Reviewing Sons of Cain by Val Bianco, much like reading the book itself, is a challenging task for me.  When it hits its stride, Sons of Cain is an enjoyable thrill ride of action and intrigue.  Other times it feels like reading several academic biographies, full of detail but at times a bit...

A week after I got married, I had to visit one of those urgent care clinics for antibiotics (if you think this is too much information, you should totally stop now, because this is a birth control post). Apparently, you can pick up all sorts of things in Vegas even if you don’t happen to...

This is the end result.  It was obvious not long ago.  I was reminded of it when my wife and I sat to watch the first 30 minutes of “Sarah’s Key” which is based on the Vel’ d’Hiv Roundup.  We had to turn it off.    As parents of small kids, it was too much to take. ...

For this symposium on mercy and killing most of the writers have been weighing in on the issues of euthanasia and abortion, and with good reason. These are the strongest manifestations of our culture of death. They are the most obvious symptoms of a disease that threatens our society, and even...

Guest post from a Perinatal Hospice Nurse About a year ago, a well known Protestant pastor had a question posed to him on a radio show. A young mother called in with a heartbreaking problem – her twins were conjoined and she wanted to know if she could end the pregnancy because even if...

In virtually any country outside America where coffee is part of the culture, it is accompanied by a certain kind of ritual. As part of the morning routine, the coffee is made–a process and ritual in and of itself, especially in places like Italy, where “coffee” means...

My brain is not in the least interested in our symposium topic this week.  The address for “mercy” + “forgiveness” + “killing” NOT “animals” was not found. Like any good writer, I hunted around for input, hoping to get some ideas about either...

I just came across a shocking but not surprising video by Pastor Gino Jennings of the First Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This video was made in the year 2003. It’s quite old and boring too Let’s begin by saying a Hail Mary to his soul before I...

I’ve been working my way through Caritas in Veritate for what seems like forever now. And even though I’m halfway through, I already know that I will need to reread as soon as I finish because there is so much packed into those 30,000 words. When we were told that the new symposium...

Guest post by Justin Marcel Condreay For some unknown reason, it seems like everyone is jumping on the “GHOST” bandwagon.  I can’t turn on the television without seeing a new Ghost-Hunters show.  Likewise, I can’t go to the movie theater without seeing a new exorcism...

This month, hundreds of college students and recent grads — many of them aspiring politicians — will flock to the nation’s capital for coveted government-related internships. To welcome them to town and prepare them for political careers, I’ve written a brief guide: How...

Guest post by Theresa Noble Women’s religious orders have been on a divergent path, mirroring the same divide among the Catholic faithful, for some time. The division finally reached a point of eruption recently when the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith asked the LCWR,...

Have you ever sent a tweet only to have someone criticize you for it?  That’s what happened the other day. I found a message in my feed that made me ponder: @Sr_Lisa Sister, why did you retweet a heretic (Protestant); Joyce Meyer? #confused #Catholic #OneHolyCatholicApostolic — CCU...

Last week  The Daily Caller broke the news feature about the Labor Department attempting  to ban farm chores. When I alerted my dad who is a life-long farmer about the new rule, he was speechless. As he scanned the news article his first comment was “This is a joke, right” To...

Greetings brothers and sisters in Christ! My name is Abigail C. Reimel, and I am a Catholic teenager striving to serve God in all things.  Since my “bio” will soon be in the “Meet Us” section, I’d like to use this introduction to explain some things that I did...

Pope about The Pope   Mnsgr Pope recently quoted some remarks the Pope made to the US Bishops during their ad limina visit.  One thing that struck me was this statement by Pope Benedict XVI:  “Here once more we see the need for an engaged, articulate and well formed Catholic laity...

Guest post from Mr. Jose Trasancos Just ask my wife – I tend to communicate with certain efficiency. I don’t waste words. Euthanasia, ‘mercy killing’, should be counted among the first steps down a ghastly and barbaric road. Human history is replete with examples of where the...

I sometimes sing Toby Keith’s song “Beer For My Horses”  to get on my sister’s nerves: “Grand pappy told my pappy back in my day son A man had to answer for the wicked that he’d done Take all the rope in Texas find a tall oak tree Round up all of them bad boys, hang them high...

In the ongoing battle against the forces of evil, I think that many Catholics forget to be merciful towards the “killers” of our society.  We see the aggressive attacks of those who do not value life on many fronts, abortion, contraception, euthanasia etc. and want to lash back at these...

The late Russell Kirk may be numbered among my favorite political philosophers. Not everything which he wrote was good, but much of what he did write which was good was excellent [1]. But even among his greater works I find the occasional essay (or chapter) which causes me to cringe. His essay...

When Stacy announced this symposium on Mercy and Killing, two words sprang immediately to mind: Capital Punishment. Perhaps it’s the years I spent as an anti-death penalty activist, or time talking with families of victims and condemned alike, but these two words, Mercy and Killing, are to...

I was an atheist. I didn’t believe in God and tried to convince those who did that they were stupid for doing so. If you had asked me then whether I thought “sin” existed or whether I had ever sinned, I would have laughed. “Sin is a Christian concept intended to induce...

Guest post by Dr. Ty Meyer There are times in our lives when everything turns upside down, when the world seems to be spinning out of control and there is no easy solution to fix it. Facing the prospect of a life-limiting or terminal illness as a patient or family member is one such time. In...

I’ve been mulling over the idea of mercy killing and euthanasia for three days now, wondering what to write about, wondering what I thought about it all, watching terrible 70′s dystopian movies in the hopes that inspiration would strike, and generally just spinning my wheels. When...

As he lay in his hospital crib, the newborn’s parents were warned that his mind and body would be limited because of cerebral palsy.  His mom wrote the following: I can and will keep asking for a miraculous full restoration.  But in the meantime I also have to be prepared for God...

I have a deep love of Algeria. Which is weird, considering I’ve never visited, never heard much about it, and couldn’t tell you anything besides the fact that it’s in Africa…somewhere (northern border?). But, two of my favorite books have taken place there: Albert...

It should be noted to our readers that the subject of mercy killing was the instigation of the “Mercy and Killing” symposium here at IGNITUM TODAY.  Given the rise of murder in the name of mercy in Western Civilization, through acts such as abortion and euthanasia, it...

“In the beginning was the Word, and Word was with God, and the Word was God. ” Words are intensely powerful, most likely because they are a reflection of the Divine. With a word, tyrants have put to death and with a word the life of an enemy has been spared. We use words to praise...

Being prolife, to me, is a battle--where I'm trying to save two lives, or more.

I never realized how much St. Stephen was the man until after my reversion. Reading through Acts for the first time I felt a certain pride in sharing my name with a man who was so bold in the face of persecution. His martyrdom represents somewhat of a paradox in that Stephen, who the apostles...

I’ll make this article short and get straight to the point: Euthanasia is the deliberate killing of a person’s life, and so is murder. Yes, you’ve all heard of that before, and it sounds pretty clichéd now. I may appear naïve here, but let’s say for instance we get rid of the...

“Man’s curiosity searches past and future And clings to that dimension. But to apprehend The point of intersection of the timeless With time, is an occupation for the saint–” Today was a jump day. I had to jump out of a Chinook. This is one of the occupational...

“Take one down, pass it around…” and let good times roll.  Today we live in the early days of the New Evangelization.  Beyond all catechetical programs and adult formation classes, there is one common thread that I have seen through many lives of converts.  Fr. C. John McCloskey has...

How to convince someone to be pro-choice. Or better yet, how to convince someone to be pro-abortion: Get them addicted to crack. Consequently, crack numbs their value of life over death by making fuzzy that line between reality and their next high. This allows them to see murder in a justified...

I’m a husband. I’m a dad. And I’m confident in my vocation.   But that doesn’t mean I’m not drawn to the monastic life. The rhythms of prayer and work, silence and liturgy, study and service beckon like an enchanting voice from another world. I’m sure part of it is the whole...

It’s a commonplace we’ve all heard in one form or another: “Love is blind.”  But is it really?  It may be true that our passions, in their uncultivated condition, can color falsely our way of seeing, but even this has in itself the seed or material for seeing truly...

For about four years of my life I taught Catholic high school and have heard just about every question on Faith that exists.  I think I heard every moral scenario on any number of topics, theological errors, and even historical misrenderings.  Here are the Top Ten Most Misunderstood Things...

I love Easter! I love the readings, the flowers, the extra Alleluias, the joy and of course the Resurrection. During our weekly staff meeting our priest loves to lead us in a small Lectio Divina of the upcoming Gospel for Sunday. This weekend’s Gospel comes from John 20: 19-31. Growing...

That’s a catchy, clever little phrase. “The speed of life.” David Bowie used it for a song. I think there was a movie. I don’t have a particularly strong grasp of reality at the moment, though.  Writing coherently has slipped way, way down on my list of...

Frida Kahlo – self portrait Frida Kahlo is one of the most important figures of 20th-century Mexican culture. Born in 1907 in Mexico City and raised during the Mexican Revolution, Kahlo is widely considered the face of 20th-century Mexican “surreal” art. Her folk art and bizarre...