When I shared the terrible things social media are doing to our lives, I started by quoting Plato’s fears that writing would hurt our memories. He was right — it did. But of course writing did much more than that: It put an order and discipline to our thinking that not only made us better…
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“What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.” – St. Augustine of Hippo The world…
DetailsThe iGeneration is living in a culture of excess. But what they lack is what they need the most: Christ and his Church Emily Stimpson OSV Newsweekly Some call them the iGeneration. Others prefer Generation Z, Pluralists or post-Millennials. Sociologists and marketing experts have yet to reach a consensus on what to call the children of Generation…
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Society is growing more and more casual. I have seen people shopping for groceries in their pajama pants and fuzzy slippers. I’ve been to world-class classical concerts where people are dressed in Hawaiian shirts and jeans. In fact, it’s hard to think of anything people will dress up for anymore. Even weddings and funerals are getting more…
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“In this culture, which is selling a lot of stuff, I had a father on his knees who was showing me how to be a man of God.” —Dan Vander Woude I vividly recall the weekend in September 2008 when I learned that a father and parishioner in a nearby parish in northern Virginia had…
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When Jesus entered the temple precincts to clear out the moneylenders, He quotes Isaiah 56: “It is written: ‘My house shall be a house of prayer’” (Matthew 21:13). It wasn’t that Jesus was objecting to the presence of commerce in the Temple area—the day-to-day business of life—but that this had, in the minds of many,…
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It is all too common to hear frustrated parents complain that although they sent their children to Catholic school, or had them faithfully attend religious education and youth ministry, they nonetheless fell away from the faith. Pope Paul VI may have said it best: “The split between the Gospel and culture is without a doubt…
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It happened last Sunday. While sitting in Mass, my 3-year-old son decided to be a “loud talker.” Concerned about the prayerfulness of others around us, I whispered into his ear “I need you to whisper in church.” To which he whispered dramatically back to me, “Neverrrrr.” Ah yes. The refreshing will of a preschooler. However,…
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When was the last time you watched a movie or a television program and were disappointed that the content opposed your morals? Yesterday? Today? If you lament the decline of values-oriented entertainment options for your family, you are not alone. But there is hope. An Ally I recently had the opportunity to hear a presentation…
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