Category: Columns

On
Bishop Robert Barron

The reality of abortion and the hope of change

We stand at a pivotal point in the great moral debate over abortion in our country — not because new arguments have emerged, but rather because laws so breathtaking in their barbarism have been passed, and a film so visceral in its presentation of the reality of abortion has found a wide audience.

As John Henry Newman reminded us, assent to a proposition is rarely a matter of acquiescing to rational demonstration alone; instead, it often has to do with the accumulation of argument, image, impression, experience, and witness.

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On
Fr. John Catoir

Communion is expression of God’s unchanging love

Spirituality for Today
Fr. John Catoir

Holy Communion is the most precious gift that Jesus gave us. It is the perfect expression of God’s unchanging love. The Eucharist is the real presence of Christ on all the altars throughout the world.

In 2005, Cardinal Avery Dulles wrote, “This teaching surrounding the Eucharist, remains as true and as normative today, as it did from the beginning. The Council of Trent described the real presence of Jesus with three adverbs: truly, really, and substantially.”

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On
Brandon Vogt

How to boldly go forth and make disciples

Brandon Vogt

Most parishes wish they were better at evangelizing and making disciples. They wish they could help parishioners become more ardent, committed followers of Christ who are excited to share their faith with others.

But how do we get there? Marcel LeJeune, president and founder of Catholic Missionary Disciples, has been dedicated to the task for many years.

In this interview from Word on Fire, Brandon Vogt sits down with Marcel to chat about how parishes can become disciple-making factories.

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On
Fr. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, Ph.D.

Gene-edited babies and the runaway train of in vitro fertilization

In November 2018, a Chinese scientist named He Jankui (known to his associates as “JK”) claimed that he had successfully produced the world’s first gene-edited human babies using “gene surgery.”

The twin girls, he said, were born somewhere in China with a modified gene that makes them immune to infection from HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. A special DNA splicing technique called CRISPR/Cas 9 was used when they were embryos to make the edits. In a series of short videos posted on YouTube, JK offers an explanation of, and justification for, what he did.

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On
Fr. Donald Lange

Earth Day seeks to protect and save all species

The theme of Earth Day 2019 is to protect and save all the species.

Earth day was founded by Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson. He witnessed the devastation caused by an enormous oil spill in Santa Barbara, Calif., which hurt the environment.

In 1969, he proposed the idea to celebrate Earth Day. As always, this year’s Earth Day occurs on April 22, the day after we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.

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On
Msgr. James Bartylla

The Parable of Brotherly Envy

From the Diocesan Administrator column

Following is a homily given by Msgr. James Bartylla, diocesan administrator, for the fourth Sunday of Lent.

The Parable of the Prodigal Son on the fourth Sunday of Lent is a parable well known to most of us. I’ve often thought of it as the New Testament version of the Book of Job in its impact.

If the Book of Job might be conveniently subtitled, “Why do bad things happen to good people?”, the Parable of the Prodigal Son might be subtitled, “Why do good to bad people?” (i.e., to the prodigal son), and “Are good people really so good?” (i.e., the older son’s behavior).

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On
Fr. Steve Grunow

Do we serve Jesus or do we use him?

Fr. Steve Grunow

In the days of Holy Week, the Church presents select passages from the Old Testament prophet, Isaiah. These particular passages are known as the “servant” texts, and in these texts the prophet Isaiah foresees the work of the Messiah and how the Messiah will effect the transformation of Israel.

Remember, the Messiah is a person of extraordinary power, whom the prophets believed would effect the restoration of the Israelites, elevating them to a glory that surpassed the glory of their greatest kings.

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