A sub-category of News.
The Hamas terrorist attack of October 7, 2023, caused a deep rupture in Western public opinion, polarizing the debate between supporters of Israel and advocates of the Palestinian cause. Yet the stakes go far beyond the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the historical tensions of the Middle East: what is emerging is a strategic confrontation…
The common teaching of the saints and doctors is that the slightest pains endured in the terrible fire of Purgatory will be more painful than all the pains of the present life. The Catholic Encyclopedia notes, “[St.] Augustine (Enarration on Psalm 37, no. 3) speaks of the pain which purgatorial fire causes as more severe…
As we come to the end of this series, there is time for one final song for the unsung, a sort of swan song, a final elegy and eulogy for those unknown heroes and heroines whose passing from this life went unheeded and unheralded but who have been sung to their rest by ministering angels….
As the liturgical year draws to its close, the Church’s voice takes on autumnal gravity. The Sundays after Pentecost turn our eyes toward the final harvest, when the Lord will take all things to Himself. This Sunday’s Collect, Epistle, and Gospel form a single meditation on mercy and judgment, protection and peril, the divine household…
One of the accusations most often made against the Catholic Church is that of being misogynistic—that it does not appreciate women enough or give them their rightful place. Now, it can be admitted that, throughout history, there may have been instances of inappropriate behavior. But to label the Church as a misogynistic institution seems, at…
Above: the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Moscow. My acquaintance with the Traditional Latin Mass – that is, the old, pre-reform rite – began, like that of many of my compatriots, through popular culture. Let us not deny it: cinema and television have always offered the most vivid and striking imagery. The Catholic brand…
Today, October 31, marks “Reformation Day,” which commemorates the unfortunate split between Protestants and Catholics in 1517. When we look back at the upheaval of the 16th century, we tend to picture the Protestant Reformers as men who rejected Catholicism in its entirety. Yet a closer look reveals something more nuanced—and even ironic. Martin Luther,…
Ours is the only culture in history that mocks the devil while pretending he doesn’t exist. Every Halloween, we flirt with the infernal, pretending it’s all make-believe—until something evil happens, and then we stand astonished that the line between play and peril has worn so thin. Halloween is, strangely enough, the one night when modern…
Perhaps you’ve wondered what was the most “spectacular” miracle performed by our Lord Jesus Christ during His earthly life. Reading the sacred texts of the Bible sometimes stirs such curious questions in our minds. As for me, I consider His walking on the waters of the Sea of Galilee and the Resurrection of Lazarus to…
Known in some places as Allhallowtide, the Vigil of All Saints, All Saints Day, and All Souls Day form a sort of triduum. While All Saints Day is still a Holy Day of Obligation, the Church’s traditions and customs have enriched all of these three days with unique and time-honored customs that we need to…
