MSI Press Blog

  I just came back from Mass, where I completed the following highly choreographed, spiritually endorsed exercise routine: walked (entered) knelt ("signed in" as my son says) sat stood sat stood sat stood knelt stood sat stood walked (Communion line) knelt sat stood walked (out the door, glowing) People call this “liturgy.” I call it slow Catholic calisthenics . And here’s the real perk: Catholics don’t do this once a week. We offer daily classes. Every morning, all over the world, Catholics gather for: balance training (stand) core engagement (kneel) hip mobility (sit → stand transitions) mindful walking (Communion line) breath regulation (responses) isometric holds (long homilies) It’s basically a free gym membership with holy water. And for Grandma Ninjas? It keeps the joints honest. It keeps the reflexes sharp. It keeps the spirit centered. It keeps the body moving in ways that matter. Some people leave daily Mass spiritually fortified. I leave spiritually fortified and ...

  WORDS MATTER “If I speak with human tongues and angelic as well, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong, a clanging symbol.” --I Corinthians 13: 1   My three brothers recently visited from afar. We spent a week together crammed into my small apartment. We exhausted ourselves talking about our lives and our favorite subjects--religion, psychology, and politics. I daily used up my quota of words. Many family and friends avoid talking about these subjects to avoid conflict. But we relish the give-and-take of debate. Coincidentally, the Republican National Convention was televised each night. We watched it diligently and exchanged views. Our convictions ranged across the political spectrum. So our conversations were animated, our disagreements passionate. However, at the end of the week, we learned something from each other and parted friends. Words matter. They have power. Our traditions attest to this fact. For example, God created the world with His word. He began, “Let ther...

  Today's Publisher's Pride is When Liberty Enslaves by Jerry Aveta, which reached #173 in campaigns & elections and #174 in abolition history of the US. Book Description There is a common experience between our experiences today and those before the Civil War many years ago.  The effect of the intersection of faith and politics during these two experiences has had on our elections and our governance is uncanny in their similarities.  Both times an election insurrection was stopped by the sitting vice president.  Both times had people of the same faith on both sides of the social issues of the day claiming God’s favor and willing to divide the nation over those competing positions. Part 1 of this writing focuses on the Civil War era and how liberty centered around the issue of equality.  Some people of faith believed all men were equal, some did not. Part 2 focuses on our present times and how liberty centers on the sanctity of life concerning abortion and ...