IGNATIUS INSIGHT - TUESDAY, MARCH 25, 2014

TUESDAY, MARCH 25, 2014 | Solemnity of the Annunciation ESSAYS and POSTS about Pope Francis and "who am I to judge?", Lent, social doctrine and a bad economy, justice and fresh water, "Noah", college, sexual revolution, and more! Who Is Pope Francis to Judge Not? | Leroy Huizenga | The modern world cannot comprehend mercy because it cannot comprehend sin. The Mystery of the Annunciation is the Mystery of Grace | Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger | The mystery of the annunciation to Mary is not just a mystery of silence. It is above and beyond all that a mystery of grace. Lent: a journey, an encounter, and a time of purification | Carl E. Olson | Lent can reveal to us the fragility of our faith, the frailty of our hope, the feebleness of our love. Catholic Social Teaching, Work, and a Jobless Recovery | Fr. George E. Schultze, SJ | Catholic social doctrine supports both justice for workers and the promotion of marriage and the family; they are not separate concerns. Justice and Fresh Water | William L. Patenaude | The issues surrounding clean water and its availability have their place in the New Evangelization and in the advancement of Benedict XVI’s "human ecology." Some thoughts on being flooded with news about Noah | Carl E. Olson | The story of Noah is a very challenging one, but is too often presented in a cartoonish, tidy, and two-dimensional fashion. The Sexual Revolution and the Breakdown of Marriage | Russell Shaw | The nature of the crisis can be glimpsed in two sets of U.S. figures. Why College? | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J. | There are many reasons given for higher education, but how many of them take seriously ultimate questions and the permanent things? "Our schools exist to evangelize" | Jim Graves | The Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia emphasize love of Christ and truth, personal holiness, and academic excellence. The Spellbinding House of Brede | Dorothy Cummings McLean | Rumer Godden's 1969 novel, In This House of Brede, remains a rich and edifying excursion into the religious life. A Tale of Jumbled Cosmologies | Michael Jameson | While taking on some of the trappings of Judeo-Christianity, Winter's Tale is really selling an incoherent optimism. Finding Jesus in the Catholic Church | Dr. R. Thomas Richard | Our mission is to bring about that meeting that can change lives, that can make disciples, then guide those disciples into fruitful holiness in Christ. Why the Church Has So Much to Say about Contraception | Dr. William Newton | So many of the modern errors in moral theology converge in the particular question of conjugal morality. How To Write a Story | Dorothy Cummings McLean | Writing is a compulsion, a habit that goes out of control. And like compulsive sketching, the more you do it, the better you get. OTHER RECENT, POPULAR ARTICLES: Cosmos and One More Telling of the Tired Myth | Fr. Robert Barron | Catholicism and the modern sciences are not implacable foes--quite the contrary! How to Sell Death | John Burger | Compassion & Choices engages in “war of words” with Connecticut opponents of assisted suicide. The Fragile Promise of the Pan-Orthodox Council | Fr. Cyril Hovorun | The announced 2016 council of Eastern Orthodox Churches is historical, but expectations should be modest. Some Thoughts and (Unsought) Advice on Holding Church Councils | Dr. Adam A. J. DeVille | How the Eastern Orthodox can benefit from the lessons of Vatican II and other Councils. The Sound of Music: The Last Drop of Golden Sun | Patrick Coffin | Movie content provides a lens through which to see the shift from communitarian concord to anti-authoritarian animus. The Media’s Fictional Francis | John Paul Shimek | In the year since his election to the papacy, Pope Francis has received many accolades and honors. But will this acclaim further his efforts in the New Evangelization, or hinder them? Pope Francis on Knowledge, Faith, and Demons | Fr. James V. Schall, SJ | "The demons know very well what the Creed says, and they know it is the truth." What it really means to be a Catholic. Regardless. | Carl E. Olson | Sometimes you can be too clever. And then you starve. SOME RECENT POSTS on the INSIGHT SCOOP and CATHOLIC WORLD REPORT blogs: • Francis laments "sins of the media"; exhorts mafia members to repent, avoid hell • Francis establishes commission to protect minors; majority of members are lay, one an abuse victim • Young Italian nun astonishes judges of "The Voice"... • On the feast of St. Joseph, Francis speaks to fathers: "Be close to your children" • Shanghai’s Bishop, Joseph Fan Zhongliang, SJ, Dies • Unknown assailants abduct Greek-Catholic priest in Sevastopol UPDATE: Fr. Mykola released • Abp. Nienstedt won’t be charged in alleged groping case • Available soon: Making Gay Okay: How Rationalizing Homosexual Behavior Is Changing Everything • The Sometimes Unseemly Art of Self-Promotion • Celebrating the Feast of St. Joseph • Dickens, Ratty, and Middle Earth • Early Suggestions on How Our Parishes Can Observe Divine Mercy Sunday This Year • Now available: Mother Teresa, starring Olivia Hussey • And much more! FEATURED BOOK available from IGNATIUS PRESS: Joseph's Way: The Call to Fatherly Greatness: Prayer of Faith: 80 Days to Unlocking Your Power As a Father by Devin Schadt Become the Father You're Called to Be. Society goes by way of the family and the family goes by way of the father. If you want to change the world, change the human father. Joseph's Way: Prayer of Faith is the first release of a two volume series which transmits the biblical vision of fatherhood, its necessity, its glory, and its irreplaceable effect on families and society. Joseph's Way is a tough, bold, game-changing challenge to men of our age to pursue fatherly greatness. By comparing St. Joseph--Light of Patriarchs--with the great patriarchs of old--Abraham and Jacob--Joseph's Way provides fathers with invaluable practical tools and profound spiritual insights to help them become the great father that God has created them to be. In Prayer of Faith: 80 Days to Unlocking Your Power As a Father you will learn: • The three foundational characteristics of a great father • How to unlock the hidden power that all fathers possess • How crises are essential in the making of a man, and how to overcome them • St. Joseph's secret weapons of effective fatherhood To learn more about this powerful book, please visit: www.JosephsWaybook.com Devin Schadt is a husband, father, author and speaker who transmits the message of the glory, necessity, and power of fatherhood. Devin is the cofounder of the Fathers of St. Joseph, an apostolate that works for the renewal of authentic fatherhood. Devin lives in the Midwest with his wife and five children. Praise for Joseph's Way: "Devin Schadt's Joseph's Way: The Call to Fatherly Greatness is distinctively unique, bold, and most timely for the man of today. This is no call for a Ward Cleaver or an Archie Bunker stereotype, rather, it is a poignant and pertinent challenge to men to be REAL men, i.e., men of HONOR and men of FAITH, especially when it involves the gift of FATHERHOOD. It is an inspired look into the patriarchal blueprint which gives us a glimpse into the mystery of Divine Paternity. God the Son came to reveal to us the love of God the Father and through God the Holy Spirit we are reborn as adopted children of God. Joseph's Way will become a classic but it will also help many men realize their sacred vocation to become great and holy fathers to their children. Assisted by their beloved spouses, fatherly greatness is no longer the purview of a few nor the possibility of some. Every man, especially every husband and every dad would appreciate and benefit from this book." -- Rev. Fr. John Trigilio, Jr., PhD, ThD, President, Confraternity of Catholic Clergy; author, Catholicism for Dummies; Pastor, Our Lady of Good Counsel Church This e-letter is published by IgnatiusInsight.com and by Ignatius Press. Please pass it along to friends you think would be interested in visiting IgnatiusInsight.com or who would like to receive these e-letters. Subscribe to this e-letter. (You can also subscribe by going to www.ignatiusinsight.com and clicking on the link to sign up to the e-letter.)