[The following is from The Framework of a Christian State by Rev. E. Cahill, S.J.,  Imprimi Potest: Eduardus, Archbishop of Dublin, May 23, 1932. Regarding the first part of this article, the subject is evidently very timely; read Johann Hari: How Goldman gambled on starvation.]

Speculation in stocks and shares means broadly an attempt to make profit out of changing prices, and like other forms of gambling, is not in itself unlawful. But without being in any way useful to the community, this type of activity is specially liable to abuse and in many of its forms is immoral and unjust. Read More »

It’s not front page news, even in Catholic media, but it ought to be. We’ve had enough of the bad news during this Lent. Pietro Molla was a remarkable Catholic who lived a life of sacrifice along with his wife during their marriage and for almost fifty years after her death in 1962. Reading the account of Mr. Molla’s life (Zenit News website) written by Rev. Thomas Rosica, CSB, a family friend, I was filled with admiration for the whole family. Read More »

Catholic News Service: Charity without justice is “only a forgery because charity requires that objectivity that is typical of justice and which must not be confused with inhumane coldness,” the pope said. Read full article here.

In a manner of speaking, yes. American Life League’s Katie Walker explains:

A British researcher has added to the growing body of evidence showing the link between the birth control pill and the rise of the effeminate heartthrob.

Dr Alexandra Alvergne, of the University of Sheffield, says the hormones in the pill and other hormonal contraceptives suppress a woman’s interest in masculine men and make boyish men more attractive, reports the UK’s Daily Mail.

According to the theory, the Pill could contribute to the rising popularity of effeminate men in the last 40 years. Read More »

CNA reports:  Carlos Abarca visits his wife Erika Sotelo three times a day. She has been in a coma for the last fourteen years, after suffering complications during surgery at a hospital in Santiago. This devoted husband tells how his day-to-day life is with his wife and how in these difficult circumstances, his affection for her “is stronger than ever” and that he always “hopes for a miracle.”

This dramatic and moving case, in contrast with that of Eluana Englaro, who was killed in Italy after her father requested that her feeding tubes be removed, was made know by the Chilean daily El Mercurio.

How few parents realize the immense power they possess for moulding the character and shaping the future career of their children. The tiny babe just born to them comes from God’s hand with vast possibilities for good and evil; like the young forest tree, its soul may be trained to grow straight and beautiful, or bent and twisted, made horrible and deformed. Read More »

Anyone who is contemplating marriage has a lot to think about, indeed.  However, there is one modern trend that should be avoided once you have determined that marriage is your vocation.  To explain this pitfall and how to overcome it, I introduce a phrase from philosophy. “The first in intention is the last in execution.” No, we are not talking about executing people as so many irreverent jokes concerning wives go. In this sense we use the word execution to mean: the result of an act performed, such as in, “The plan was sound; its execution, faulty.” Read More »

The Temperament God Gave You: The Classic Key to Knowing Yourself, Getting Along with Others, and Growing Closer to the Lord, by Art and Laraine Bennett. Published by Sophia Press.

The four temperaments: “Catholic astrology” or solid science? In this easy-to-understand, fun to read and often humorous book by a husband and wife team, we learn much about the ancient concept of the four temperaments, how they are, in fact “solid science,” and how they affect our personalities and our interactions with everyone around us. Read More »

Catholicism.org has recently published a few things on marriage, the editors being of the conviction that the restoration of the family is necessary for the restoration of the Church and the State. It’s good to see that there is an insightful piece on the subject in the last issue of Chronicles. In the article, “Moonstruck Morality Versus the Cosmos,” Father Barbour contrasts the original Vatican II schema on marriage  with the text the Council ultimately produced. The latter, he holds, is inferior. Read More »

In the recent row over the Holy Father’s statements about birth control devices, it was made very apparent how much the world hates the Church’s moral magisterium. Even bishops, shepherds of Our Lord’s flock, went on record opposing the teachings of the Chief Shepherd of Christians. While I was considering this revolting set of circumstances, it struck me how closely these events tie into our Crusade to restore faith in the defined dogma, “no salvation outside the Church.” Read More »