Each year at Christmastime the 35 or so of us who comprise my extended family gather at an old mansion of sorts on the Rhode Island coast to celebrate the season spend time with one another and as we grow a bit older catch up on what we are doing with our lives As many headed to bed and the res

If we fail to consider the difficulties faced by the Holy Family, we can be lulled into thinking that the first Christmas was a familiar, even cozy, affair.

When I began writing for In All Things in the Spring I hoped to get across a few ideas on psychology and Catholicism but the task has grown greater and more enjoyable I m very grateful for everyone who has read my thoughts offered responses and challenges and shown interest in other topics pl

Following up on Jim Keane s post below don t miss Grant Gallicho s post over at Dotcommonweal on Bishop Olmsted s decision to strip St Joseph s Hospital of its Catholic status nbsp It s a lot more nuanced than today s New York Times editorial which referred approvingly to the hospital s aborti

This O-antiphon explicitly looks to the universality of Jesus nbsp Thus King of the nations is a title which brings up the subject of the Gentiles within Jewish thinking nbsp A few brief remarks about this are in order First as Acts points out the acceptance of Gentiles into the Christian c

This is a repost of a nbsp post that was accidentally deleted when I pushed the wrong button nbsp Here rsquo s a line from The Catechism of the Catholic Church that is not I would wager particularly well known nbsp It has to do with the overall treatment of gays and lesbians in modern societ

In the midst of this blog s focus on Advent properly I might say and the liturgical year in general which is the focus of the Catholic Church s activities the year round an interesting challenge of sorts comes from the blog nbsp Inhabitatio Dei in the post The Impotence of the Liturgical Year

From Mirada Global and Raz oacute n y Fe magazine At the beginning of the third millennium the secularist prophecy mdash backed by Weber and Durkheim mdash about the decline and vanishing of religion and faith has not been fulfilled Even more it would seem that we are very far from it B

Yesterday s clarification by the CDF about Pope Benedict s remarks on the use of condoms by Aids-infected prostitutes made in Light of the World seems on the surface to add very little But to those who have been following the discussions among the moral theologians it is in fact highly signific

John DiIulio jr s excellent and quite laudatory review of Robert Putnam and David Campbell s recent book American Grace How Religion Divides and Unites Us which appeared in the Nov 22nd issue of America summed up his judgment American Grace is an instant classic as academically authoritativ

Check out this LA Times article on a group of monks in California who are struggling to align a modern financial reality with an ancient way of life The Catholic monks of the New Camaldoli Hermitage have lived a world apart in the inspirational majesty of Big Sur for half a century They know well

Because of the tender mercy of our God the Dawn from on high will visit us to shine on those who sit in the darkenss and the shadow of death to guide our feet into the way of peace Luke 1 78-79 nbsp In his famous Spirit-inspired hymn Zachary praises God first for sending a savior to His P

Breaking news from Phoenix earlier this afternoon Phoenix Diocese Strips St Joseph s Hospital of Catholic Status The decree by Bishop Olmsted can be found here Video of Bishop Olmsted s press conference can be found here The hospital s first response is here The National Catholic Reporter ha

Last week there was an extra collection in our parish for retired priests and religious The end of the year brings many of us lay and clergy alike to reflect upon our life count our blessings and see where we are headed in the future Most readers of America are at the age where they either are

I am very late to this video party but by reading the year-end New York Times account of memorable phrases in the USA from 2010 I came across this one double rainbow Did I miss something It turns out I missed in a theological and also in a mystical sense everything For the double rainbo

Interesting to say the least nbsp The Vatican s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has issued a Note clarifying some of the confusion around the Holy Father s recent comments on HIV AIDS nbsp Now as far as I know nbsp there weren t many responsible commentators saying that the nbsp

Dissecting the topic on Fox amp Friends nbsp Or at least as much as I can in 3 26 minutes nbsp By the way I note that for all of Fox s televised anger over the so-called War on Christmas the lobby of the Fox News Building had a menorah but no creche Watch the latest video at video fo

It was almost poetic Pope Benedict s depiction yesterday in his speech to the Curia of the glories of the priesthood -- We realized afresh how beautiful it is that human beings are fully authorized to pronounce in God rsquo s name the word of forgiveness and are thus able to change the world to c

I will place the key of the House of David on his shoulder when he opens no one shall shut when he shuts no one shall open nbsp Isaiah 22 22 nbsp The word of God through Isaiah promised a nbsp king nbsp to replace a nbsp monarch who ruled Israel badly nbsp The nbsp Christian tradition

The blog Messy Jesus Business has a post on Advent and our Christmas habits called the disturbing poor baby Jesus by Sister Julia Walsh FSPA Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration Here is an excerpt I am even more disturbed when I read the Christmas story in the bible and let it challenge