Catholic Commentary: Family Life

Bud Macfarlane Sr.: The Slaughter of the Innocents by Contraception
Victory can only come through the brave and holy leadership of priests.

Bud Macfarlane Sr.: We Place Our Trust in You, Most Beloved Priests
All priests should ask for St. John Vianney's intercession.

Fr. Roger Landry: Pushing the Reset Button
End campaign against the institution of marriage and religious freedom.

Fr. Roger Landry: The Joint Defense of Marriage and Democracy
The most vital and defining issue of our day.

Fr. Roger Landry: The President's Abdication of His Oath and Responsibilities
Instructions to no longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act in federal court.

Danielle Bean: Another Day, Another Ride
The good, the bad, the ugly, and the mundane of a recent Wednesday.

Fr. Roger Landry: A Full Pastoral Commitment to Adequate Marriage Preparation
Lack of adequate marriage preparation in parishes and dioceses.

Simcha Fisher: No Petty Virtues
Everything that comes from God is a form of love.

Danielle Bean: Mommy Wars, Schmommy Wars
The media's notion of the "Mommy Wars" is largely a fabricated stereotype.

B. F. Smith: Just In Case
A workshop on what to do if suddenly widowed.

Jennifer Roche: To Love, Honor, and Betray
Does secular society still maintain some "old-fashioned" values?

Danielle Bean: The Long and Whining Road
We might be weird, but we are family.

Danielle Bean: The Joys of Boys
Doing things differently when it comes to feelings, words, and conflicts.

Danielle Bean: Littering Love
Children don't litter the earth; they renew it.

Steve Skojec: On Not Raising Sheltered Kids
We parents do our best to act as filters, but we can't do it perfectly.

Danielle Bean: In the Company of Saints and Sinners
Our communion has become more tangible and real.

Edwin Delattre: The Test of Intimacy
A uniquely powerful motive for trying to think and speak truthfully.

Danielle Bean: Outsourcing
Some things are just plain worth the money you spend on them.

Eve Tushnet: The Great Unweaving
The connection between abortion and gay marriage.

Danielle Bean: Momnipotent
Pleased to be the hands that support them, on their birthdays and every day.

Kate Wicker: Talking Frankly about Ecological Breastfeeding
Why don't more Catholic women know about EBF?

Ellen Fielding: Last Homely House - On Revisiting Children's Books
A way of instituting another kind of family meal.

Kate Wicker: Up in the Air
Children are works in progress. They need molding.

Russell Shaw: Marriage and the New Morality
A new version of morality locked in a fierce struggle with the older version.

Danielle Bean: Vanity, Thy Name Is Mother
I am pretty sure that this life here is a beautiful thing.

Steve Skojec: The Adventures of a Stay-at-Home Dad
Being with my kids while they're still little is something I'll never regret.

Eric Pavlat: Five Ways to Talk to the Left about Same-Sex Marriage
Avoid the standard pitfalls that accompany these discussions.

Richard McGuire: Children Say the Darndest Things
A father who is trying to document the crimes of his four children.

Kate Wicker: Detachment Parenting - Learning to Let Go
"Losing her so that she may be found."

Carol Kennedy: Turning the Tables - Family on the Attack
Every Catholic family should have an idea of what God has called them to.

Danielle Bean: Home Is Not a Place
A house is just a house. But home is wherever we are. Together.

Benjamin Wiker: The Meaning of Marriage
A culture bent on wearing away any definite meaning to marriage.

Deal Hudson: To Be Adopted and To Adopt
Such sacrificial love is found in God.

Kate Wicker: Mom the Missionary
A mother's mission field is in her children's souls and in the heart of her home.

Marge Fenelon: The Little Consecration
My secret for getting through these past six years of being a military mom.

Danielle Bean: My Prickly Priest
The importance of loving others the way they want to be loved.

Marjorie Campbell: The Paycheck Pushback
The pesky paycheck plagues mothers.

Dale O'Leary: Are We Losing the Fight for Traditional Marriage?
Losing the right as citizens to petition and change the laws.

Jennifer Kaczor: The Understudy
Mothers have unconditional love for their daughters.

Anthony Esolen: Culture of Divorce, Culture of Death
Divorce destroys a world; it smothers an echo of Eden.

Joanna Bogle: Legislating Intolerance - Is Marriage a Dying Institution in England?
New laws are going to have a marked impact on all of this.

Katrina Zeno: Single Living in a Couple's World
Coupleness was in, marriage was out, and I was still single.

Danielle Bean: One Little Thing at a Time
"Faithfulness in little things is a big thing."

Danielle Bean: Cries and Compromise
We can do this. It's just that some parts of doing will be different.

Arturo Vasquez: Holy Things for the Holy?
Only Christ can make us holy, and He invites all to the sacraments.

Danielle Bean: What Love Looks Like
A good mom knows not only when to lay down the law but also when she's licked.

John Zmirak: John Zmirak Must Die
"Can't I just pick limbo?"

Deal Hudson: More Disturbing News about the CCHD
Overwhelming evidence about CCC's positions on abortion, same-sex marriage.

Danielle Bean: Love, Honor, and Take for Granted?
Are we not supposed to love the men we marry?

Danielle Bean: So Now They're Teens
There is no magic formula; there is only grace.

Deal Hudson: Catholic Politicians Supporting Same-Sex Marriage Legislation
Citizens appear to be on the side of the bishops, not the dissenters in Congress.

Danielle Bean: Let the Santa Wars Begin
The Die-Hard Believers versus the Truth-Demanders.

Danielle Bean: Glimpses of God
We just need to slow down and treasure those moments for what they are.

Marion Fernandez-Cueto: Hands to Heaven
This woman will be saved by childbearing.

William Fahey: A Just War Theory of Homeschooling
A fully Catholic understanding of the family and education is vital.

Danielle Bean: Sanitized Childhood
Three basic needs that get lost in the "sanitation."

Danielle Bean: Going Dental
With God, even our biggest worries will be small enough to hold in our hands.

Marjorie Campbell: Managing Men
Women manipulating men has a long Judeo-Christian history.

Danielle Bean: Another Day in the Life
A peek inside my windows (please don't mind the mess).

Kate Wicker: Tough Love
We are entitled to very little except for God's love.

Danielle Bean: Riding the Waves
My tumultuous introduction to marriage and family life.

George Sim Johnston: Preparing for Marriage
Secrets of a happy marriage...

Marjorie Campbell: Womb Humor
It's gross and disrespectful, and I wish it would stop.

Danielle Bean: I Sob Because I Care
Our jaded world could use a little extra heartfelt love and emotion.

Armstrong Williams: Why Marriage Matters
There is more to raising children than just food, clothing, and shelter.

Danielle Bean: Backward Thinking Moves Me Forward
I refuse to apologize for embracing the traditional split of household tasks.

Danielle Bean: For the Love of a Balloon
Love is embracing each fragile, fleeting moment for the blessing that it is.

H. Crocker III: Making Babies - A Very Different Look at Natural Family Planning
"Use NFP: It Doesn't Work!"

Danielle Bean: One 'Yes' at a Time
God never asks us to say anything more than yes to right now.

Susie Lloyd: The Best Father's Day Gift
A feeling of complete ineptitude when it comes to buying presents.

Danielle Bean: I'm No Super Mom
I couldn't do it either. Until, with God's help, I did.

Kate Wicker: Why Young Children Belong at Mass
If we are truly a pro-life people, then how can we not welcome children?

Danielle Bean: My Kingdom for a Pencil
The little things that wear away at a mother's psyche.

Joanna Bogle: The House in North Street
Buildings hold memories and help to shape your world, your ideas, and opinions.

Fr. Roger Landry: The Future Depends on Love
Suffering a crisis of confidence from within.

Fr. Roger Landry: A Sleeping Giant Awakes
Banning the redefinition of marriage to include same-sex couples.

Fr. Dwight Longenecker: Marriage in the Public Eye
Not only involves the whole community, but the whole communion of saints.

Danielle Bean: Soul-Healing Humor
An unabashedly honest peek into the life of a homeschooling mother of many.

Danielle Bean: Be Not Afraid
It can be hard to feel brave.

Danielle Bean: My Oasis
"I don't need an oasis; I've got oceans."

Marjorie Campbell: The Marriage Stretch
"...and the two become one flesh."

Danielle Bean: Sleep Is for Wimps
No parent has a right to expect a good night's sleep.

Robert Reilly: The Politics of Porn
Nothing so undermines the marital sexual bond as does pornography.

Kate Wicker: Six Tips for a Healthy and Happy Marriage
No oversized stuffed animals bearing red hearts required.

Danielle Bean: Forbidden Fruit -- and Sponges
Parenthood: The hardest thing, the most wonderful thing, and the most daunting.

Danielle Bean: On This Rock
A reminder of the sturdy foundation my marriage is meant to be for our family.

Deal Hudson: Adoption - A Love Story
"I was smiling so hard my face hurt."

Danielle Bean: Meeting Mary
My little son met Mary -- he saw power and beauty in her glowing image.

John Zmirak: Time for Pre-Canine Counseling
Hope that a loving Father will provide for our children and beagles a livable world.

David Mills: Contraception and Conversion
It changed our marriage as the articles had promised.

Deal Hudson: Christmas Morning - The Rules
The feast...seemed even sweeter then because we followed the rules.

Marjorie Campbell: A Fine Thing
Requires a care that does not always come easily, and is easily forgotten.

Danielle Bean: A Simple Little Christmas
I pray that God will help me see the small things.

Danielle Bean: Glamour Moms
Perfect motherhood might be a myth, but happy motherhood is real.

Marjorie Campbell: Birth Plans and Market Crashes
Sometimes it's best to toss our plans...

Fr. Roger Landry: Hand-in-Hand in Heaven
Role models for Catholic married couples.

Fr. Roger Landry: The Way to Celebrate a Wedding Anniversary
"A father and a mother who were more worthy of heaven than of earth."

Fr. Roger Landry: The Lay Catholics' Moment on Marriage
Be the light God wants with regard to the gift of marriage He has given us.

Fr. Roger Landry: Learning From Our Catholic Heroes How To Be Catholic
How to be good servants of others through being God's good servants first.

Fr. Roger Landry: Who God Is and Who We Are in His Image
Why marriage in God's plan is so important.

Fr. Roger Landry: Strengthening Marriage
It is increasingly important to have a day like World Marriage Day.

Fr. Roger Landry: Doing Their Duty and Keeping Their Promises
Another sign of how much work supporters of marriage need to continue to do.

Fr. Roger Landry: Married Love and Life
Pray that couples respond wholeheartedly to that marriage invitation.

Fr. Roger Landry: The Stakes of January 2nd
The recess is just a charade to try to kill the petition without voting on it.

Fr. Roger Landry: The Harms of Same-Sex Marriage
How the redefinition of marriage will result in tangible harm to others.

Fr. Roger Landry: On to November 9th — and 7th
Delay pushed by MPA opponents in the hope that it will change the outcome.

Fr. Roger Landry: Giving Humanity a Future
On basis of human nature, it's man and woman who are ordained to one another.

Fr. Roger Landry: Marital Rights and Responsibilities
The legislator's assertions taken one-by-one.

Fr. Roger Landry: July 4th and 12th
Will our system of government remain of the people, by the people, for the people?

Fr. Roger Landry: Taking a Stand With Christ
Go on the record and declare where they stand on the issue of marriage.

Fr. Roger Landry: Religious Freedom Endangered
Agencies will be forced to violate Church teaching and workers' consciences.

Fr. Roger Landry: Obeying God Rather Than Men
Catholic adoption professionals cannot in good conscience ignore such realities.

Fr. Roger Landry: Jesus and the Truth about Marriage
Four things pertinent to the issue of same-sex marriage.

Fr. Roger Landry: Martyrs for Marriage
Like John the Baptist, we were born with a mission. Maybe this is it.

Fr. Roger Landry: Jesus and Marriage
A crisp and clear presentation of what is already recognizable by reason.

Jim Bemis: A Christmas Film Festival
Taking part in our favorite holiday traditions.

Jim Bemis: Reason for Hope
How the Bemis family celebrates Saint Patrick's Day.

Deal Hudson: The Marriage Amendment Fails... For Now
A look at how the Catholic senators voted.

Danielle Bean: Gift of Grace
it is goodness and generosity poured out on the poorest, weakest of souls.

Danielle Bean: Scheduled Chaos
Forever attempting to simplify my family's frantic schedule.

David Mills: This Old World's Tawdry Voices
There's only so much a parent can do to keep out the world.

Anthony Esolen: Marriage in a Cubicle
All is a matter of personal choice, and therefore all is arbitrary, and alienated.

Danielle Bean: Sounding Out
Little things are important because of what they mean when they come together.

Simcha Fisher: Looking Catholic
I like being a Catholic; I do. I like people assuming we must be Catholic.

Marjorie Campbell: Missing Mariruthe
It is in their leaving that we are, thereby, made to seek God.

Danielle Bean: Finer Things
I do have nice things. Thanks be to God, I do.

Marjorie Campbell: Rats, Roaches, and Queens
A place of wonder and love for my family, a place often beyond my control.

Eric Pavlat: Genealogy - My Fathers and Our Father
Each moment is precious and needs to be valued for itself.

David Carlin: Is Gay Marriage Good for Families?
I'm a little wary when I hear this prediction coming from an Episcopal priest.

Mary Jo Anderson: Sins of Omission - Catholics, Marriage, and Politics
Catholics wrestle key moral issues each time an election cycle is upon us.

Danielle Bean: Coveting and Contentment
Sometimes find myself aching for a trim and tidy life.

Kate Wicker: Why I Nurse at the Mall... and at Mass
I'm a nursing mom and I'm not shy about it.

David Mills: Gay Marriage and the Slippery Slope to Polygamy
The logical connection between homosexuality and polygamy.

Marjorie Campbell: It's Going According to Plan
Together, through the disappointment and joy, we live our hope, our purpose.

Brian Pessaro: Blame It on Mr. Blackitt
Original sin being what it is, however, I'm not too hopeful.

Danielle Bean: A Mother's Space
It's what a mother does. But that doesn't mean we don't sometimes get tired of it.

Danielle Bean: Being There
Being a stay-at-home mom isn't always a glamorous ride.

Dale O'Leary: May, but Can't
Calling a same-sex relationship a marriage doesn't make it so.

Danielle Bean: 'Are They All Yours?'
Rules of conduct for those who encounter a mother of many children.

Danielle Bean: Play Ball!
Some Baseball Mom Basics.

Danielle Bean: Seeking Smallness
With the help of the small people who share my life.

David Warren: Defining Marriage
Laws criminalizing open discussion of the institution of marriage.

Danielle Bean: Taste and See
Believe, He tells us. Even when you don't see, believe.

Danielle Bean: 'Good Enough' Mom
None of us can have it all, but I have what really matters.

Danielle Bean: Precious 'Pip'
Some irrational part of me wishes that I could hold back time.

Marjorie Campbell: A Psalm for Serotonin
"I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land."

Danielle Bean: Today Is Not Forever
However long it might seem...

Danielle Bean: Feel the Music
I have a weakness for big-haired, Eighties rock bands. Forgive me.

Danielle Bean: Ouch
The best we can do is love them.

Susie Lloyd: Be Still Oh Everyone!
Everybody has "views" about breastfeeding.

Danielle Bean: Baby Business
Even for the tiniest details I might one day forget, thanks be to God.

Danielle Bean: Woman To Woman
Let's encourage one another.

Danielle Bean: Oh Boy
I learned by doing...

Danielle Bean: Batman
Batman lives at my house.

Danielle Bean: One Day in the Life of a Home Schooling Mom
Humbling peek inside a "normal" day.

Danielle Bean: I Love Homeschooling... I Hate Homeschooling
An awfully hard commitment to make and to keep on making.

David Warren: Motherhood
The key to fighting Catholic in secular trenches.

Joanna Bogle: Marriage, Divorce and a Seaside Town
History offers no evidence of a godless consumerist society ever surviving.