This was kind of exciting so I had to share it with you. CBS Washington published a despicable photo spread of the March For Life in which only pro-choice demonstrators were shown instead of the 400,000 pro-life marchers. The resulting hue and outcry from pro-lifers was swift and terrible, flooding the comment boxes and grabbing [...]

When should you open your mouth?

We were simply commiserating over children when she blurted it out. “You know my children were conceived by in vitro fertilization don’t you?”

I was stunned into silence. What could I say? [...]

Gentlemen, I need your help.

The focus of my PhD is the question “is there a Catholic view of Masculinity?” Part of my research is reading on gender identity, particularly relating to masculinity. When I saw that the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRS) have released a discussion paper titled “Protection from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and sex and/or gender identity” I thought I had better read it. Discussion papers are important stages in policy development in Australia so, when a body as important at the AHRS write a paper on this, you can count on somebody bringing it to parliament sooner or later.

To provide alternatives to the excesses of our culture, a good start might be to unlock the churches.

To ponder a proper relationship with “truth” is, I believe, to ponder on the proper orientation of one’s life. The direction of one’s thoughts, the object of one’s motives and priorities, the standard by which the rest of life is evaluated. The question can rightly be asked: “Quo Vadis?” or ” Where are you going? Towards Truth or away?”.

Of course we all tend to think we have a right relationship with truth, just like the individuals that Socrates questioned who (unlike him) thought themselves wise. However, amidst the throes of passion and opinion in the public square, an individual’s attitude toward truth speaks much about their relationship with it.

Stairway to Heaven is a weekly feature exploring how to live our Catholic faith in our culture.

Our ways aren’t always God’s ways and we shouldn’t short-circuit him.

Today is my birthday. The older I get, the more I want to downplay this day.

But, this day has to be something more to me, because it is also the anniversary of the day my birth mother placed me for adoption. And, through no other explanation than divine providence, the anniversary of the day I found my adoptive parents 8 years later.

The news across the Catholic blogosphere today is Archbishop Chaput’s new assignment to Philadelphia to replace retiring Cardinal Rigali. Traditionally, the archbishop of Philadelphia has been a Cardinal, so this move is seen as an imminent elevation for the archbishop – one that is long overdue. I lived in Denver until the beginning of this [...]

Fathers have a great deal to learn from this saint who was martyred when she was 11 years old.

Stairway to Heaven is a weekly feature exploring how to live our Catholic faith in our culture.

July 6th is the feast day of St. Maria Goretti. She is the patron saint of young women.

She grew up a farm girl in rural Italy at the turn of the 19th into the 20th Century. When she was 11, a 19-year old boy living in the same house as her family started making advances on her. She kept refusing him.

Finally, after six months, the boy cornered her and forced himself on her, brandishing a knife. She didn’t give in. He then stabbed her repeatedly.

Are we spending our time as we should? Where do our priorities lie? The news isn’t good.

Stairway to Heaven is a weekly feature exploring how to live our Catholic faith in our culture.

Occasionally, studies come along that just blow the socks off of our culture.

Recently, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (U.S. Department of Labor) released their 2011 America Time Use Survey, which measures how Americans spend their time (at least those over 15 years of age). The only press reports I saw on the study referenced the increased amount of leisure time that Americans seem to have (presumably because of the Great Recession and the high number of unemployed and underemployed workers).

But the story goes so much deeper and is an indictment on our culture.

How we dress is reflection of our spirtuality. We need to teach that to our teenage daughters.

Stairway to Heaven is a weekly feature exploring how to live our Catholic faith in our culture.

I was at our parish festival this weekend. On Saturday night, I worked one of the booths in the kids’ area.

About 9:00, the teenagers started gathering. At one point, I’m guessing we had at least a hundred milling around.

I have never been uptight about what others were wearing. But, I’m changing. I guess I’m a little more attuned, especially to teenage dress, because of my soon to be pre-teen daughter. I’m paying closer attention to the signals that the culture is sending her and the signals that she is sending the world.