‘Alumni Column’ Archives
Putting the “Plato” back in “platonic”
Valentine’s Day in America is an occasion that simultaneously disturbs the stomach and befuddles the mind. How the legend of a third century Roman priest who was martyred for performing secret marriages has devolved into this nauseating spectacle of commercialized Cupids and confections has always been a source of puzzlement for me. If anything, February 14 is an annual opportunity to reflect [...]
Rethinking – and reclaiming – progress
Ask almost anyone, and they’ll tell you that ours is the most progressive of eras. We live longer than we did before, have more wealth than those who preceded us, and know more about the physical universe around us than at any other point in human history. We’ve gotten to the point where paradigm-shifting technological advancements occur not over the course of centuries, but mere years. If [...]
Pope Benedict: The great unifier?
On September 14, Vatican officials met with the leaders of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), a breakaway group of traditionalist Catholics, to present a proposal for the group’s full reunification with the Church. If successful, the pope will have healed a serious division within the Church and brought one million energized Catholics back into the fold. In the disastrous years following [...]
Lessons I’ve learned from ACE
At mass this Friday, the first reading told of a group of men who seek to test the holiness of a just man. They conspire because “he is obnoxious to us; sets himself against our doings, reproaches us for transgressions of the law and charges us with violations of our training” (Wisdom 2:12-13). We see these men who know what is right scheming to bring down their compatriot who seeks to [...]
A Stripper, Her Doctor, and the Case for Virtue Ethics
You’re a hot-shot doctor. (Don't worry, pre-meds, you'll make it eventually.) Jill, a 19-year-old young lady, comes to the hospital. Despite being only somewhat conscious and slightly delusional, she is complaining about a sharp pain on her lower right side. After a few tests, you diagnose perforated appendicitis. Her appendix has torn from the growing inflammation, and the infection has [...]
Bigger is Better
I can remember more than one occasion in my childhood when my mom or my dad was the recipient of a less-than-flattering remark about the fact that they have 8 children. Anyone from a large family could probably relate similar stories. Today’s society is often permeated by the attitude that big families equal big trouble. As the second-born child in a family of eight children, I can vouch for [...]
The Fed’s Big Move
The day after mid-term elections, the Federal Reserve, led by its Chairman Ben Bernanke, announced it would buy $600 billion of US government bonds (treasuries) during the next eight months. Quantitative Easing II (QE2), as it has been termed, essentially means that the US government is going to print dollars in order to buy its own debt. The goal? To lower interest rates in order to [...]
Communion in the hand and the life of grace
Pope Benedict made some headlines a few years ago when, in his public Masses, he began only to distribute Holy Communion to communicants who were kneeling and receiving on the tongue. The Holy Father's action has prompted a renewed discussion of how Holy Communion should be distributed, and a renewed, critical examination of the currently accepted practices of receiving Communion standing and in [...]
Catholic education: A post-graduate’s view
The first thing you notice when you leave the friendly confines of the Notre Dame campus as a graduate is how little you know. The second thing? How much you miss it. I have never been a big “Domer.” Several people were surprised by my decision to join the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) program and remain at ND (in a way) for two more years. In weighing the options and my own [...]
Learning to love at home
My God, I love you, but … oh, teach me to love! -St. Josemaria Escriva At Notre Dame the opportunities to love abound: Be good to your friends, devote yourself to study, give freely through social service, frequent Mass and the sacraments, and do that thing you do under the Lyons’ Arch (or maybe not). Graduating from Notre Dame and setting out in the real world was timely, [...]
MacIntyre on a Liberal Education
Before I was a Notre Dame undergraduate, I was a typical high school student. I took my classes seriously and excelled in them, though I seldom viewed them as being particularly useful. When I entered the University of Dayton, I was concerned with jumping through the hoops and fulfilling my general curricular requirements.. By the time I transferred to Notre Dame in the College of Arts and [...]