Spiritual Communion is a devotion for those who are unable, for whatever reason, to receive sacramental holy Communion at a given time or in specific situations. The church offers no prescribed ritual or formula to make an act of spiritual Communion, but
I publicly admit my faults to a fault. It comes from the Irish side of my mother’s family. It’s what we do. This week’s admission: I watch the Game Show Network at times. GSN is a cable channel that provides exactly what
Question: Why does society in general, and religion in particular, refer to sins of the flesh as “immoral”? Is this not rather vague? Idolatry, blasphemy, murder and perjury are also immoral. What gives? — Lawrence Berg, San Gabriel, California Answer: Your question
In his much-discussed indictment of secularized liberal democracy, Polish philosopher and sometime government minister Ryszard Legutko writes bitingly of the powerful and coercive “demon” he so abhors. Toward the end of “The Demon in Democracy” (Encounter Books, $23.99), he describes the problem
To be Catholic means entering into a personal relationship with Christ. It is a matter of encounter. But what is the precise nature of this encounter? During Easter, we contemplate what it means to encounter the risen Lord. The disciples are gathered
The best column I read about Sister Jean throughout the two weeks of March Madness that she ascended into fame came from The Chicago Tribune, where reporter Shannon Ryan wrote a column headlined: “Love the Sister Jean story? Take a cue from
The world watched as hundreds of thousands of people — young and not-so-young — marched for an end to gun violence and called for gun reforms March 24. Indeed, gun violence is a disturbingly common problem in today’s society — especially when
Ten years ago this February, William F. Buckley Jr., the founder of National Review, died, and my life started making much more sense. I was fairly successfully editing a trailblazing website at the flagship conservative magazine he founded in 1955. But in
It is easy to get discouraged and think that those of us concerned about moral decline in our society can have very little positive influence. Something as simple as posting a story on Facebook can result in an all-out viral assault, making
Question: Is it wrong to shop on Sunday? I find shopping enjoyable, not work. A priest on the radio recently said shopping on Sunday is a mortal sin. — Kathy Cerroni, via email Answer: The violation of the Third Commandment can involve
In drama, conflicted characters generally are more interesting. If Hamlet had had a clear conscience, a definite sense of purpose, then the tragedy would have ended pretty quickly. In fact, it wouldn’t have been a tragedy. Perhaps it’s our fascination with such