Author Archive: Dr. Jim Asher
Dr. Jim Asher is a graduate of Marquette University and Des Moines University. He earned a master’s degree in bioethics from Midwestern University. He and his wife of 48 years, Rose Neidhoefer of Milwaukee, have seven children and 13 grandchildren. He is a retired family physician. He is a parishioner at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral, an officer in the Catholic Physician’s Guild, and a member of the Knights of Columbus.
Opinions expressed are the writers' and not necessarily the views of The Catholic Sun or the Diocese of Phoenix.
Remember: It’s murder, inside or outside the womb
Let’s say the court finds Kermit Gosnell guilty of killing babies after delivery, instead of before — where the law permits it. Now he has to be sentenced. If I were the judge, I would surely want to be fair, regarding the killing of born babies.
Is Dr. Gosnell an aberration?
People look at Dr. Kermit Gosnell and wonder, how could he kill aborted babies born alive? Don’t wonder. He could well be just like a lot of doctors you know.
Catholicism in Japan: Past and present
Fr. Callistus Sweeney, OFM is thin and ascetic looking. His easy laughter is surprising if you didn’t realize Christian asceticism includes good humor. We talked after the 8 a.m. English Mass at the Franciscan Chapel Center in Tokyo.
The 37,000 that died at Hara Castle, and the few who pay homage
We didn’t go to Hara Castle. I wanted to, just to stand on holy ground – but that’s about all there is left, plus some wall ruins of the fortress. And it was a long journey.
San Felipe de Jesus: The first Mexican saint and the first Japanese martyr
In the more than 50 years he had been here, had he seen Catholicism grow in Japan? I was talking with Jesuit Father Jose Aguilar, who lived at the Jesuit Residence by the 26 Martyrs Museum in Nagasaki. He was from Guadalajara.
How the lives of the Japanese martyrs can inspire us today
Martyrdom so steadfastly accepted by such youths is especially awesome. And who would have blamed them for surrendering? Yet these boys seem to have all been very devoted to the faith, and their intrepidity demonstrates a Holy Spirit not about to abandon them in their hour of need.
Catholicism struggles in Japan: More complex that mere secularism
The reasons for failure of the faith to grow in Japan is actually more complex than mere secularism. The Japanese government lifted persecution in 1873, but mostly because of pressure from the west, particularly the U.S. government, who bluntly told Japan that enlightened nations did not persecute people for religious beliefs.
Enigmatic martyrdom in Japan
The second century Father Tertullian wrote, “The blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church.” The rulers of Japan didn’t know this when they sought to create a fearsome spectacle of martyrdom in Nagasaki on Feb. 5, 1597.
Dr. Asher goes to Japan
Christianity in Asia has been a long and bitter struggle. One thinks of St. Francis Xavier, S.J., and many more who will likely never see canonization but are still great heroes of the faith, such as Fr. Robert di Nobili, S.J. in India, Fr. Matteo Ricci, S.J. in China, and Bro. Bento de Goes, S.J., who discovered Cathay and China were the same after an epic journey over the Silk Road.
Are homosexual families dysfunctional?
We used to talk more about dysfunctional families – those in which love was lacking due to a variety of circumstances. Dysfunction means not operating normally or properly. Most families actually were dysfunctional to a degree, yet fixable.
