A sub-category of News.
The Eastern Christians have an ancient prayer, called the Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Although it is brief and simple, it contains a richness and depth that is incomparable. Some even say that it is a condensed summary of the gospels. In the first half of…
I have always loved the melody of Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence.” Haunting yet inviting, it stirs something within me. Perhaps it’s not only the music that captivates me but the theme of the song itself: silence. Like the music, which evokes opposing feelings of caution and longing, silence, too, can produce opposite…
The word of the day for Catholics is “unity.” For the sake of it, entire congregations are ghettoized (TLM), bishops exiled (Strickland), faculties gutted (Sacred Heart), and dioceses fractured (Charlotte). Strange to think that the peculiar synodality project is more or less based on giving every wayward lifestyle and viewpoint a podium but the faithful…
Above: the Basilica Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta in Rieti Nestled in the heart of central Italy, Rieti enchants visitors with its storied past, architectural splendor, and enduring cultural legacy. Renowned journalist and writer Guido Piovene († 1974) captured its essence with poetic precision: At the heart of Rieti’s treasures stands the Basilica Cathedral of…
I recently took issue with the unqualified use of the term “faithful Jew” to describe our Lord, arguing that this expression (bereft of the nuance provided by Gideon Lazar) is likely to mislead Catholics by too closely associating Jesus with modern Judaism, which departs from divine religion in important respects. I also insinuated that such…
Philosophers from Aristotle to Aquinas remind us to begin with first principles: to see things as they really are. Even Marcus Aurelius counseled, “Of each particular thing, ask, what is it in itself?” Strikingly, this same wisdom is expressed in The Silence of the Lambs (1991), albeit through the words of a villain. In the…
September 8th is the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, where we recall her birth and role in the divine plan for our salvation. The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is one of only three birthdays honored in the liturgical year: the others being that of St. John the Baptist and that of Jesus…
Fr. Robert Hugh Benson was a British priest and science fiction novelist who lived at the turn of the 20th century in Britain. In his 1911 novel, The Dawn of All, the protagonist, Msgr. Masterman, wakes up as an amnesiac in 1970s Britain to find that the whole world has become Catholic and takes the…
Virginia Senator Tim Kaine’s remarks that the idea rights come from God is a “theocratic” notion representative of the mindset of Iranian ayatollahs is the latest controversy lighting up social media. One might be tempted to dismiss it as momentary outrage clickbait, but resist the temptation. Why? First, because the claim is not true. It…
The onset of Hansen’s Disease, known in antiquity under the broad rubric of “leprosy,” comes with patches of skin that change color, grow numb, and progress toward ulcerations, paralysis, even the absorption of extremities back into the body. Untreated, it may bring blindness, disfiguration, and social ruin. Though today we know that the cause is…
