The Church’s view of life as a gift informs its view of the practice of surrogacy, writes Maria Wiering “The gift of life which God the Creator and Father has entrusted to man calls him to appreciate the inestimable value of what he has been given and to take responsibility for it.” So begins the…
Bill Dodds On their wedding day, a bride and groom may have stars in their eyes, but they have rocks in their heads if they think their partner isn’t going to: Drive them nuts. Sometimes. Take them for granted. On occasion. Do something that truly hurts them. Once in a while. Husband does it…
Fr Patrick Briscoe OP Sometimes you hope to be wrong. For example: A good friend that I made in college seminary discerned out of formation and began to pursue a relationship with a young woman. I didn’t think they were a match. I told him as much. (Graciously, he did not end our friendship…
Jenna Marie Cooper Q: Our daughter has totally given up going to church because of the relentless use of incense at each Mass. It doesn’t bother me but I do notice a lot of people in the congregation that obviously have problems with it. Since it causes breathing difficulties for many people is it…
During the years I have been writing this column, I have rarely mentioned the fact that I belong to a religious order, the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. That omission is not an evasion, since being an Oblate of Mary Immaculate is something of which I am quite proud. However, I rarely flag the fact…
Jem Sullivan Dt 18:15-20 Ps 95:1-2, 6-7, 7-9 1 Cor 7:32-35 Mk 1:21-28 In this 21st Century, we absorb the news of the world quickly, through myriad technical gadgets. We’re seeking information, knowledge and understanding of the world all day long. As we travel the information superhighway, though, we must learn to discern the authenticity…
Expect your marriage to change following the growth of your family, writes Simcha Fisher Ever have one of those days when you lose the hamburger you were defrosting and find it later in the washing machine, full of soap? And you can deal with that, but you cannot deal with being accused of leaving the…
Elizabeth Scalia You have no idea how many of my columns have begun as a germ of a thought – usually an annoyed question – scribbled on a scrap of paper. This one reflects my late, rather curmudgeonly, “wish list” of what I’d like to see happen within Catholicism in 2024. Indulge me, please. Let…
Fr Patrick Briscoe OP In August 2022, when Transformers star Shia LaBeouf revealed during a conversation with Bishop Robert Barron that he had experienced a conversion and begun to attend Mass, I wrote that LaBeouf seemed to me to have undergone a genuine change of heart. He spoke regretfully of the pain and harm he…
Jenna Marie Cooper Q: I always thought the end of the Christmas season came with Epiphany and the arrival of the Magi. A priest recently said the season doesn’t end until a week later with the Baptism of the Lord. What has the Baptism of the adult Jesus got to do with Bethlehem? If…
Fr Ronald Rolheiser