Spirituality

By Fr. Glenn Jones:

Let’s see … did anything notable happen this week? Hmmm … let’s think.

Ah, yes … the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health/Roe v. Wade overturn by the Supreme Court—celebration for some, infuriating for others. But, no matter which side one falls on, we know one thing for certain: it is not the last we’ll hear of the debate; quite the contrary. Because of the extreme polarity of the division, it will be a battle that will likely go on—as it already has—for decades (centuries?) to come.

The Dobbs decision is an interesting (rather long) read as it goes through the reasoning of the court. Read More

By Fr. Glenn Jones:

Saw a great headline the other day: “Justice Sotomayor praises Clarence Thomas as a ‘friend’ who ‘cares deeply about the court.” While the Justice admitted that she and Justice Thomas disagree most among all the Justices about constitutional issues, she expressed admiration his concern for people nonetheless. Imbedded in that story was also: “Sotomayor and Thomas’ friendship is not unique among Supreme Court justices. The late Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia have often been held up as a triumph of friendship over partisan politics.” Hmmm … quite the lesson Read More

By Fr. Glenn Jones:

In our media today—mainstream, social and other—we are ever deluged with criticism. Political party against party, candidate against candidate, stance against stance, screamers against screamers. Those on the receiving end of ceaseless criticism can easily fall into a depressing funk of futility … feeling that no matter what they do, say or think, it will be criticized and even condemned. Fix one thing, and critics will just point out a perceived weakness somewhere else. Spouse verbal abuse often falls into this category: a spouse’s unrealistic or ever-changing expectations Read More

By Fr. Glenn Jones:

You know … when you think about it, we human beings are wonderfully made. After all, not only do we live and grow and are animate like all animals, but unlike them, we can think, plan, reflect, discern cause and effect, conduct science, etc. St. Thomas Aquinas wrote that our mental ability is that which makes us most like God (though still infinitely less than Him, of course). And Jesus, when rebuffing an opponents’ challenge, quotes Psalm 82: “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said ‘you are “gods’”? (John 10:34)

We might then remember Rene Descartes’ contemplation of whether Read More

By Fr. Glenn Jones:

Protection of offspring: one of the strongest of all human instincts, often even surpassing that of personal well-being, or even one’s own survival. We saw that the other day in the reports of the Uvalde school shooting in which a teacher died while instinctively shielding a child from the killer—a protective instinct seen often with such tragedies. But sadly, rarely does a day go by in which there we don’t see a story about child abuse of some sort—physical, sexual or otherwise; few things stir us to fury so quickly and so intently. And those are only those we see in the news; we Read More

By Fr. Glenn Jones:

(Sigh). Recently we saw another story of what is commonly called “stolen valor” involving those who falsely (disgracefully) claim of having military honors or positions. But such is not limited to military, but may be extended to such fraudulent claims in civilian spheres as well: EMT, firefighter, police officer or some sort of spy or government agent and the like. Then there are the potentially disastrous fake nurses, doctors, lawyers, professionals and other occupations (who wants a fake plumber or electrician working on their systems, either?). Of course, this is Read More