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Recently someone emailed me (in good spirit), encouraging me to outline the Church's response to abortions in case of rape, incest, grave danger to the mother's life, etc., and so I shall oblige.

One must understand, as I have come to understand, that abortion is evil. Abortion causes the death of a human being—a living person (that I believe is endowed with a soul given by God at the moment of conception, although that is debatable). Even though the person may not be completely able to live on his own yet, he is living, with his own cell structures, DNA, genetic code, etc., and should be given all the God-given rights any other human person has. Abortion, the immoral killing of a human being in a mother's womb (and sometimes outside the womb), is wrong. Our society seems to be stuck on saying 'NO' to life; why can we not begin to accept the great gift of life God has given to us?

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church (2270):

Well, now that I'm on break, I have a little time to devote to writing another entry (sorry it's been so long). I thought I would do well to write about music, as it is one of the most influential and intriguing media forms today; not only is radio (FM, AM, Satellite, Internet, etc.) extremely prevalent in our modern society, the instant availablility of music from places such as the iTunes Store or any local music store makes music a potent medium with which many different people spread their ideas and influence.

Not only can someone quickly find almost any popular music on the planet, but he is also able to carry it all with him on his iPod, on a CD player, or using some other portable method. What goes into a person's head is very important, for the Bible states, "I do not allow into my presence anyone who speaks perversely" (Psalm 101:3). How important it is, then, for us to protect ourselves from not only people who speak perversely, but also to protect ourselves from their words, i.e. music.

While growing up, I've tried a variety of craft projects, and one of my favorites has always been making knot Rosaries. I find making knot Rosaries to be very condusive to silent prayer and reflection, and you can do many great things with the Rosaries you make.

Knot Rosaries are very durable (when made properly), they feel great while praying the Rosary, the Divine Mercy Chaplet or other devotional prayers on them, and they look very nice. So far, none of the Rosaries I've made and given away or sold have had any problems falling apart, even after a few years of use! As an additional benefit, they are not very hard to make, and the supplies you will need do not cost very much at all!

I have had more than a few people ask me about the purpose, meaning, etc. of the ancient Tenebrae (latin for 'darkness' or 'shadows') service held during the Easter Triduum, especially after hearing we've re-started the tradition of having all the Seminarians, together with the Archbishop, pray this office every year on the eve of Good Friday at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis.

Here's a basic explanation of the Ancient Office of Tenebrae, found on the programs we were given this year:

There is no end to the amount of criticism the Catholic Church receives in regard to her teachings on marriage and sexuality, especially with regard to acceptable methods of birth regulation. Society has a basic rule that anything goes—whatever form of contraception seems safe and has a relatively high rate of success in preventing pregnancy is good for partners. But the Church's teaching begs the question: Are some forms of birth regulation better than others? Is there a fundamental difference in moral status between one form of regulation and another? And what of the 'contraceptive mentality;' is this a healthy framework in which to place human sexuality?

Our Lord asks us to follow him not only in word and promise, but in deed and action, even when that action requires heroic courage. In this regard I would like to speak about a hero of mine: Michael Cardinal von Faulhaber, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Munich from 1917 to his death in 1952. (As an interesting side note, the last man Faulhaber was to ordain to the priesthood was one Joseph Ratzinger, our present Holy Father.)

As you might imagine, the years between 1933 and 1945, marked by the reign of Hitler, were especially difficult for Faulhaber. However, rather than choose to remain quiet out of fear of the Nazis, Faulhaber instead chose courage. At every opportunity, he spoke out against the crimes of the Nazis, on occasion risking his own life to do so.

His Advent sermons of 1933, delivered in the vast Munich Cathedral, the Frauenkirche, drew thousands of Munich citizens—standing room only—who came to listen to the Cardinal fearlessly challenge National Socialism, to assert the rights and freedoms of the Catholic Church, and to call for the protection of the Jewish People.

This article will explain the importance of knowing what your flash sync terminal voltage is, and show you how to measure the voltage to make sure your flash is safe to use with your digital camera.

Vivitar 285 'Zoom Thyristor' Flash Head (283 and 285HV are similar)

If you need a better way to hold the light you use while taking pictures with the DIY Greenscreen you just made, or you need a better way to control where light goes for keying out backgrounds in Photoshop, read through this tutorial on how to make a quick and durable (and highly configurable) lightstand out of one of those old, sort-of broken cheap tripods you have sitting in your closet. Even if it's your main tripod, you should be able to modify it so you can swap it for a lightstand or standard tripod pretty easily.

This article will explain how to remove or 'key' green screens or blue screens or remove plain color backgrounds in Photoshop (works with versions 5, 6, 7/CS, CS 2 and CS 3). You might want to do this kind of thing after using your brand-new DIY Greenscreen you just made...

From this...

...to this!

Perhaps you're tired of taking pictures with the DIY Greenscreen you just made, or you have had enough fun (for now) keying out backgrounds in Photoshop... but now you want something more. But you don't want to spend more than 2 minutes setting up for your next project. Well, how about a do-it-yourself mini macro studio that is made of materials you already have within arm's reach, and can set up in less than two minutes?

My iPod shuffle...