Ginny’s Gems

by Mitchell Kalpakgian | In Willa Cather’s My Antonia, Jimmy Burden, the narrator who relates the story of his life in Nebraska and the lives of the immigrant families who settled in the Midwest, recalls an illuminating moment in his study of Virgil at the University of Nebraska.

by Dave Armstrong | Non-Catholic Christians and the secular world have used the Inquisitions, the Crusades, and the Galileo incident, as “clubs” to bash the Church for almost 500 years. I did so myself, in my Protestant apologist days. But such critics almost invariably distort the known facts in order to do so.

Marlicia Fernandez shares ideas on how we can draw closer to Mary, and honor our Blessed Mother during the month of May, Mary's month!

by Monica McConkey | Forty days is a long time! Although our Lenten program pales in comparison to Jesus’ sojourn in the desert, we recognize the struggles of our sacrifices and resolutions and how difficult they can be to maintain for forty whole days.

Kids' Corner | Download this 'The Passion & Resurrection' Word Puzzle! A fun activity to for all ages! Search for these words: Emmaus, John, death, DivineMercy, gardener, Supper, Eucharist, Magdalen, Sunday, Penance, priests

by John Clark | I have noticed a plethora of domestically-relevant articles (such as household tips) lately on this site, and have observed that they are usually written by women. But women shouldn’t have a monopoly on ideas, so I thought it was time to put a man’s perspective on things.

by Mary Lou Warren | Recently I came across a Wall Street Journal article on homeschooling in China which caught my attention. I was surprised at the concept that homeschooling might even be considered in China of all places. Surprise, surprise, according to the article, homeschooling is becoming popular there.

by Mitchell Kalpakgian | The world’s great writers never cease to marvel at the world’s lack of common sense. Why does man, famously identified by Aristotle as a “rational animal” with an inborn desire for truth (“All men by nature desire to know,” he writes in the Metaphysics) demonstrate so many forms of folly that another great writer, Henry Fielding, remarked that a comic writer can never lack material for satire and laughter because “life everywhere furnishes an accurate observer with the ridiculous.”

by Dave Armstrong | The film Noah has made quite a splash. I have not yet seen it, as of this writing. I'm particularly interested in judging how true to the Bible it is. Most Catholic reviewers have given mixed reviews in that regard and also in the artistic sense, with various degrees of approval or disapproval.

by Abby Sasscer | Every time I do a meet-and-greet with mothers after my Project Nazareth talks, many of them have suggested that I be open to giving an online tour of our home. And while I thought the idea was great, a part of me wanted to keep our cottage out of the public eye.

by Lorraine Espenhain | For a while, after the dinner dishes were done, my family would gather around the dining room table, pray the Rosary, and then go into the family room, where I would read aloud a chapter a night from a book about one of the saints.

by John Clark | I went to school for the first five years of my academic life. During that time, if memory serves (and it decreasingly serves), I received many stickers on my papers. Somehow—and no one really knows why—stickers have become part of the primary academic life in America; they somehow signify achievement.

by Emily Molitor | All that I offer, I give to Jesus. What does this entail? The cry of a widow over her murdered husband of one year? The agony of a mother by the bedside of her dying child? Opening the newspaper or checking my Facebook newsfeed reminds me daily: surely the world is one of suffering. Each way I turn I meet with a story of suffering, and I struggle not to become overwhelmed by fear and discouragement.

by Marc Postiglione | How would you define the word irony? Might I propose a good working definition as: a situation that is strange or funny because things happen in a way that seems to be the opposite of what you expected. The same Peter, who out of fear for his own life three times denied that he ever knew Jesus, is now standing in front of the Christian community in Jerusalem boldly declaring the truth about Jesus Christ for the entire world to hear.

by Mitchell Kalpakgian | It is common to hear students dismiss certain fields of knowledge as useless to their profession and career. Why should students majoring in information technology, accounting, music, or biology study philosophy, literature, or Latin? Surely they will not need this knowledge in their specialized, technical fields of study.

by Dave Armstrong | I've often used what I call the “nutshell” argument for Purgatory: we must be without sin to enter into God's presence (Eph 5:5; Heb 12:14; Rev 21:27; 22:3, 14-15). Therefore, God must purge or wash away our sin to make us fit to be in heaven with Him. All agree so far.

by Dr Mary Kay Clark | Try to understand why your husband is opposed, but have a conversation only if it can be without bitterness or argumentation. He may be opposed because he thinks you are not qualified to teach, or because the children are not being “socialized,” or because the children do not have opportunities for sports activities. Whatever the reason, try to become more informed about reasonable answers: you are using an accredited curriculum or you will have the children participate in activities with other homeschooled children.

by Lorraine Espenhain | Once a month, I host a book reading club for Catholic homeschooling moms in my home. I like to use these monthly meetings as an excuse to try out new recipes on those gathered under my roof. If the response is favorable, I then make the dish for my family.

by Ginny Seuffert | Theme 4: Repeated exercises in the forms of good manners and politeness. Gatto’s fourth theme is that elite private boarding schools offer their students repeated exercises in the practice of good manners and courtesy based on the utter truth that politeness and civility are the foundations of all future relationships and the key of access to places a person might want to go.

Kids' Corner | Download this ‘The Passion & Resurrection’ Crossword! A fun activity to challenge your knowledge of facts and trivia. For all ages! Answer these questions: 1) This is the Feast of the Resurrection of Christ. 2) On Good Friday, we remember Jesus’ ___.