Note: This is the first of a two-part series that approaches issues for Catholics in the upcoming election. This column deals with the issue of conscience and prudence, and the next column will deal with public policy issues and the guidance from Catholic Social Teaching. The two major political parties have finished their conventions, and […]
“There is a war on Catholics and Faith in God,” the envelope read. Inside the mailer was “The 2020 Elections Catholic Voter Survey,” distributed by the organization CatholicVote, which wanted to poll “1,000,000 eligible Catholic Voters … on the Left’s War on Catholics and Faith in God.” This report, when completed, would be “distributed to […]
St. Jerome, the great doctor of the Church, whose feast day occurs on September 30, famously said, “Ignorance of the Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” As an outstanding Latin scholar, he also knew Hebrew and Greek. One of his most important contributions was translating Sacred Scripture from Hebrew and Greek into Latin. Known as the […]
These days we often hear “turn the other cheek” with a reference to the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew’s gospel. Understanding a gospel passage involves a consideration of its context in the gospel, and its context in the circumstances of the characters and the audience. The Sermon on the […]
The coronavirus is not a punishment from God. It is not a severe chastisement dealt to a world that in so many ways sins against the Almighty – by ignoring his commandments and teachings. Actually, the punishment for sin, that we surely do receive, is self-inflicted. For it has been wisely observed that sin is […]
My great-grandfather worked for the Courier-Express in the same building I work in now. He was a printer by trade, so I have black ink in my veins. As we begin work on our last print issue, I think of how much we have advanced in the 20 odd years I’ve been writing for the […]
A line from the song “Closing Time” by Semisonic has stuck with me over the years: “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” It has allowed me to understand change and how change is really the beginning of something fresh and new. Well, there have been big changes at the Western New York […]
Later this month, both major political parties will be having their nominating “conventions.” Although they will be a vastly different kind of convention because of Covid-19 accommodations, these conventions will signal the beginning of election season in earnest. And with election season, you can be sure that the rhetoric, discussions, arguments and downright nastiness will […]
Church history is filled with the lives of extraordinary people who reflect the life of God to the world. Some of the church’s saints have been trailblazers living the Gospel in a radical way and by their way of life, offered a new lens with which to see the world. On Aug. 11, the Church […]
