Where the Rubber Hits the Road

We are witnessing a collapse of religious freedom in Canada. Anyone who doubts it is naïve or completely uniformed. Charles Lewis: Religious liberty is fading fast :

This meme is all too true for many of my parishioners. My own cottage basement unfortunately currently has 5+ feet of water in it... and I am among the lucky ones. Many others have had their main floors inundated as well. The tragedy is all the worse given that we cannot purchase flood insurance... or at least can't buy it at a price we could afford.

According to the latest interim report compiled by Health Canada, 6,749 people have received medically assisted deaths. That amounts to roughly one per cent of all deaths in Canada. Nearly 7,000 Canadians have died with medical assistance: Health Canada - National | Globalnews.ca :

After nearly 6 years of work, it looks like the new governing constitution of the Vatican should be published by the end of the summer. The clear winner is the Secretariat of State. Secretariat of State looks to become even stronger in Vatican reforms :

St. Faustina: The Divine Mercy Chaplet for Priests

Father Raymond J. de Souza: The grim toll of Christians massacred at Easter rises again | National Post :

Too many on the Catholic Left remain in denial about the link between doctrinal and moral dissent and clerical wickedness. The Ratzinger Diagnosis | George Weigel | First Things :

A Divine Mercy Pilgrimage: 52 Weeks with Saint Faustina

A new Marian Press title, 52 Weeks with Saint Faustina by Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle, set us on a pilgrimage behind These Stone Walls for a year of grace and mercy. A Divine Mercy Pilgrimage: 52 Weeks with Saint Faustina :

Pray this prayer to invoke St. George's powerful intercession against temptations --Aleteia :

U.S. religious liberty czar says 'no signs' of change in China since Vatican deal :

A new “super dicastery” on evangelization might be one of the most significant reforms of the governing structures of the Vatican, according to a new report. New Vatican document to put evangelization ahead of doctrine :

Here’s how to go from the empty tomb to friendship with the Risen One :

It’s only by placing our self-abandonment within the light of eternity, and within a mosaic that involves a perspective beyond the confines of particular situations and personalities, that we can find strength, true peace and the means of perseverance. Resurrection an invitation to see beyond pain, sorrow, and suffering :

On Palm Sunday, Pope Francis came as close as he ever may to explaining the spiritual logic for his refusal to engage his critics. Palm Sunday and the spiritual logic for Francis's sound of silence :

The 90-year-old founder of L’Arche Community and Faith and Light, Jean Vanier, has entered into the stage of receiving palliative care, Aleteia learned this week. Founder of L’Arche Community goes into hospice care :

A God who allows suffering is a mystery, but so is a God who suffered. Opinion | Why Jesus on the Cross Is No Mere Symbol - The New York Times :

As Pope Benedict XVI re-enters the fray, experts take broad look at U.S. Catholicism — GetReligion :

The Queensland government has launched an inquiry into voluntary assisted dying laws and palliative care. Voluntary euthanasia should be available to children: civil libertarians :

The Church Needs Our Help — Let’s Get to Work :

Sources who spoke on background have told Crux that new Vatican norms on clerical abuse risk being so rushed that instead of making things clearer, the text may raise more questions than it answers. Vatican doc on sex abuse may raise more questions than it answers :

Pope’s Holy Thursday Chrism Mass: full text of homily - Vatican News :

The fire that consumed the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris was devestating. But there are so many incredible miracles found in the rubble and ashes! Finding Miracles Amid the Rubble of Notre Dame – EpicPew :

The story of Chicago’s Father Gary Graf illustrates the challenges facing priests who are falsely accused at a time when hundreds of true stories of horrific abuse dominate the news. What happens when a priest is falsely accused of sexual abuse | America Magazine :

Easter in Jail: The Travesty of the Pell Case – Catholic World Report

A new study on brains from slaughtered pigs suggests cell death in the brain occurs across a longer time window than previously thought. Scientists spur some activity in brains of slaughtered pigs | CBC News :

Christians can do the work of evangelization because the first Easter told us that despair never gets the final word. The Easter Effect Today | George Weigel | First Things :

The Agony in the Garden, the First Sorrowful Mystery, is a painful scene in the Passion of Christ, but in each of the Synoptic Gospels the Apostles slept through it. Waking Up in the Garden of Gethsemane :

Could the witness have been influenced by a similar case in the US? More doubts about controversial Pell guilty verdict :

Throughout his brief text, Ratzinger has moments of insight and genius that fall like rain in a desert, especially today. Benedict and the Scandal :

The Risks of History | Commonweal Magazine :

In light of the terrible fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, it seemed right to post this synopsis from George Weigel's book, The Cube and the Cathedral  in which he uses the image of that great church as representative of the religious culture that nurtured Europe into its status as a 1st world power in opposition to the Grand Arch du Défense, the glass enclosed edifice constructed in the last years of the 20th century which represents the modernist secular society that animates most of Europe today. The Cathedral and the Cube: Reflections on European Morale - Commentary :

Why the World Needs Cathedrals :

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed a bill on Friday that would allow terminally ill patients to self-administer drugs to end their own lives. This makes New Jersey the seventh state to legalize assisted-suicide. New Jersey governor signs bill allowing terminally ill to end own lives :

The Notre Dame fire burns a hole in our hearts, yet cannot consume our faith :

How a burning cathedral rebukes a divided Catholic Church. Opinion | From the Ashes of Notre-Dame - The New York Times :

Blaze erupts at Paris' iconic Notre Dame Cathedral; cause unknown :

Ross Douthat’s Expanding Seamless Garment | Church Life Journal :

China and the Catholic Church —  Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow :

These days, there are more golf-course cocktail send-offs and backyard potluck memorials, more Clapton and less “Ave Maria,” more Hawaiian shirts and fewer dark suits. The funeral as we know it is becoming a relic — just in time for a death boom - The Washington Post :

Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Mumbai, India, says a new constitution for the Vatican bureaucracy will combat centralization of power in the Roman Curia. New Vatican constitution will resist centralization in Rome, drafter says :

Understanding the Thought of Benedict XVI : BOOK PICK: Benedict XVI: His Life and Thought

Pope says Christians can't fight the devil by becoming 'superstars' :

Last week served up a couple of especially juicy examples of the old wisdom, "Be careful what you wish for, for you will surely get it." Juicy reminders of 'be careful what you wish for, for you will surely get it' :

One of the things that Native American cultures have done for postmoderns is make a return to Catholic ways of seeing the integral nature of creation. For five hundred years, that project of the postmodern West has been to divorce the spiritual from the material and desacramentalize creation with the notion that it is just matter and energy. Two Articles on Faith and Science | Mark Shea :

The monkeys didn't grow bigger brains, but they do have better short-term memory and faster reaction times compared to monkeys without human brain genes. Chinese scientists give monkeys human brain genes in ‘morally risky’ experiment | National Post :

The progressive leaders Pete Buttigieg and Stacey Abrams are confronting the hypocrisy of the religious right. Opinion | How to Break the Republican Lock on God - The New York Times :

This includes how to greet and formally introduce members of the Catholic hierarchy. A quick guide to addressing Catholic clergy and religious --Aleteia :

Young people say again and again that they want to be heard now. The Catholic Church needs to listen. Pope Francis tells young people that 'Christ is Alive!' – but is the institution dying? | Christian News on Christian Today :

Faith is not the province of right-wing charlatans. Faith, not sexual orientation, is what’s most interesting about Buttigieg - The Washington Post :

Pornchai Maximilian Moontri takes us behind These Stone Walls where he is the safety trainer for a captive audience producing some woodcraft marvelous to behold. Imprisoned by Walls, Set Free by Wood – by Pornchai Moontri :

The black hole is at the center of Messier 87, the largest galaxy we know of, about 54 million light-years away. Black hole Messier 87: Event Horizon telescope captures first-ever black hole image - The Washington Post :

God creates and redeems the world so that God’s holiness might be shared by a people empowered by grace to live holy lives. Creation, Redemption, Martyrdom: A Lenten Reflection | George Weigel | First Things :

The Trinity "is real, it's not a dream," said Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet while presenting his new book with meditations for Holy Week. Faith means overcoming division and envy, Canadian cardinal says :

How Can We Restore Reverence in Society? :

Belgian Choir of Elderly People With Dementia Witnesses to Dignity of Life :

Gary educated hundreds of thousands, enabling them to quickly see that the church's evolving policies were more about public relations and less about real reform. Remembering Gary Hayes, a Catholic priest who held his church to account on abuse - Religion News Service :

Rumors suggest Pope Francis may stage a consistory in June, prompting the question of if he'll name a new American cardinal, and, if so, whom. Pondering the 'if' and the 'who' of the next American cardinal :

Archaeologists at the site of a 1st-century A.D. Jewish settlement in Israel’s Negev Desert have discovered one of the earliest artistic representations of a nine-branched menorah. Archaeologists find menorah image on oil lamp from Jesus’ time :

There’s this narrative out there that says that science arose in Christian Europe in spite of the antagonism of the religious authorities against reason. It portrays the scientific revolution as the inevitable triumph of reason over superstition. How Christianity Led to Science | uCatholic :

Tacitus described the brutal persecution of Christians in Rome under Nero, and explains what happened to Christ. Roman historian Tacitus offers an early testimony of the crucifixion of Christ--Aleteia :

Interview with Chris Gastmans, professor of medical ethics at the University of Leuven (Belgium) and a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life. Robot and elder care; ethical considerations--Aleteia :

BioEdge: Brain-dead Portuguese woman gives birth :

BioEdge: The power of words in the euthanasia debate :

Here's something that was written by C. Matthew Hawkins, a third-year seminarian here in Baltimore that I am proud to now call a friend. In it he explains how Rev. Richard Rohr revives the ancient Christian teaching that God inhabits everything in the universe while transcending all things. It's well worth the read! 'The Universal Christ' : A Franciscan priest's electrifying take on Christology. | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette :

The Emergent Catholic School Brand

Meritocracy inflames the ego and numbs the spirit. Failure teaches us who we are. Opinion | The Moral Revolution We Need - The New York Times :

Could paying attention to the Vatican regularly become a spiritual practice and put the headlines you see about the church in context? Should Catholics care about what happens at the Vatican? | America Magazine :

‘Sign of Our Repentance’: Weakland’s Name Expunged From Milwaukee Church Building :

Watch: Sacristan apologises after Archbishop finds whisky in his chalice :

The latest General Social Survey asked about pets for the first time, giving us one of the clearest looks yet at the differences between dog and cat owners. Dog vs. cat: New data show which pet brings you more joy - The Washington Post :

The seal of an official from Judah, mentioned in the Bible, lends credit to the biblical records of the 6th Century BC. Archaeologists find seal which supports biblical account of the fall of Judah :

5 Books you may not have read in high school but actually should -- Aleteia :

Embryonic Stem-Cell Research Reaches Moral, Medical Dead End :

When the cross atop Mount Royal was first erected in 1924, the Montreal Gazette described it as “a memorial to the survival of the Canadian people, whose growth was, in the early struggles, parallel to the growth of the faith which is represented by the cross.” Losing Canada « Catholic Insight :

Catholic parents serious about real education and formation have options other than elite universities. The High-Priced Spread, Revisited | George Weigel | First Things :

Jesus issued a challenge to cast the first stone in the Gospel for the Fifth Sunday of Lent. It’s a fitting backdrop to the news media stoning of Catholic priests. A Little Perspective before Stoning Your Priest :

A 61-year-old grandmother was cleared by doctors to be a surrogate using sperm from one father and an egg from the sister of another father. Grandma, 61, gives birth to own granddaughter for son and his husband :

Catholic Seminary Evaluations: Time to Reboot? :

Lots of church news continues to bubble in Latin America, much of it related to Francis -- showing it's easier to take the pope out of Latin America than the Latin America out of the pope. LatAm church grapples with abuse, politics -- and welcomes the Virgin :

The Quebec government scrambled Tuesday to explain how its proposed secularism law would be enforced as a growing number of organizations said they are prepared to disobey it. Quebec minister says police could intervene if people disobey religious symbols law | CTV News :

Pope Francis said in a document released Tuesday that women have "legitimate claims" to seek more equality in the Catholic Church, but he stopped short of endorsing recent calls from his own bishops to give women leadership roles. Pope Francis says women have 'legitimate claims' for equality | CTV News :

Assessing the Ethical (and Unethical) Implications of Artificial Intelligence :

Pope Francis appears to be increasingly hesitant to use the phrase "zero tolerance" in talking about the Church's response to the clerical sexual abuse scandals, and somebody on his team may want to find an opportunity to explain why. Pope's team may need to explain new reluctance on 'zero tolerance' :

Atheism Is Inconsistent with the Scientific Method, Prizewinning Physicist Says - Scientific American :

Full text of Pope Francis' In-Flight Press Conference from Rabat :

Pope Francis said Sunday it's possible that French Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, who's appealing a recent six-month suspended jail sentence for failing to report a charge of sex abuse by one of his priests, "is not innocent." French prelate convicted of cover-up may be 'not innocent', pope says :

Pope Francis decried the regression of freedom of conscience in “Christian countries” during an in-flight press conference Sunday, telling reporters on his return to Rome from Morocco. Pope Francis: Freedom of conscience in danger in ‘Christian countries’ | Catholic Herald :