Visiting the dying, a distinct work of mercyMichael Pakaluk
It is not quite one of the corporal acts of mercy. These include "visiting the sick," even if the illness is temporary or slight, and "burying the dead." True, by extension, burying the dead includes ...
Pushed off the platform Michael Pakaluk
It is highly important to the United States that some national political leader, somewhere, affirm the principle that since all human beings are created equal and endowed by their Creator with a right ...
Advice to fathersMichael Pakaluk
I thought for this week following Father's Day I would try to remember and collect the best advice I know about fatherhood. Here it is: First, and above all, pray for each child each day. If possible, ...
The Easter Season is the fleshly season Michael Pakaluk
Easter is a celebration of the centrality of the body in the Christian faith, because it is a celebration of the resurrection of the Lord, and, as Christians, we confess the resurrection of the body, ...
No line-drawingMichael Pakaluk
A good way to grasp the central idea of "Infinite Dignity," the recent Declaration of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, is to set down this rule: if we are engaged in any project of line-drawing ...
God's instrument for viewing the crucifixion Michael 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 ...
QuinquagesimaMichael 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 faith Michael 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 ...
