7 Surprising Uses for Silica Packets...
Look up at the sky. What do you see? Tell NASA — they need your help identifying clouds...
It’s time to rethink the US approach to picking our ambassador to the Holy See...
With the imminent and unexpected departure of Joseph Donnelly as the US Ambassador to the Holy See, it seems likely the post will be vacant for a while. It would make little sense to try to ram through a nominee before the US election in November, and afterwards it can take a new (or returning) administration six months, or more, to work its way down to the Vatican post on the list of federal jobs to fill.
Tree of Righteousness: Looking Ahead at the 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time...
In the cryptic message of the prophet Ezekiel, long centuries before the Lord’s coming, God gave His people reason to hope. Ezekiel glimpsed a day when the Lord God would place a tree on a mountain in Israel, a tree that would “put forth branches and bear fruit.” Who could have predicted that the tree would be a cross on the hill of Calvary, and that the fruit would be salvation?
Why do so many people hate and what do we do with them?
The prophet went to the palace to see the king, and told him that a rich man, who had lots of sheep, had taken a poor man’s pet lamb to feed a visitor. The man, said the prophet, laying it on, had only the one lamb, which grew up with his children and ate from his plate, and was like a daughter to him...
There’s nothing sacred about the Pax Americana. Nothing guarantees its survival, legitimacy, comforts, power, or wealth...
A few years ago a longtime friend and “bird” (i.e., full-rank) colonel in the Marine Corps returned from joint war-games in Asia with the South Korean military. Marines are not known for their ambiguity. They are known for their backbone and willingness to fight. So their thoughts on the practical aspects of warfare have weight...
43 Embarrassing Grammar Mistakes Even Smart People Make...
Vatican Faces Backlash Over Use of Artwork by Accused Abuser Father Rupnik...
Are You Sinning Against the Holy Spirit?
Jesus says, “Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness but is guilty of an everlasting sin.” This teaching makes some people mistakenly believe they are beyond forgiveness from somehow sinning against the Holy Spirit. What then is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit? It is good for us to know, lest we fall into despair.
Pope at Angelus: ‘Don’t Let Yourself Be Imprisoned by the Myths of Money, Power, and Success’...
Embrace the Strange, News to Us, and Angel of the Infield...
The Church is the custodian of an incredible intellectual tradition, the living school of immense knowledge, and the dispenser of great wisdom. All of these we should be offering the world with terrific urgency, given the state of things. But the faith is also gloriously weird, speaking in metaphors and imagery to convey mysteries and realities our minds can hardly compass or our vocabulary express.
Report: Pope Benedict’s Former Secretary Archbishop Georg Gänswein to Be Appointed Papal Nuncio to Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia...
The long limbo of Pope Benedict XVI’s former longtime personal secretary may be ending soon.Archbishop Georg Gänswein, who fell from influential papal aide to no assignment in the Catholic Church, will soon be appointed papal nuncio to the three Baltic countries, according to a report from an Italian Catholic news outlet.
Vatican Arrests Ex-Employee for Attempted Extortion Using Allegedly Stolen Bernini Manuscript...
Mother of Soon-to-Be-Saint Carlo Acutis Offers Tips for Catholic Parents...
Harvard returns Danish mummies, won’t do same for Catholic saint relic...
Catholic meteorologist keeps eyes on skies to support safety, success of Eucharistic pilgrimage...
Our Ole Kentucky Meeting...
Greetings from the road. As you read this Tuesday Pillar Post, I am on my way to Louisville, Kentucky, to cover the spring plenary assembly of the U.S. bishops’ conference. I’ll be joined by The Pillar’s Ed Condon, as our team keeps you apprised on what’s happening at the USCCB meeting...
Here are 5 up-and-coming bishops who may become archbishops soon...
Persevere in love — it’s the antidote to dispel dangerous spiritual mediocrity...
The first time someone asked me why I made the Sign of the Cross before a meal I told him that I was grateful to Jesus for the meal I was about to receive. Rousing a sense of curiosity, I followed by explaining that the symbolism behind the Sign of the Cross proclaims and affirms my faith in Jesus Christ the Son of God who died for my sins...
Medical Care for Gender Dysphoria Is a Wild West Legally, Empirically and Ethically...
The recent Independent Review of Gender Identity Services for Children and Young People commissioned by the National Health Service of England prompted much reflection on both sides of the Atlantic. Also known as the Cass Review, its author is Dr. Hilary Cass, OBE, former President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and chair of the British Academy of Childhood Disability...
Gratitude on a Stretcher...
It was fall 2020, and I had just been taken by ambulance to a New York City hospital. Without a doubt, the paramedics thought I was wasting their time and was merely having a panic attack. (If panic was an element, the 911 dispatcher yelling at me may have had something to do with it.) They all but got out their smelling salts so the silly woman would drop her drama and not faint...
What is the content of the kerygma?
Kerygma. Gospel. Good News. If you want to talk about Church insider language, then the word, “kerygma” is at the top of the list. Today, it is a word only used in Christian circles and even then, not widely. This is unfortunate, because a lot of the answers to the problems in ministry lie in a deeper understanding what the kerygma is and how we ought to be using it.
If Catholics Are Right About Mary, Why Is She Talked About so Little in the Bible?
Monsoon Season in the Grand Canyon Is Truly Incredible...
Faithful Flock to ‘Healing Waters’ of Kenya’s Marian Shrine of Subiaka, the ‘Lourdes of Africa’...
In a tranquil rural setting dedicated to the Virgin Mary, pilgrims immerse themselves in spring-fed waters believed by many to have miraculous healing properties.No, we’re not in France. We’re in Kenya — at the national Marian shrine of Subukia, to be precise.Owned by the Kenyan Catholic Conference of Bishops, the rural site in the Diocese of Nakuru has been a spiritual center for the East African nation for the past 30 years.
Pope Francis to Meet Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Jim Gaffigan, Conan O’Brien, Other Comedians at Vatican...
It’s no joke: Pope Francis will take the mic in front of over 100 comics, stand-up comedians, and humorists, including Americans Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon, at the Vatican next Friday.Jim Gaffigan, Conan O’Brien, Chris Rock, Tig Notaro, and Whoopi Goldberg are the other U.S. comedians expected to take part.
Celebrate June by Enthroning the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Your Home...
Pope pens letter to Normandy bishop to commemorate 80th anniversary of D-Day...
May the Force Be With You (and With Your Spirit)...
Theologians Hold Closed-Door Meeting in Rome on Guidance Document for October Synod...
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