A sub-category of News.
In a heartrending trend we have seen play out all too often in recent years in Catholic schools and parishes across the country, 55 Catholic schools closed in the 2023-24 school year, 71 in 2021-22, and over 200 in 2020-21. This led the Cardinal Newman society to ask, “Can We Be Frank About the Catholic…
This Sunday, Christ’s final days began. This Sunday they begin again liturgically. Through our sacred liturgical worship and by our baptismal character these sacred mysteries are made present to us and we to them in their devout celebration. Now, again, our Lord comes to Jerusalem, mounted on the colt of a donkey. Context. For months…
How do we know God loves us? Is there any evidence in the Scriptures telling us that He does? Is there an image perhaps to which we can easily point to prove that we are loved by God in the most intimate and unmistakable way? There are actually a whole busload of examples, of which…
Above: Joseph’s Bloody Coat Brought to Jacob by Diego Velázquez, 1630 We are familiar with the famous story of G.K. Chesterton, who was once asked to write an essay answering the question, “What’s wrong with the world?” His ‘essay’ reply for publication was disarmingly simple. Two words: “I am.” These two words, juxtaposed with God’s…
Passover this year begins at sundown on April 12, the eve of Palm Sunday. In preparation, I’ve been purging the leaven from my life (Lent), perusing Passover recipes, and carrying out the spring cleaning commanded in the Book of Exodus. My Jewish side comes out this time of year. In truth, I am Jewish all…
The Internet says I am a horrible person. I’ve been in the public fight over moral issues for going on thirty years. I have published more than a million words on these issues, tweeted some hard words, and Facebook argued. Maybe I have pushed too hard here and there. I am not exactly winsome. And…
Dear OnePeterFive donor, supporters and readers, This summer I am teaching our second annual adult class on Bishop Schneider’s new canonical Catechism CREDO, a canonical text which is unprecedented since Vatican II. This year we are splitting the class into two 6 week sessions to dive deep into all the theological controversies of our age…
Did you know that Qatar is a country that combats terrorism? For instance, in conjunction with relevant UN agencies, it sponsors conferences on counter-terrorism. Now that’s fighting those terrorists. Stop what you’re doing or we’ll have a conference! If you think back to the 9/11 attacks on America, the Qatari record doesn’t look so good….
“What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.” That famous line from the movie Cool Hand Luke, uttered by the Captain (played by Strother Martin), could be the theme of America’s current red-blue divide. It is also an accurate diagnosis of problems in the Catholic Church. America today is bifurcated by language. “Blue” America, by…
There’s an old tale we all know well: The Emperor’s New Clothes. A vain ruler is tricked by clever weavers who promise him a garment so fine, so refined, that only the truly intelligent can see it. Not wanting to appear stupid, his ministers go along with the ruse. So does the crowd. And so…
