A sub-category of News.
Nearly a quarter of a century ago (2000), an elderly Chinese man’s death in Stamford, Connecticut, was reported in the media. His name was Ignatius Kung, and he had lived in the United States since 1988. He was born in his native China at the beginning of the twentieth century (1901), and there he had…
This year’s Good Friday will be celebrated amid growing tensions surrounding the issue of antisemitism, and this is for several reasons. The tension in Israel-Palestine has intensified pro- and anti-Israel rhetoric. This has, unsurprisingly, descended into the realm of identity politicking, with many anti-war advocates being labeled antisemitic for their stance against decisions made by…
The Last Supper being over, the discourse finished, and the hymn of thanksgiving said, Jesus leaves the supper-room with his eleven Apostles and enters the Garden of Gethsemane. Consider: 1. Jesus is in the habit of retiring after the fatigues of the day, to pass the night in solitude and prayer. Even on this last…
Why another article about Christian nationalism? I assert that there is a program afoot targeting Catholics under the tag “Christian nationalists,” and it can be defeated if we know how it works. Let’s start with a couple of jokes. Last month saw the release of Rob Reiner’s new movie, God & Country, which affects concern…
Duly reported by now was the Vatican’s hosting of a Marxist-Christian dialogue in January, earlier this year. Pope Francis freely encouraged the interaction while, moreover, conspicuously neglecting to mention Christ, Christianity, or the fact that the Catholic Church has a long history of decided condemnation of Marxist Communism. Similar disconcerting dealings include Cardinal Francesco… Source…
“How Christian is Christian Nationalism?” asked a New Yorker piece last year. Many Christians would argue “not at all”—believing that Christians should not even engage in public service, as the faithful are called to be a people set apart. Other Christian traditions—among them Anabaptists such as the Mennonites and the Bruderhof Communities, Holiness Pacifists, Seventh-day…
A group named “Trad Recovery” is holding a conference this summer to minister to people who have been harmed by their involvement in traditionalist communities. Some traditionalist Catholics have taken offense to the project, but it is certainly possible that there are some people who have had bad experiences and who might therefore benefit from…
Above: Urakami Cathedral, 7 January 1946. On a bright but cloudy morning on 9 August 1945, a B-29 bomber, named “Bocks Car”, of the US Army Air Force, flew over the Japanese port city of Nagasaki and dropped a highly radioactive Plutonium implosion bomb onto the city, 300 yards from the second largest Roman Catholic…
It can be no coincidence that the season of Lent coincides with the filing of taxes. Both God and Caesar bid us to be reconciled; the former with more justice than the latter. It is just for a nation to levy taxes to maintain the common good. Taxes pay for public services and servants; therefore,…
Should confessions be scheduled during the Paschal Triduum? Once upon a time, that question would have been a non-question. Youthful memories remind me of confession lines on Holy Saturday. More recent ones, too. I’m proud to have a pastor who demonstrates priestly charity and hears confessions on Holy Saturday morning. But the question remains pertinent…
