Author: S&P
Mothers and Swiss Army Knives: Seeing the Difference…
Few of us reach for our Swiss army knife when we simply want to cut something. Aristotle asserts that nature is not like the Delphic smiths, makers of the original Swiss army knife, “a single knife for all kinds of use,” a knife with which, clearly, he was not impressed. Rather, nature crafts things such that the primary ordination of the thing is not obscured or hindered by other tasks or purpose...
Do You Hear the Gospel at Mass?
[embedded content] Not long ago, I was invited to appear on Cross Examined—the podcast of Protestant apologist Dr. Frank Turek—to talk about issues that many Protestants misunderstand about Catholicism. It was very kind of Frank to invite me on his show, and we had a really cordial discussion! Here’s a taste of what a gracious host he was! Frank: Today we want to talk about what Protestants may mi...
7-Year-Old’s Final Cry in Hurricane Helene Floodwaters: ‘Jesus, I Hear You’…
‘He’s my hero,’ Meghan Drye says of 7-year-old Micah. A 7-year-old boy called out to Jesus to save him before Hurricane Helene flood waters carried him away earlier this week. Micah Drye’s lifeless body was later found about a quarter-mile away from his home in Asheville, North Carolina. But his mother thinks he was saved nonetheless. “You know, I’m so proud of my son, because in his last moments,...
Belgian PM Furious at Pope Francis for Calling Abortion Laws ‘Murderous’ and Abortionists ‘Hired Assassins,’ Summons Papal Nuncio in Protest…
Prime minister Alexander De Croo (Open VLD) has summoned the papal nuncio to Belgium in response to the Pope’s recent remarks regarding abortion. Following his visit, the Pope referred to abortion doctors as “hired assassins” and described the country’s abortion law as “murderous.” De Croo denounced these comments as “unacceptable” during a session in the Chamber of Representatives on Thursday. “I...
Slit throats in Africa. Missing people after Hurricane Helene. What makes a story news?
Please allow me a moment of grief and frustration. I am, you see, worrying about friends who are missing and, to be blunt, no one knows if some of them will be fatalities in the the great Hurricane Helene catastrophe in the mountains of Western North Carolina. But this is a Rational Sheep post. This is a story about mass media, screens culture and our lives. I am poised, this week, to move into a ...
4 Saints Who Saw Their Guardian Angels…
We might not see our guardian angels as a handful of saints did, but the Oct. 2 Memorial of the Guardian Angels spurs us on to be close to them and call upon their help. Our Lord Jesus said: “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father” (Matthew 18:10). And the Catechism (336) reminds us: “From i...
Archbishop Charles Chaput is one of the great prophets and teachers of our time…
‘In all my years knowing him, Archbishop Chaput witnessed to a joyful heart, even in the difficult times…’ Editor’s Note: Bishop James D. Conley celebrated Mass commemorating Archbishop Charles J. Chaput’s 80th birthday on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. Please find the full text of the homily below printed with permission. Today’s Scriptures speak about the generosit...
German “Synodality” and the World Church…
In a recent interview with The Pillar, Dr. Frank Ronge, a veteran German Catholic bureaucrat who coordinates the German Synodal Path, described the Synodaler Weg’s rationale and work. Many of those deeply engaged in the Synodal Path imagine it as a model for the world Church – or at least those parts of the world Church that aren’t a bit behind the cultural curve as construed by enlightened German...
‘New Paradigm’: Personal Experience, Not Moral Absolutes, to Steer Synod Study on Sexuality Questions…
VATICAN CITY — A study group established by Pope Francis to develop a synodal way of discerning Catholic Church teaching on so-called controversial issues, including sexual morality and life issues, has proposed what it calls a “new paradigm” that is heavy on situational ethics but minimizes moral absolutes and established Church teaching. The group, which is one of 10 study groups the Pope create...
Is Satan the Ruler of This World?
By Clement Harrold September 27, 2024 Until Christ’s second coming, this world remains at least partially under Satan’s authority because it remains enmeshed in sin. As 1 John 3:8 reminds us, “He who commits sin is of the devil.” For this reason the New Testament describes Satan variously as “the ruler of this world” (Jn 12:31), “the god of this world” (2 Cor 4:4), and “the prince of the power of ...
The Pope’s politically-incorrect message to East Timor: Keep having babies…
By Phil Lawler ( bio – articles – email ) | Sep 25, 2024 If you count the flight home, Pope Francis made two shocking statements during his recent trip to Asia and Oceania: first telling an audience in Singapore that all religions are paths to God, then suggesting that Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are morally equivalent. Those two statements were of course highly questionable, and ha...
What God Has Joined: A Reflection on the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time…
Readings:Genesis 2:18–24Psalm 128:1–6Hebrews 2:9–11Mark 10:2–16 In today’s Gospel, the Pharisees try to trap Jesus with a trick question. The “lawfulness” of divorce in Israel was never an issue. Moses had long ago allowed it (see Deuteronomy 24:1–4). But Jesus points His enemies back before Moses, to “the beginning,” interpreting the text we hear in today’s First Reading. Divorce violates the ord...
