Do Dinosaurs Prove that Death Existed Before the Fall?
A liberal’s lament, and the problem of ‘exculturation’...
Father Tom Reese, the liberal Jesuit journalist who was a persistent critic of Pope Benedict XVI, has now become a critic of Pope Francis. The title of his his piece in the National Catholic Reporter says it all: “Pope Francis disappoints progressives. He will do so again.” Reflecting on the Pope’s “No” to female deacons and his crude remark about “fa***try” in seminaries, Father Reese says with regret that this Pope...
What did Jesus sing at the Last Supper?
The Last Supper was a Passover meal. Jesus says so when he instructs two of his disciples, “Go into the city and a man will meet you, carrying a jar of water. Follow him. Wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?”’ Then he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready. Make the preparations for us there.”
Visit OSV’s ‘Top 10 Catholic Cities’ in America for a road trip you won’t soon forget...
Sparking Joy, Another Way, and the Genius of Art...
The Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK) issued a withering denunciation of the bishops, warning that they had “cast doubt on the extent to which they respect the central resolutions of the synodal way” and demanding, in essence, that the bishops recommit themselves to toeing the line.
Friendship in Marriage: What Really Makes a Home...
A key explanation of why happiness is so elusive is in the answer to this question: Why are some homes more a ‘home’ than others? This is no surprise, since the wise tell us that home is where our heart is at rest. Indeed, where else would our heart be at rest? Life experience brings to light what to the young might not be so clear. Real rest is elusive...
Mushrooms and other fungi — and our sins...
Francis Faces Another Mess in Argentina...
The processions, the news, and the papal apology...
If you’re American, I hope you were able to celebrate Memorial Day yesterday with some time off from work or school, and looking forward to a good summer. Some of you, I suspect, went to a cemetery to pray for America’s war dead. Some of you went down the shore. I spent the day with my family...
Is the Pope’s PR safety net misrepresenting his use of slang?
One curious feature of the modern papacy is the informal, but very real, PR safety net which grows up almost spontaneously around every pontiff. It’s forged in part by the Vatican’s own official communications channels, but even more so by outside commentators and media platforms heavily invested in selling a given pope’s story to the world.
19 Points of Advice for Fighting the Devil...
The exorcists I consult occasionally for articles have personally seen a lot of the devil’s theatrics: levitation, room temperature suddenly and drastically dropping, people knowing foreign languages they never studied, foul odors, objects flying and other antics intended to intimidate the exorcist. Yet, we are told not to fear evil. The exorcists do, however, strongly warn us to stay away from it and use the protection God gives us.
Rome Today Isn’t What It Was...
7 Enchanting Islands That You Can Walk to at Low Tide...
Very few people realize the carnage and abandonment that’s part of the IVF process ...
Drunk on temptation? The Book of Proverbs can help...
The Book of Proverbs is dull reading at times, since its proverbial statements are often repetitive. At other times, a colorful maxim may strike the reader very forcefully, making it an effective life-lesson. But there is a wry humor in this book as well, though it may often go unrecognized amidst the flow of platitudes. So imagine my delight when I came across this passage...
This Is the Only Way You Should Cut an Avocado...
Does God want movie theaters to survive?
This is the question that I have been thinking about ever since Memorial Day: What role do movie theaters play in God’s glorious and fallen creation? Yes, that’s a strange question. Let me explain. Back in my professor days when I taught Introduction to Mass Communication 101, I explained the whole “technology shapes culture” equation...
Against Our False Gospel: Medieval Wisdom on the Spiritual Battle...
The modern world pushes its own gospel that focuses on the “self.” There is no need to fear God, for he is merciful. Follow your heart and your desires, for that brings happiness. You don’t have to think about anything negative, like death and judgment. You can decide for yourself what is sinful in your own conscience...
Kelvin Cardinal Felix, First Cardinal From the Antilles, Dies at 91...
Blood of the Covenant: Looking Ahead to This Sunday’s Celebration of Corpus Christi...
All of today’s readings are set in the context of the Passover. The First Reading recalls the old covenant celebrated at Sinai following the first Passover and the Exodus. In sprinkling the blood of the covenant on the Israelites, Moses was symbolizing God’s desire in this covenant to make them His family, His “blood” relations.
The Hallmark liturgical calendar...
This Is GK Chesterton’s 150th Birthday — Here’s Why He Remains So Relevant Today...
Writing about the defiant and flamboyant G.K. Chesterton is fraught. It requires quoting him, and then one quotation piles upon another, and it seems a disservice to the reader for the author to interrupt Chesterton’s words with his own. So what results is a compendium of quotations, more a small anthology than an article...
Argentine archbishop resigns abruptly as former diocese reels...
Archbishop Gabriel Antonio Mestre stood down as the Metropolitan Archbishop of La Plata May 27, at the age of 55, two decades ahead of the typical retirement age for diocesan bishops. Mestre had previously served as bishop of the similarly named Diocese of Mar del Plata from 2017 to 2023, when he was named Archbishop of La Plata, succeeding the now Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, the Vatican’s doctrinal chief.
How You Can Get Plenary Indulgences This Summer...
Summer presents a spiritual surprise. Several plenary indulgences are possible for you, your family and friends to gain for yourself or to apply to any soul in purgatory. These indulgences are in addition to those particular ones the Church allows on a daily basis — and which so few people realize are available. We’ve discussed daily ones before and will review them later, but let’s begin with those falling during summer.
Who will hold the keys of St. Peter after Pope Francis? The ups and downs of expertise...
Support and pray for those carrying the cross of infertility...
From Hinduism to Catholicism: How Soon-to-Be-Saint Carlo Acutis Inspired a Man to Convert...
News coverage in the whirlwind, or theater of the absurd?
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The full contents of the New Advent website are available as a digital download. It includes the Catholic Encyclopedia, Church Fathers, Summa, Bible and more — and it's only $19.99...
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