If there is any one thing that strikes me looking back at this calamitous and difficult year it is that we are experiencing a deep crisis of trust. Who can we believe? Who is telling the truth? On whom we can rely for accurate information? It is into this void that a flood of conspiracy … Read more
I’ve tried. I promise you I’ve tried to understand them. I’ve read social media posts of friends I disagree with. I’ve listened to perspectives wildly different than mine. I’ve made an honest effort to avoid creating echo chambers in my life … for better or for worse. After all my self-perceived open-mindedness, I still cannot … Read more
When it comes to discussions about faith and politics, perhaps the most commonly quoted verse is Matthew 22:21: “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” The point seems clear: The government and church are distinct domains with their own spheres of authority. Since we are … Read more
We Catholics were deeply scandalized when Pope Francis sent then-Cardinal McCarrick (yes, the child molester now hiding from reporters) to negotiate a deal with Communist China. Its terms remain partly secret. That piece of transparency hearkens back to the 1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. Two apparent enemies inked a deal against the West, the secret provisions including … Read more
Great story by Christopher Manion from last August painting the parallels between two sexual perverts. There are several parallels, some of them ominous, between two recent scandals that have dominated both religious and secular headlines. The powerful Catholic Cardinal Theodore McCarrick passed out money, promotions, and power. The popular billionaire Jeffrey Epstein passed out lavish … Read more
Catholic targets attacked this weekend in Boston, Florida and New York. Last weekend I watched a short video of a mob in Baltimore tearing down a statue of Christopher Columbus. It reminded me of the scenes of human sacrifice in Mel Gibson’s amazing film Apocalypto. Yes. I know it was only a statue. But will … Read more
Angry, larcenous mobs organized by radical terrorist groups roam America’s blue cities at will. The same mayors like Bill de Blasio who threatened to seize church and synagogue property six weeks ago, if they violated “social distancing”? Now they won’t use the police to protect the livelihoods and job sites of millions of their … Read more
I had an unsettling experience this weekend when I attempted to go to Confession at a local church. I described it in a short Facebook post because I believe it is important that we realize what’s happening, or what likely will happen in parishes around the country. Briefly, here’s what happened. Waiting at the open … Read more
Today I’d like to talk about something that might seem a bit trivial. Tacky religious vestments. But if you’ll bear with me, I think you’ll see that in something this “secondary,” and “external,” a dark world of meaning lies hid. That’s how symbols work, isn’t it? There’s a universe of difference between presenting a woman … Read more
Many politicians, police officers, judges and officials would be shocked to hear that the American government isn’t the supreme authority in the nation. In fact, they would scoff at the higher ranking government they must yield to: the church. God’s government is based on the Word of God. It’s legislated through the church. It’s positioned … Read more