The adjective Catholic is rarely employed to describe the ideal economy we need. Many would see its use as mere window dressing to make the free market appear a bit more compassionate. Everyone knows that the business of creating wealth comes from industry and business. The accountant’s ledger is the only true … Read more
The devil would like to present man with a cultural vision of the universe that would destroy the very concept of being. However, absolutely speaking, he cannot destroy being. For example, it is not in his power to make the material in this table to stop existing. He can cause a man … Read more
To say that there is a crisis in the world of Catholic catechesis is an understatement. Three generations of Catholic young people have been ill-served by the formation in the faith that they deserved but did not receive. Of course, they did not object much, nor are many of them objecting now. … Read more
There is good news in America today. Unemployment is down as the economy is booming. Jobs are available to all. Happy times should be here again. An economy-centered vision of society holds that plentiful jobs automatically lead to happiness. Give everyone a good job, they claim, and it will increase the person’s … Read more
In a fast-paced world, everyone wants everything instantly and effortlessly. This desire is part of a culture in which happiness and pleasure are expected yet not always delivered. When people inevitably fail to obtain all that they want, they suffer from stress and depression. No one should be surprised that they then … Read more
It was a beautiful spring day when I visited the Baaklini family in Harrisburg, Penn. The enthusiastic crowd sang hymns and organized a procession for Our Lady of Fatima on entering the home. After crowning Our Lady, I looked around the living room at several images of saints, some of who were … Read more
The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree. He shall grow like the cedar of Lebanon. (Ps. 91:13) The Biblical cedars of Lebanon have towered on mountaintops for thousands of years. Lebanon, a country mentioned in the Bible more than 70 times, today carries the cedar on its flag. The towering … Read more
Religious persecution is starting up again in Nicaragua and the media do not seem to be interested. The small Central American country suffered a similar persecution from 1979-1990. At that time, the nation was ruled by the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), a Marxist-inspired guerrilla group. The Sandinista victory was made possible … Read more
Forty-four years ago, the Brazilian Catholic thinker Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira took a public stand against the Holy See’s policy of détente with the communist governments of the time. He published a statement titled, “The Vatican Policy of Détente with Communist Governments – Should the TFPs Stand Down? Or Should They Resist?” … Read more
Justice Anthony Kennedy has just announced his retirement from the Supreme Court. Everyone is talking about who will be his replacement. Much is at stake. For the liberals, it could spell the end to the precarious situation in which Kennedy’s swing vote has brought them many major victories and some small defeats. … Read more