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"Vatican to consider classifying 'spiritual abuse' as a new Catholic crime" was in my Google News feed this morning.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Pope Francis wants folks in the Dicastery for Legislative Texts to review rules dealing with folks who misuse alleged supernatural experiences.)

"...All of us dwell under the same sky. All of us are moved by the beauty revealed in the cosmos and reflected in the study of the heavenly bodies and substances. In this sense, we are united by the desire to discover the truth about how this marvellous universe operates; and in this, we draw ever closer to the Creator...." ( Address to Participants in the Summer Course of the Vatican Observatory , Pope Francis (June 11, 2016)) My interest in science started as a fascination with dinosaurs. By the time I left high school, that fascination included astronomy, physics, cosmology, and more. My academic specialties were history and English, but I never lost my intense interest in pretty much everything else. That didn't change when I became a Catholic — partly because where my faith is involved, paying attention to the wonders and beauty surrounding us isn't a problem. The Enigmatic IRAS Ghost Nebula Impressions Stars in the Making: the HP Tau Triplet More...

A paper published this month doesn't so much tell us what's inside a neutron star, as show what's not inside. Considering how little we know about these immensely-dense stellar objects, that's a significant step toward understanding the things. I'll take a look at that, but mostly I'll be talking about what we've been learning, and why I think paying attention to this wonder-packed universe is a good idea. Even if — maybe because — this Haldane quote, written a few years before we knew about neutron stars, still reflects how God's universe has been surprising us. "Now, my own suspicion is that the universe is not only queerer than we suppose, but queerer than we can suppose…." (" Possible Worlds and Other Essays ", p. 286, J. B. S. Haldane (1927) via Wikiquote) Squishy (?) Stars, Strange States of Matter Supernova! Neutron Stars: Gravity, Math, and Weirdness "...Astronomers Still Don't Know...." New Vi...

My parish is Our Lady of the Angles in Sauk Centre, Minnesota. It's part of the Parishes on the Prairie Catholic Community — and that's a topic for another time. Aside from routine matters, we're not exactly at the center of diocesan activity. That's why I think our priest, Fr. Greg Paffel, getting this year's diocesan Humanae Vitae Award is a big deal. I'll be talking about that, briefly, "Humanae Vitae", and why I think human life matters. Cultural, Historical, and Personal Context "The True Voice of the Church...." My First Look at Catholic Thought Why Human Life Matters Obedience and Using my Brain Natural Law, Positive Law, and Paying Attention Seeing Human Beings as People Meanwhile, Across the Pacific Fr. Greg Paffel: The Journey Home Interview Valuing Human Life: All Human Life More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Humanae Vitae, On Human Life: cultural, historical, and personal context; natural law, positiv...

Scientists have found gene groups we have in common with nearly all animals: thousands of them, from code library that's more than half a billion years old. I'll be talking about that this week, plus why I see no problem with studying this vast and ancient universe. Still Learning Life's Long Story Bilateral Symmetry and Oh, Look! It's a — Thing Bilaterians: 700,000,000 Years of Building on the Basics Ancient Genes, Rewritten Gene Duplication: Let the Modding Begin! Faith and Reason, Science and Religion "Truth Cannot Contradict Truth" Four Centuries in Europe: the Black Death, Wars, and a Label A King, the Age of Enlightenment, and a Few Good Ideas English Politics and All-too-Familiar Attitudes Using my Brain, Admiring God's Universe More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Discovery: bilaterians, animals with right and left sides, get thousands of gene groups from our last common ancestor. Plus why science and faith get along.)

Next week's total solar eclipse won't be total here in central Minnesota. I'm not terribly disappointed, since the odds are that I couldn't see it anyway. There's rain in the five-day forecast. We need rain a great deal more than I need to see a total eclipse of the sun, so I've got at least two reasons for not being terribly disappointed. Eclipses: Predictable, But Not Locally Frequent Headlines, Religion, and Me NASA's Eclipse Chasers God, This Universe, and "Even Greater Admiration" More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (A very quick look at eclipses, the news, and how I see science and religion. Plus an embedded NASA eclipse chasers video.)

I did a Google search for [patron saint depression] the other day, and got this gem: How did the Saints deal with depression?" [redacted] [August 2023] "There is no evidence they had depression, they lived in faith, that Everything is controlled by God, and they accepted God's Will in all ..." Not long before, someone in an online conversation had said 'I'm dealing with depression, and need help'. Along with potentially-helpful responses, someone chastised the supplicant. Seems that good Christians trust God and never experience such things as depression. That gave me this week's topic. Dealing With Depression — and Suicide Depression, Faith, and Making Decisions Assorted Saints Teresa of Ávila: Mystic and Troublemaker Becoming a Saint Cultural Legacies and a Disclaimer João Duarte Cidade, AKA Saint John of God Saint Benedict Joseph Labre Poverty, Terminal Illness, and Ham Sandwiches Doing My Daily Prayers Dark Night of the Soul...

One, maybe two, articles by C. S. Lewis reappeared about a half-dozen years back. Not that they'd been invisible. Collectors had the articles in their copies of The Strand Magazine, but "A Christmas Sermon for Pagans" and "Cricketer's Progress" hadn't made it into lists of work by Lewis. Maybe it's just one new 'Lewis' article. "Cricketer's Progress: A Famous Reputation and What Became of It", was written by a "Clive Hamilton". Sure, Lewis published his first book under the Clive Hamilton pseudonym. But Lewis isn't known as a sports journalist. 1 And that's another topic. Anyway, I'll be talking about "A Christmas Sermon for Pagans" this week. Or, rather, I'm sharing a few excerpts; and talking about whatever comes to mind. "A Christmas Sermon for Pagans": No Longer Forgotten "... 'Objective' Right or Wrong...." "...Nature is ... A Kind of Machine fo...

This week will be less routine than usual, partly due to Thanksgiving Day. I'll be staying home, and haven't decided whether or not I'll try finding free online streaming of Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. This — and probably my regular 'Saturday' post — will be the text equivalent of a clip show: excerpts from stuff I've posted before. So: Happy Thanksgiving Day, Greetings on November 23, or whatever seems appropriate. More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Stuff happens: wealth and poverty, sickness and health. None of that is a sure sign of virtue or sin. What I do with what I've got: that is what matters.)

Looks like word is getting around, among historians at any rate, that the "Dark Ages" weren't an abyss of superstition and ignorance. I see that as good news, and recommend reading the rest of Meg Leja's Smithsonian Magazine article. I've highlighted parts of this excerpt, and talked (briefly, for me) about the medical angle of post-Roman Europe under Respecting Ancient Authorities: Above and Beyond the Call of Reason .... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (The Medieval roots of modern medicine: excerpt from a Smithsonian Magazine article, how I see monastic medicine and the Renaissance.)

Every time we develop new tech for studying this universe, we find something new. New to us, that is. This week, I'll be talking about unexpected Jupiter-size objects in the Orion Nebula, and why scientists at CERN dropped a few hundred antihydrogen atoms. Baffling Binaries, Planetary Problem: JuMBOs in Orion Low Expectations, a Pleasant Surprise A Planet by Any Other Name JuMBOs and Questions Antimatter, Gravity, the Universe: and an Experiment at CERN A Quick Look at Antimatter, From Hicks to Dirac, and Weirdness (Most) Antihydrogen Atoms Fell Down Mystery of the Missing Antimatter 'Where's the Antimatter?' — Broadening the Search Ptolemy, C. S. Lewis, the Universe, and Assumptions "...Its Inhabitants Like Grasshoppers...." More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Unexpected Jupiter-size binaries in the Trapezium Cluster, antimatter and gravity experiment at CERN. New data, new puzzles.)

This week I'm sharing what Fr. Mark Botzet said during Mass on the last Sunday in June. I was going to just post his homily and let it go at that. But then I thought his focus on fear might make more sense if I put it in context of what's been happening in my part of the world. So I've put a short (for me) look at life in central Minnesota, and the big picture, after Fr. Botzet's homily. Fr. Mark Botzet's Homily — June 25, 2023 Four Decades, Two Millennia and the Long Haul (Brian H. Gill) Under the Circumstances... Promises and the Best News Ever More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Dealing with changes in Parishes on the Prairie ACC. Remembering priorities. Not letting fear distract us from what is important.)

Gene-editing rules showed up in my news feed last Monday. So, indirectly, did genetically-edited twins who, as far as I know, are still alive. If I'd known how little I'd be able to verify about Dr. He Jiankui's famous (or infamous) twins, maybe I'd have picked another topic. But I did find a fair amount of information about genetic editing technology, and a hint at why Dr. He's science project produced twins: Gene-Edited Twins At Least Two "World's First" Defining "First" Not-So-Good News CRISPR Technology and Surprisingly Long-Tongued Rabbits Procedures, Perspectives and People CCR5Δ32, Recent History and Speculation Chromosomes, Science and Twins TALEN and CRISPR: Repurposing Prokaryotic Molecules A Genomic Revolution: New(ish) Territory Louise Joy Brown, HEK 293 and Me Making Sense: It's an Option Bioethics, From a Former Lab Rat's Perspective More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Genetically edite...

...[A BBC News article] reminded me that it’s been some time since I talked about evolution and how Age of Enlightenment aristocrats viewed different species. And why I don't see a point in complaining about how this universe works.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Some of the oldest stone tools made by humans, assuming Paranthropus is human. Looking at the human family tree, changing assumptions, and accepting what we are learning.)

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI died this morning — Saturday, December 31, 2022. His death is international news, but I don't have much to say at the moment. Headlines included the all-too-predictable political spins and 'hidden meanings.' And, happily, I saw the following articles: one from BBC News, the other from Vatican News; both giving a pretty good overview of our former pope. More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Remembering Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI. Excerpts from BBC News, Vatican News.)

I'd been planning on writing about chimps, strength, muscles, and assumptions this week. Then, a few hours later, I noticed that I'd been talking about horses, digestion, etymology, cephalic index and other assumptions. Which, for me, is about par for the course. Eventually, I got back to what we've been learning about chimps and muscles. Horses Aren't Human Scientists, Science, and Assumptions: Old and New Phrenology and the Superiority of 'Folks Like Me' Scientific Scientists: An Etymological Excursion Cephalic Index: Numbers, Notions and Aryan Angst Assumptions, Attitudes and an Opportunistic Omnivore More Assumptions and Attitudes Using Our Brains, Seeking (and Accepting) Truth Making Sense and Other Options Chimpanzee Sort-of-Super Strength: It's the Muscles Reviewing the Evidence Twitchy Chimps And Finally, Malu Malu: the Slow Loris More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (How ho...

When I saw "Vatican" and "elegant demon" in my news feeds, I cringed. Just a little. But not because I feared that the four horsemen of the Apocalypse were saddling up and the Antichrist was running rampant.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Finding a summary of what the Pope said.)

I'll be talking about today's Pakistan: particularly what it's like being a Pakistani Christian, Hindu or Sikh. Or, for that matter, the 'wrong' sort of Pakistani Muslim. The list of at-risk Pakistanis depends partly on who's talking. A few weeks ago, someone asked me to write about what Pakistani Christians are enduring. Finding more-or-less current news or information on that general topic wasn't nearly as easy as I'd hoped. What I did find told me that what's happening now has very deep roots. More at A Catholic Citizen in America . The story so far, from before the Indus Valley civilization and Vedic period to the East India Company, independence and blasphemy laws.

I spent part of Monday morning making notes for a talk with our parish priest. Then I called the Parishes on the Prairie office — P. on the P. are six parishes and a school in central Minnesota. I left a message, asking our priest to call me back. So far, he hasn't. Which is probably just as well. A bit after noon Monday, I ran an errand: picked up meds. After that, I — actually, I don't remember just what I did. But I do remember feeling cold. Unaccountably cold. Good news, the furnace was working fine, and inside temperatures were normal. A little below normal in some spots, since my wife was baking. But well within the normal range. Decades of experience told me that checking my temperature was prudent. So I did.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

It's been a year and a day since I talked about socializing, the pandemic and individual differences. "...I can sympathize with folks who really do need people: people who are physically close, not 'close' only in a virtual sense. I'm also willing to accept that not everyone is like me. For which we should all be thankful. And that's another topic. "That said, COVID-19 pandemic restrictions haven't cut into my social life all that much. "Before 'social distancing' — a poorly-chosen phrase, and that's yet another topic — started becoming a cliche, most of my social life was online...." (" People Who Need People — and the COVID-19 Pandemic " (January 24, 2021)) Somewhere during the last year, I noticed that I'd been enjoying my research and writing routines less. And had let some projects drop off the back burner. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .