Monsignor Pope: The priestly robes replaced by lab coats

"It's astonishing to me the levels of fear that have utterly collapsed us into this — whatever the government says, I'll do — and even in the Church: whatever the government says, we must follow. The priestly robes have been replaced by the lab coats. Ultimately, we're in trouble. The main bugaboo is fear. How many times did Jesus say, 'Do not be afraid,'" said Monsignor Charles Pope, a parish pastor in Washington, D.C., a writer and speaker.

He recently wrote a two-part reflection for the National Catholic Register, "5 Hard Truths We’ve Come to See With 2020 Vision" and "5 More Hard Truths We’ve Come to See with 2020 Vision." Follow him at msgrpope.com.

Jack Brustkern: What is digital balance for our generation?

I was just "glued to my screen, a slave to my screen in many ways. And it scared me. I didn't think that I was the type of kid who would get wrapped up in something as crazy as this. I really wanted to wrestle with the question of what is digital balance for me and then I quickly realized this isn't just me, this is other kids, as well. So what is digital balance for our generation?" said Jack Brustkern, founder and CEO of Detachnow.com and author of "Acquired Connection: Forming Upright Digital Habits With & For Your Kids." He was named a U.S. Presidential Scholar in 2020.

Steven Aden: How the pro-life movement will prevail

"The issue is never going away until the courts and the legislatures respect all human life," said Steven H. Aden, chief legal officer and general counsel at Americans United for Life. "You can't duck and cover. You have to be engaged. It's either going to be in the Supreme Court, in the Congress — or, if Lord willing, Roe (v. Wade) is overturned — the issue will be returned to the states and to the people, where it belongs, instead of in the hands of nine people wearing black robes. When it goes back to the states, that's ideal for us, because that is where the pro-life movement is really at its strength." Follow him @StevenHAdenAUL on Twitter.

Michael Matt: What is the Great Reset?

"We're seeing overreach from government that George Orwell never imagined, that the Soviet Union never attained," said Michael Matt, editor of The Remnant newspaper and Remnant TV. "So I'm really concerned that if we don't start waking up right now — and by we, I especially mean Americans because we do have more freedom, I think, than our friends in Europe have, especially under the European Union, which was also sort of a test case for this Great Reset — if we don't wake up, I'm concerned that they will, to answer your question, end up having the ability to pull this off." Follow @Michael_J_Matt on Twitter.

Reggie Littlejohn: How and why China infiltrates the U.S. (Part 2 of 2)

"China is the number one threat in the world," said Reggie Littlejohn, founder and president of Women's Rights Without Frontiers. "Pray for the people of China because they are languishing under the boot of this totalitarian government. And pray that all that is hidden in darkness will be brought to light concerning all the ways that the Chinese government has infiltrated internationally, not just the United States, but all over the world."

Part 1 of the interview with her, linked here, dealt with the horrendous human rights violations in China and what can be done. Follow Littlejohn @ReggieLittlejhn on Twitter.

Reggie Littlejohn: China as human rights abuser (Part 1 of 2)

Women's Rights Without Frontiers is "an international coalition to expose and oppose forced abortion, gendercide and sexual slavery in China." On this first part of a two-part interview, Reggie Littlejohn, the founder and president of the organization, describes the horrendous human rights violations in China and what can be done. Follow her @ReggieLittlejhn on Twitter.

Part 2 of the interview with her, linked here, dealt with the infiltration by China of the U.S. Follow Littlejohn @ReggieLittlejhn on Twitter.

Mary Eberstadt: Riots and the cry for the Father

"...Behind these protests, behind these people screaming in the street, is a deep suffering that has been brought on by a crisis of paternity. This is not only about literal fatherlessness — although when 40 percent of kids are being raised without a dad at home, it's certainly partly about that. But in the article I try to make the connection to other forms of the father, beginning with the Father in heaven," said Mary Eberstadt, senior fellow at the Faith & Reason Institute, author of many books and of the recent article, "The Fury of the Fatherless" in First Things. Follow her at https://maryeberstadt.com.

Ken Craycraft: The Biden administration will put Christians on notice

President-elect Joe Biden "certainly has no interest in following the Church's teaching on anything. Even to the extent that it might coincide — some of his positions — with Catholic Church teaching, it's not informed by Church teaching, it's informed rather by [the] Democratic Party platform," said Ken Craycraft, author of the recent First Things article, "What Christians can expect from Joe Biden and Kamala Harris."

Craycraft, an attorney, was recently named the James J. Gardner Family Chair of Moral Theology at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary & School of Theology in Cincinnati. Follow him @kcraycraft on Twitter.

Joe Heschmeyer: Why are we Catholic and why the papacy?

"It is a time where a lot of people are asking hard questions about the papacy. At the same time, people are asking ordinary Catholics, 'Well, why are you still Catholic?' I think it's a really good question to ask. And I think it's a question that [as] Catholics, we should embrace that opportunity to really share: why are we Catholic and what does the papacy have to do with that?" said Joe Heschmeyer, author of the recent book, "Pope Peter: Defending the Church's Most Distinctive Doctrine in a Time of Crisis" (Catholic Answers Press) and an instructor with the Holy Family School of Faith.

Fr. Vincent Lampert: An exorcism is a prayer to God

“An exorcism at its very core is a prayer. It's a prayer directed to God, who is asked to bring relief into the life of the person. In extreme cases, it's a command given to a demon, commanding it to depart based on the power of the authority of Jesus Christ. But again, it's all about bringing healing into the life of people who are suffering," said Fr. Vincent P. Lampert, a priest in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, an exorcist, and author of the recent book, "Exorcism: The Battle Against Satan and His Demons" (Emmaus Road Publishing).