is a battle going on all around us -- a true battle -- between good and evil, and that that battle engages every single one of us whether we are aware of it or not, the events of the past week really ought to clarify that point for everyone.In the face of the unspeakable evil of the slaughter of children, good … [Read More...]

O Clavis David! O Key of David!

December 20, 2012 By

O Key of David, and scepter of the house of Israel: you open and no one shuts; you shut and no one opens. Come, and lead forth from this prison the captive sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death.O gates, lift high your heads; grow higher, ancient doors. Let him enter, the king of glory! Psalm 24 … [Read More...]

A couple of last-minute gift ideas!

December 20, 2012 By

This landed in my mailbox yesterday: James Hitchcock's History of the Catholic ChurchLooks delicious, and I can't wait to read it, but before I could even peer at it, my son -- who likes reading all sorts of history -- grabbed it. He's been outside on the porch, reading and smoking, and reading, and he says he's loving it. So...a Buster … [Read More...]

You Balance Out the Keening Pain of Newtown – UPDATED

December 19, 2012 By

“In normal life we hardly realize how much more we receive than we give, and life cannot be rich without such gratitude. It is so easy to overestimate the importance of our own achievements compared with what we owe to the help of others.” ― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from PrisonMy goodness, you guys, I'm not … [Read More...]

O Radix Jesse, O Root of Jesse!

December 19, 2012 By

Chanting these beautiful antiphons has really served to keep me centered, this week:O Root of Jesse, who stood as a sign for the people, before you kings shall remain silent, and to you the gentiles shall make supplication: come to deliver us, and delay not.And perhaps, in light of all we are grieving just now, it is good to sing … [Read More...]

CHRISTMAS EMERGENCY! 100′s of Kids and no Toys! UPDATED

December 19, 2012 By

Folks, I know things are tight all over and it's late in the season, and you probably have already made your charitable gifts for Christmas, but I wonder if I can tug at your sleeve for a little help.There is an agency in Paterson, New Jersey, connected to Catholic Charities, and doing outreach and counseling for troubled families -- in some … [Read More...]

Newtown and New Media: must we “do better” on big questions? UPDATED

December 18, 2012 By

That's the question I'm asking in my column at First Things, this week. More correctly, I suppose I am wondering, does the Pope (and the church) need to do better with the "hard" questions of faith that are now subject to New Media?Or do we -- and especially the non-believers who are pining for "big" questions -- simply not understanding the … [Read More...]