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A number of spacecraft are staring directly into the sun. And for good reason. Space agencies, scientists, and nations want to better understand our stormy sun, a glowing sphere of gas that’s capable of energetic explosions from its surface. A common such event is a solar flare, which is an explosion that emits light and energy into space, sometimes towards Earth. You might hear more about such solar events in the coming years as the sun’s activity ramps up — but rest assured its normal, natural behavior from your local, medium-sized star. Fortunately, Earth shields us from potential harm, though our power grids and communications can be severely damaged. Similar to storm seasons or climate patterns on Earth, the sun experiences a cycle of weather. The sun’s lasts for 11 ...

There is an interesting controversy that has erupted at the University of Pittsburgh after Dr. Gabby Yearwood, who teaches in both the anthropology and law schools, was asked by swimmer Riley Gaines if he could tell the gender of persons from skeletal remains. He denied that it was possible despite the widely accepted ability to do so in his field. The answer may reflect the ongoing push in anthropology, discussed in an earlier blog column, to put an end to gender identifications. Some insist that anthropologists need to know how an ancient human may have chosen to identify themselves. Yearwood reportedly was asked the question by Gaines, who achieved national notoriety in opposing the inclusion of transgender athletes like the University of Pennsylvania’s Lia Thomas in women competit...

Easter SundayBy Fr. Victor Feltes Why did Jesus rise from the dead on Easter? Christ’s resurrection was foretold, for instance in the 16th Psalm: “You will not abandon my soul to the netherworld, nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.” Furthermore, Jesus rose again because without the Resurrection our Redemption would be incomplete. As St. Paul told the Romans, “[Our Lord] was handed over for our transgressions, and was raised for our justification.” In the words of the Church’s Catechism: “The Paschal mystery has two aspects: by his death, Christ liberates us from sin; by his Resurrection, he opens for us the way to a new life.” Jesus Christ came to redeem and save not only our souls but also our bodies and the rest of creation as well. Easter changes everything. Ins...

Orson Scott Card has written that the world of science fiction is like the stable in C.S. Lewis’s The Last Battle: much larger on the inside than the outside. Had Card wanted a science-fiction metaphor, the obvious point of reference would have been the Tardis in Doctor Who—but perhaps the appeal to Lewis’s religiously inflected fantasy is more evocative here, hinting at the vastness of the worlds of ideas and meaning embraced in science-fiction storytelling. In cinema history, the one science-fiction work that, so to speak, flung open the stable doors for audiences and later filmmakers was Stanley Kubrick’s towering 1968 classic 2001: A Space Odyssey, released 55 years ago this week. Science fiction in movies is essentially as old as cinema itself, and 1950s movies like The Day the Earth ...

As we approach the high holy days of the Catholic liturgical cycle, I am reminded of my time when I oversaw the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) at a parish in Gilbert, AZ. This is the time of the year when the Church receives many new converts at the Easter Vigil Mass on Holy Saturday Night. If you never attended an Easter Vigil, I would highly encourage it. It is by far one of the best liturgies of the entire liturgical cycle and a personal favorite of mine. Although we gave our RCIA participants many good resources and invited them to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church, I always wanted a resource that would help our new Catholics discover the Catholic Church in the days following their last Mystagogy class. I would remind them that if th...

This is a good idea for anyone as we approach Easter. Let us make sure we are turning towards God in our lives, with our choices and our heart, so we are ready to receive Him and celebrate the joys of Easter Sunday. Let us bring our struggles before God, and let Him help us change. Let us get right with our God. 2. Go to as Many Services as You Can The days leading up to Easter Sunday can be a profoundly spiritual experience for someone entering the Catholic Church. Try to attend the Triduum services. They help put our faith into context as we approach this most significant celebration. It gives you time to pray, to connect with God, and to prepare your heart. 3. Look around When you stand in front of the congregation at the Easter Vigil in the moments after you are anointed with oil and c...

What’s next for abortion rights in America? What to watch next Click to expand Replay Video UP NEXT Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed a bill into law on Wednesday that makes it illegal for an adult to help a minor get an abortion across state lines without parental consent. The new law is the first of its kind in the United States and comes less than a year after Idaho banned nearly all abortions. “With the U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe vs. Wade last summer, the right and duty to establish legal policy on abortion was finally returned to our state democratic process,” Little, a Republican, wrote in a letter to Idaho lawmakers on Wednesday, announcing he had signed the legislation. MORE: Idaho governor signs bill banning abortion after 6 weeks modeled after Texas ...

We do well to ponder the whys and wherefores of the Passion of Our Lord. St. Thomas Aquinas presents the premise that God does nothing in an arbitrary way, but rather as Lord of History sets forth everything in fitting ways and at appropriate places and times. Every detail has something to teach us. Let’s consider why Christ suffered in Jerusalem (but outside its walls) in a place called “the skull.” St. Thomas covered these matters in his Summa Theologiae, Part III, Question 46, Article 10. His words are in bold, black italics; my inferior comments are shown in plain red text. Christ died most appropriately in Jerusalem. First of all, because Jerusalem was God’s chosen place for the offering of sacrifices to Himself: and these figurative sacrifices foreshadowed Christ’s Passion For the Je...

Popular build-it-yourself children’s teddy bear store “Build-a-Bear Workshop” is turning heads with its new drag queen teddy bear. The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh pointed out on Twitter, Thursday, that “Build-a-Bear Workshop,” the toy store where kids – and adults apparently – can customize their own stuffed animals, had advertised a new drag queen teddy bear. Sharing a screenshot of the website depicting the new drag product, Walsh tweeted, “Remember: there’s absolutely no agenda to groom your kids. Don’t be ridiculous. On an unrelated note, @buildabear is selling a drag queen stuffed bear for children.” A “Build-A-Bear Workshop” location in a local mall.  (Joe Amon/Denver Post) GRAPHIC DRAG SHOW FOR BABIES FEATURING NEARLY NAKED MEN, BONDA...

The challenge facing the Catholic Church in much of Germany, especially traditionally Catholic regions like Bavaria, is akin to revitalizing a tree with deep roots but dead branches, now struggling to stay alive. That’s not the case in Berlin. Here, where Catholicism has never been a dominant force after the Reformation, and rising irreligiosity has earned the city a reputation as “the atheist capital of Europe,” there’s not much of a tree to save. Instead, evangelization looks more like planting seeds in untamed soil. And the resulting Catholic dynamic is often creative, edgy — and a little wild. That’s probably why people like Jan Philipp Göetz thrive in Berlin’s Catholic sub-culture. A former director of international and government relations for the German airline Lufthansa, Göetz is a...