The Narthex

As the spiritual influence of the Church has waned in the West, it has created a spiritual void in the lives of many people.  Devoid of religion, the people still desire to be “spiritual but not religious.”  Nature abhors a vacuum, so this void is being filled by a great…

Pope Benedict XVI once famously remarked that the Church of the future "will become small."  Rather than exercising some prophetic gift, the Pope was simply exercising an awareness of history.  Each time the Church becomes comfortable, it falls into decline and dwindles to a remnant through which it will be…

During their summer meeting, the Democratic National Committee drafted a set of resolutions in which they voice an inclusive stance toward the growing demographic of the “religiously unaffiliated.”  These resolutions clearly have a deeper meaning than just inclusivity; they aim to attack Christian values in our society. Before continuing, I'll…

The Earth is flat.  Not actually flat, but flat in the sense that man no longer sees a horizon.  Do you want proof of that?  Look no further than Labor Day.  Invented to “celebrate” American workers and their achievements, it is now little more than a bookend marking the end…

A recent Pew Research Center survey shows that nearly seven out of 10 Catholics don't believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.  They see the Eucharist as "a symbol."  Alarming numbers, perhaps, but not at all surprising.  Anyone who attends Mass even semi-regularly would likely come to…

One is tempted to view feast days of the Church with a certain abstract detachment.  The events they mark seem relegated to the past and thus lack a certain realness to them.  But the Solemnity of the Assumption keeps us from succumbing to this temptation.  Among the many Marian feast…

Earlier this month, under pressure from LGBT groups, Amazon stopped selling books by Dr. Joseph Nicolosi.  Dr. Nicolosi was well known for reparative therapy that helped many people overcome the temptation to same-sex attraction.  Of course, the fact that Dr. Nicolosi wanted to free people from both disordered inclinations and…

When Christ gave to His followers freedom from the law, He was, in essence, promising them freedom from reliance on loopholes.  No longer bound toes to a line, our feet were unshackled to roam the fields of freedom.  The problem is that reliance on loopholes has…

The last decade has seen incredible growth in the number of people who regularly practice yoga. Despite its popularity, most practitioners are woefully ignorant of its roots and meaning.  Many Catholics can be counted among this group.  In fact, some parishes even going so far as to host “Mommy’s Morning…

After a prolonged campaign against smoking, the culture at large mostly agrees that cigarette smoking is evil.  Setting aside whether that is true or not, at no time during the debate did anyone accuse other people of being tobaccophobic or call them haters.  That was because it was quite clear…

The Devil is a terrible copycat.  Mind you, that doesn’t stop him from trying at every turn to ape God.  His greatest impersonation to do before his final curtain call, as the anti-Christ, is still in the future but he hardly ceases to have dress rehearsals.  Although it may not…

It is that time of the liturgical year when we must face the question: Is Ascension Thursday a Holy Day of Obligation?  The answer is in the affirmative as the Code of Canon Law (1246), in addition to all Sundays of the year, includes the Solemnity of the Ascension among…

Two members of Congress with decidedly socialist leanings announced this week their plans to introduce bills that would cap interest rates on credit cards and consumer loans at 15 percent.  Calling it a “national usury law” the two politicians hope to reduce the amount of interest that consumers pay for…

Every age has its own set of moral contradictions.  Fallen man’s creativity never ceases to find ways to feign moral blindness.  In this regard our age is no different.  Living in an age marked by an exaggerated reliance on the empirical, morality seems to take a back seat to biology. …

Over the last few years there have been a number of high-profile cases of patients in a vegetative state dying after they had their feeding and hydration tubes removed. The most recent case was in France, where a brain-damaged and crippled man named Vincent Lambert had his feeding tube removed…