Tag: slavery

On
Bishop Robert Barron

Church ministers to body, mind, and soul

One of the greatest heroes of the social justice wing of the Church is, quite rightly, the 17th century “slave of the slaves,” St. Peter Claver.

Born in Barcelona, Claver joined the Society of Jesus and was known, even as a young man, as a person of deep intelligence and piety.

Spurred by what he took to be the direct prompting of the Holy Spirit, the young Spaniard volunteered to work among the poor in what was then known as “New Spain.” Arriving in Cartagena, he saw the unspeakable degradation of the captives brought in chains by ship from Africa, and he resolved to dedicate his life to serving them.

Letter tells of Claver’s work

We have a wonderful letter that Peter Claver wrote to his Jesuit superior in which he vividly describes apostolic work that he did among the slaves, just after they came ashore in Cartagena. He speaks of hopeless people staggering off the ships, stark naked, starving, and disoriented.

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Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

A New Year’s resolution: working for peace

Most of us think of New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day as occasions to enjoy some food and drink with our family and friends. We might even wear party hats!

But according to the Church calendar, New Year’s Day is much more than a day to party. First of all, it is a holy day of obligation— the Feast of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. That means that faithful Catholics are obliged to attend Mass that day.

World Day of Peace

In addition, the Catholic Church has designated January 1 as the World Day of Peace. This was introduced in 1967 by Blessed Paul VI, who was inspired to do so by the encyclical Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth) written by his predecessor, St. John XXIII.

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On
Fr. Robert Barron

Bill Maher doesn’t understand faith

I don’t know what possesses me to watch Real Time With Bill Maher, for Maher is, without a doubt, the most annoying anti-religionist on the scene today.

Though his show is purportedly about politics, it almost invariably includes some attack on religion, especially Christianity. Even during a recent interview with former President Jimmy Carter, whom Maher very much admires, the host managed to get in a sharp attack on Carter’s faith.

Recently, his program included a brief conversation with Ralph Reed, the articulate gentleman who used to run the Christian Coalition and who is now a lobbyist and activist on behalf of faith-related causes.

For the first three or four minutes, Reed and Maher discussed the social science concerning children raised in stable versus unstable families. Reed was scoring points in favor of the traditional understanding of marriage.

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On
Donna Larkosh

Babies in wombs still not free, says Dr. Alveda King

To the editor:

Recently, I ran across an article written by Dr. Alveda King, niece of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., and daughter of civil rights activist Rev. A. D. King.

Dr. King began by taking note that in January, the U.S. celebrated 150 years since signing the Emancipation Proclamation — the end of slavery of black people in America. She then stated: “Still the babies are not free.” She noted that our country also marked 40 years of the March for Life held annually in Washington, D.C., “because babies still are not free.”

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On
Fr. Tad Pacholczyk

Clear ethical thinking and the tyranny of relativism

Making Sense out of Bioethics column by Fr. Tad Pacholczyk

I once asked a young physician whether he had received any training in medical ethics during medical school. I wondered whether he had been taught how to handle some of the complex moral questions that can arise when practicing medicine.

It turned out that he had taken only one ethics class during his four years of medical school, and it was a rather loose-knit affair. For the first part of each class, he told me, students were presented with medical cases that raised ethical questions.

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