Where the Rubber Hits the Road

Martin, a frequent contributor to the comment threads of this blog offered a quote about "shooting fish in a barrel". I offer his quote as another example of divine providence, for I'd been praying (well not really praying but REALLY hoping...) for a "fish" reference so that I could post this story . Being able to post it on a Friday is a joyous happenstance too! Thank you Martin, not only for your always welcome participation on this blog, but for being the instrument of grace that helped me to bring this amazing "hold the presses" earth-shattering  newsflash to the fore. (grin) Fr. Tim

 Fr. Richard Neuhaus' opening address at a public debate (sponsored by the Economist Magazine). The question was:  "Religion and politics should always be kept separate." I speak in favor of the separation of church and state, and therefore against the resolution that religion and politics should always be kept separate. Permit me to explain. To enforce the exclusion of religion from politics, or from public life more generally, violates the First Amendment guarantee of the "free exercise of religion." The free exercise of religion is the reason for the separation of church and state—a principle that aims not at protecting the state from religion but at protecting religion from the state. In the First Amendment, religious freedom is of a piece with, indeed is in the very same sentence with, free speech, free press, free assembly, and the right to challenge government policy. Hence the resolution put before this house flatly contradicts the guarantees of a f...

The second edition of the New Jesuit Review has been published. Anyone who is interested in a serious discussion of today's issues from an intellectual and faith perspective would want to subscribe to the free online version. The editorial board intend for this publication to be part of an effort to recapture the authentic charism of the Jesuits (as compared to the modernistic and unorthodox offerings of many Jesuits today).

George Weigel, biographer of Pope John Paul II and author of many other books, is interviewed to share his thoughts on his (and my) long time friend , Fr. Richard John Neuhaus (RIP). The interview provides some poignant insights in what propelled RJN into positions of influence where he was able to shape public policy and discourse from the late 1970's till his death in 2009. Click here to read the interview.

In the wake of the Irish sexual abuse scandal, Pope Benedict XVI summoned the Irish Bishops to the Vatican for a thorough review of how these matters were mishandled for many years. The Pontiff went even further is stating that the scandal was allowed to fester and grow due to a "failure of  leadership" on the part of the Irish Bishops. Click here to read the article which was published by CatholicWorldReport.com.

Click here to visit the "Acts of Apostasy" blog. It's a Catholic, Trekkies delight!

Working as I do within the beauty of the Ottawa Valley, I see many cars pass by from “la belle province” emblazoned with the motto “je me souviens” imprinted on each licence plate. These words is a declaration of the desire of the majority francophone people to  “remember” the struggles of “la révolution tranquille” (the Quiet Revolution) ; an epoch which transformed Quebec society into the modern secular state, within whom the francophone population, seemingly all at once, have turned a deaf ear to the voice of the Catholic Church within their culture. They've chosen instead to follow the siren cry of the modern secularist project. In the wake this sudden shift, the Catholic Church was  rendered  impotent and irrelevant in the minds of the overwhelming majority of the Quebec population. Within the few years of the Quiet Revolution, virtually 400 years of Catholic practice had vanished.   The most graphic illustration of this variation can be seen in statistics re:...