God's instrument for viewing the crucifixionMichael Pakaluk
The crucifixion is so horrible that we naturally recoil from it. Without some special reason to view it, we flee from it, just as the Apostles did at the event itself (except for John). Protest as much ...
Quinquagesima Michael Pakaluk
The word I have chosen for the title of this essay means "fiftieth" in Latin. Before Vatican II, among Catholics, the term referred to the Sunday before Lent, which is exactly 50 days before Easter. This ...
Seeking an indulgence as an act of faithMichael Pakaluk
Surely no Catholic devotion is more congenial than to pray before a creche. Perhaps with the end of the Christmas season on Jan. 8 (the Baptism of the Lord), you miss the creche already. I wonder, are ...
In honor of Mary Michael Pakaluk
In honor of the Immaculate Conception and Our Lady of Guadalupe, I invite you to ponder with me the two opening lines of Mary's song, the "Magnificat" (Luke 1:46-7). We are confronted first with ...
Eleven top reasons in favor of abortionMichael Pakaluk
I will give what I think are the top motives for why people favor abortion rights, in what I think is the order, from the most to the least influential. 1. One motive is the sensed disproportion between ...
Inclined toward oneself but not 'curved inward' Michael Pakaluk
Samuel Beckett is reputed to have said, "God created the universe out of nothing, and it shows." I don't know whether he really said this. But the quip is theologically very deep, because it echoes ...
How to start a Bible studyMichael Pakaluk
But why should you start a Bible study? Because ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ, as St. Jerome said. Because we want to model our lives on the life of Christ. Because we all sense that the ...
Tracing things back Michael Pakaluk
What could be more ridiculous, as a Christian, than to celebrate the dedication of a building, and even to place that celebration on the universal calendar of the Church? But that is what Catholics do, ...
