back in action
By Phil Lawler ( bio - articles - email ) | Jul 26, 2010
After two terrific weeks in Ireland, I'm back in action, rested and ready.
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This really was my first complete break from news coverage in more than a decade. I'm grateful to the CWN news team for keeping the site running in my absence. The respite was a tonic for me-- as was the beautiful scenery of Dingle, Connemara, and Clare-- to name just a few of the places we visited. We made our pilgrimages to the shrine of Our Lady of Knock and to Croag Patrick. And in my one bit of work during a 2-week hiatus, I tried to offer a hopeful message about recovery from the sex-abuse scandal, to a large and responsive audience in Dublin. (Thanks to my friends at the Irish Catholic for arranging that talk.) I learned that it is possible to become almost accustomed to driving on the left side of the road, that Guinness really does taste better in Ireland, and that all the stories about Irish hospitality are true.
One the benefits of working in Catholic journalism is the knowledge that during the summer, the flow of news out of Rome decreases sharply. With the Holy Father at his summer residence, and many leaders of the Roman Curia enjoying their own vacations, it's an ideal time for someone like me to relax. My final word of thanks, then, goes to all those people who did not do anything so newsworthy that it forced me to break off my vacation.
Phil Lawler has been a Catholic journalist for more than 30 years. He has edited several Catholic magazines and written eight books. Founder of Catholic World News, he is the news director and lead analyst at CatholicCulture.org. See full bio.
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Posted by: bkmajer3729 -
Nov. 12, 2017 8:24 AM ET USA
No process? If there is no process, there are only "states" or points of existence-good/bad, right/wrong, 'state of Grace'/'state of sin'. A digital concept of on/off. But how does one go from one state to another? How do you get the outcome without the process? And is there only one outcome or several along the path to freedom and sanctity? St. Paul, Apostle to the Gentiles, what did he mean by using "work out" in salvation context, "Work out your salvation in fear and trembling."?
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Posted by: Comares -
Nov. 11, 2017 6:13 PM ET USA
There was a time when I on the European side of the Atlantic used to admire the Theology of the USA. If this website is anything to go by I no longer do so. There is a constant attack on Pope Francis. Thank God for a Pope that allows us to think and grow. Not since Paul VI have we had that.
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Posted by: dmva9806 -
Nov. 10, 2017 7:20 PM ET USA
Marshall McLuhan (The medium is the message) proposed a similar idea many years ago. I really do not wish to accept that our Pope could be so shallow and oblivious to the clearly stated teaching of Jesus to the contrary. I hope he is just unable to express his teachings clearly or is somewhat confused. We elders do get that way, as I can personally attest.
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Posted by: claude-ccc2991 -
Nov. 10, 2017 5:54 PM ET USA
Bad news for the pope and those who follow him: God designed reality so that there are 2 eternal outcomes, and not just an existence consisting only of process. Casuistry has consequences.
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Posted by: -
Nov. 08, 2017 3:15 PM ET USA
The question then is: Who is accompanying whom?
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Posted by: shrink -
Nov. 08, 2017 3:00 PM ET USA
Excellent summary of what we are observing. It reminded me of Carl Rogers, of humanistic psychology fame, who popularized the idea that "the process is more important than the outcome." It was this kind of thinking that ripped the concept of morality out of all discussions of sex, and replaced it with "consent".
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Posted by: polish.pinecone4371 -
Jul. 28, 2010 3:33 PM ET USA
I hate beer - except Irish Guiness. I was on pilgrimage to Ireland with then-Bishop Burke in 2001 and we stopped at a fish-n-chips place in the southwest part of the Emerald Isle and I ordered a Guiness, hearing all those stories about how much better it is there. All I can say is that if all beer tasted like that, I'd probably be an alcoholic.
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Posted by: phil L -
Jul. 28, 2010 3:23 PM ET USA
OK, I believe that the Irish Guinness is superior because the brewer uses a different formula. But why? To please the market? I don't know anyone who prefers the Guinness sold in North America to the product sold in Ireland.
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Posted by: Mike in Toronto -
Jul. 28, 2010 3:09 PM ET USA
Here in Ontario, Canada our liquor stores offer a choice: the local version of Guinness, produced by Canadian brewer Labatt under license, and the actual import brewed and bottled by Diageo in Dublin, Ireland. The local, being Canadian beer, is pretty good, but the import from my ancestral homeland is better.
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Posted by: davidSanDiego -
Jul. 26, 2010 4:45 PM ET USA
Guinness tastes different in Ireland because it is different in Ireland. They alter the formulation throughout the world to suite national tastes, i.e., what sells. Consider this a caution against "Yes, but ..." Catholicism.
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Posted by: DrJazz -
Jul. 26, 2010 1:38 PM ET USA
I've never been to Ireland, but the first Guinness I ever had was brought to me from Ireland by my sister-in-law. I loved it so much that I bought some here. What a disappointment. You're right: "Guinness really does taste better in Ireland." Next time you go to Ireland, you might be able to turn a handsome profit by offering to purchase some for Catholic Culture subscribers! I'll get to work on the customs issues . . .
