Readers of this blog will be familiar with the term "moralistic, therapeutic Deism." It is a phrase coined by a pair of sociologists some time ago. I wrote about it thus in Beheading Hydra Rather than preparing souls for a better place, the utilitarians have turned the Christian religion into a method for making the world a [...]
I am aware of so many who read the news, spend too much time on social media and allow themselves to become upset over the terrible state of affairs in the church and the world. If you are one who is regularly upset, worried, fretful, dismayed, angry and concerned I would remind you of several important [...]
The other day on the internet someone posted a picture of Pope Francis being chummy with Nancy Pelosi and the person who posted the picture said, "This is the reason I am no longer a Catholic." OK. I get it. The guy is pro-Life and finds Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden (as public Catholics) nauseatingly hypocritical [...]
Here is my somewhat annual Fourth of July post. Every year I review it and add a few things and remove a few depending on my mood and the circumstances... In no particular order here is the list of stuff I love about America. Hot Dogs and Sauerkraut, Elvis Presley,, Drive In Restaurants, The Blue Ridge [...]
Why have faithful Catholics been so much in the forefront of the campaign to end the crime of abortion? Non Catholic Christians and non-believers and pro abortion activists should stop to consider an aspect of the Catholic faith which is unique among Christians and unique in world religions. It is the veneration of the Blessed Virgin [...]
Yesterday was the first day back on the job wearing a clerical outfit in my parish, and stopping at the supermarket to pick up a few things I was stopped by a guy in the parking lot who felt obliged to tell me a Catholic joke. Q: Did you hear the pope got bird flu? A: [...]
My two month + sabbatical and pilgrimage is now concluded and I am at home in South Carolina ready to return to the parish I left in the capable hands of Fr Richard Ballard. The adventure in Jerusalem concluded on June 1 with a flight to London where I met about 25 pilgrims for a ten [...]
My sojourn in Jerusalem was completed on May 31--at which point I packed my bags and headed to the airport for a flight to London. The only problem was a suitcase that went astray. Happily, I had packed a smaller carry on with all the necessities. After an overnight in an airport hotel we met our [...]
In the office of Readings for today we are assigned I John 4:1-10 in which the Apostle speaks about the AntiChrist. Due to end times dispensationalist preachers many people think the AntiChrist is a particular individual who appears at the end of time to usher in the Rule of Satan. St John actually teaches something else: [...]
Thanks to all my readers who have expressed their gratitude for my Jerusalem Diary. I am now coming in on the home stretch of my two month sabbatical in Jerusalem. On Tuesday I fly to London to lead a ten day pilgrimage then I'll have ten more days visiting family and friends in England before finally [...]