I applaud the sentiment behind the much-quoted phrase, “girls can do anything” but I am startled when I come across people who think it is literally true. Girls cannot do anything, and neither can boys. Our biological nature ensures that great and all as our human potential might be, there are limits to what is Read more
Olympic athletes are known for their discipline, training, and hard work. Their finely toned bodies are considered the height of physical perfection. But this year’s Olympics features an athlete whose physical form looks a bit different: Oscar Pistorius, a South African runner, is a double leg amputee. Oscar Pistorius is known as the “fastest man Read more
How is the world turning – what does the future hold for us all? The news is full of the dark stories, the more shocking the better, it seems. If someone wants to try to do some good for others, someone is sure to dig up some angle that reflects badly on the person, maybe Read more
It’s a fairly grim picture for the U.S. Catholic Church these days. Church attendance among all but immigrants in the U.S. is dwindling. Dioceses are being bankrupted by the priest pedophilia scandal. As a result, the church is shuttering many Catholic hospitals, but there’s one possible growth market for the American church: Catholic schools. Since Read more
Why am I still a Catholic? How should I answer this important question? In truth, sometimes I’m not sure why. Yet I know the Church frames my identity, as basic as that. It’s the source of consolation without peer. I can’t slough it off: it’s too embedded in the way I see the world and Read more
In the course of my search for the perfect rosary app, I have downloaded and tried dozens. So far, only three have made the cut to “Essential” level, and only iRosary remains of the three that were on the list when I wrote that article. But now, thanks to the new Rosary Plus iOS app from St. Read more
Like the rest of the country, I was horrified to hear of the massacre at the midnight screening of the new Batman film. I’ve witnessed gun violence firsthand from a very early age. All my life, I’ve seen families mourning the way that the families in Colorado are now mourning. I wish there was something Read more
My favorite saint is St. Ignatius of Loyola, whose feast day is July 31. Born into a Spanish family in the Basque country in the northern part of Spain, Inigo had a conversion experience during his convalescence after a cannonball shattered his knee in a battle at Pamplona. His imagination, courage, valor and striving toward Read more
This past decade has seen a plethora of movies dealing with superheroes: the “Batman” films, “The Green Lantern,” “Iron Man,” “The Incredible Hulk,” “Thor,” etc. But the most popular—at least judging by box office receipts—has been the Spider-Man franchise. Since 2002, there have been four major movie adaptations of the Marvel Comics story of a Read more
If this is what news editors think we want to read what kind of commentary is it on our society? Last month I was away from New Zealand for a couple of weeks. On my return I scanned the local papers for a couple of days to catch up on what had been going on Read more