Archbishop José H. Gomez writes about deep dangers the HHS mandate debate brings to the surface: What’s been happening in recent decades is that government at all levels has been exerting greater influence in almost every area of American life. In the process, non-governmental institutions are being crowded out of our public life. Civil society is shrinking and the influence of civic associatio... More

Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles writes: Our country was founded on a great moral truth — that all men and women are created equal and are born with God-given rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Roe v. Wade turned this beautiful truth on inside out. The Supreme Court, in effect, said that our rights do not come from God but instead are bestowed by government — by courts... More

I’m just getting to read Teresa Tomeo’s new book, Extreme Makeover: Women Transformed by Christ, Not Conformed to the Culture. At the very beginning of it, she quotes the current archbishop of Philadelphia, Charles J. Chaput: We need to really believe what we say we believe. Then we need to prove it by the witness of our lives. We need to be so convinced of the truths of the Creed that we are ... More

Welcome to the Lunchtime Reader, where we assemble important stories to keep your eyes on. Archbishop José Gomez penned a powerful piece in First Things on “our first freedom” – that of religious liberty. The archbishop of the nation’s largest diocese said: “There is much evidence to suggest that our society no longer values the public role of religion or recognizes the importance of re... More

Welcome to the Lunchtime Reader, where we assemble important stories to keep your eyes on. The latest poll by McClatchy/Marist looks bad for President Obama’s re-election efforts. “By a margin of 49 percent to 36 percent, voters said they definitely plan to vote against Obama, according to the poll. Independents by 53 percent to 28 percent said they definitely plan to vote against him… Even... More

He knows tone matters. ... More

A little reminder that, with patience, things get better: The event takes place on March 27th, so sign up and mark your calendars! ... More