Roberto de Mattei. “In the Gospels, Jesus makes use of many metaphors to describe the Church He founded. One of the most fitting is the image of the boat threatened by the tempest (Matt. 8:23–27; Mark 4:35–41; Luke 8:22–25). This image was often used by the Church Fathers and saints, who spoke of the Church… Read More The “true reform” that the Church needed in the 20th century
Introduction to Theology. |By Carl F.H. Henry. SPEAK OF AN INTRODUCTION to God, or to the science of God, and some people are sure to look for the nearest exit. An introduction to sex techniques—now there’s a best seller! Or a manual (not on avoiding the rise and fall of the American empire but) on… Read More Carl F.H. Henry on The Matter of Belief Today
By James J. Thompson Jr. | New Oxford Review. | Does God answer prayer? Christians respond to such a query with a mixture of bewilderment and irritation. Who but unbelievers and those of little faith would even think to pose the question? One need only turn to the Gospel of St. Luke to find Christ’s unequivocal… Read More Jacques Ellul’s ‘Prayer and Modern Man’
“The Saint is a medicine because he is an antidote. Indeed that is why the saint is often a martyr; he is mistaken for a poison because he is an antidote. He will generally be found restoring the world to sanity by exaggerating whatever the world neglects, which is by no means always the same… Read More Saints of Flesh and Blood
Best friends & much more forever 51 years and counting in 2025-26 Kahlil Gibran “You were born [again]] together, and together you shall be forevermore… But let there be spaces in your togetherness, and let the winds of the heavens dance between you.” ‘For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health… Read More In Sickness and in Health, For Better or for Worse, for Richer or for poorer…till death do we part.
Pianist and conductor Ignat Solzhenitsyn reflects on growing up in exile as the son of Nobel laureate Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, moving from Soviet persecution to a quiet childhood in rural Vermont. Ignat recounts how music, faith, and Russian culture sustained his family far from home, how cellist and conductor Mstislav Rostropovich helped set him on a… Read More Ignat Solzhenitsyn in Conversation with Peter Robinson
ACI Prensa. EWTN. Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher spoke at the event “A Common Front for Human Dignity: Preventing the Commodification of Women and Children in Surrogacy.” And 2026: Year of Saint Francis. By Almudena Martínez-Bordiú Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, secretary for relations with states and international organizations of the Holy See, described the practice of… Read More Archbishop Gallagher: Surrogacy is a ‘new form of colonialism’
Not that I can ever fully trust Google or Facebook, but I asked A.I Gemini (Google) for an objective evaluation of CatholicCritique.com. First, in another session elsewhere, Search Assist AI quotes Julian Assange saying of another venue, “Facebook is the “most appalling spying machine” ever invented, suggesting that it allows U.S. intelligence agencies to gather personal… Read More Gemini / Google Evaluation of Catholic Critique
One man wrote …, I wanted to encourage him since I too know the struggles of coming to the piano late in life. I wrote, “Keep going, sir. Look up Phillip Springer (shown here below) still playing at 94, all bent and gnarled. Nothing keeps down the human spirit that wants to soar 🚀 Beethoven,… Read More The Fab Three — and The Student.
Foreword to Dietrich von Hildebrand’s book by Manfred Honeck (and see a conversation with Manfred Honeck on great composers below). He writes, “THIS LITTLE BOOK IS A TREASURE, not only because it discusses three of the greatest composers, but also because the author is willing actually to engage with their music. It does not claim… Read More Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert
Music is universal. When the message is not truly bad it is good enough, and cheers the human heart in recreation. John Paul II reminded us that whatever is truly and universally human participates in the essential goodness of Creation. Only we can wreck that! (Phil. 4:8) If all music had to be overtly religious… Read More Play skilfully
“First off, I want the US to acquire Greenland — fairly and legally. But this is extortion against America’s allies. It cannot be the case that this or any American president has the power to do this. It’s obscene. He’s not … Caesar!”
Q: Why is there no black note between B and C or between E and F? Well, this is a simple sounding question with a not very simple answer. You’ll need to be sitting up in your seat for this one! Too, from musicstackexchange.com Why do B and C and E and F not have a sharp note between them? Simply because, acoustically speaking, there… Read More Music Theory and The Monks 🎹
By now we’ve all long heard Cohen’s honest testimonial to the faltering universal holy quest. “I’ve heard there was a secret chord That David played, and it pleased the lordBut you don’t really care for music, do you? It goes like this, the fourth, the fifthThe minor fall, now the major liftThe baffled king composing… Read More Who Hasn’t Known the Broken Chord?
By Thomas Merton. “Today the first and perhaps the only duty of the philosopher is to defend man against himself: to defend man against that extraordinary temptation toward inhumanity to which—almost without being aware of it—so many human beings today have yielded. — GABRIEL MARCEL “As long as I am obsessed with the need to… Read More A Response to Questions on Art and Freedom
Today, I feel like being a lot bolder and more blunt in this blog. There’s this thing that’s been bothering me for years, so here it goes. I hope I don’t get judged for being vulnerable and extremely open on this, but let’s be real—we’ve all had those “what was I thinking?” years … Neither… Read More The Truth, The Mess, and The DNA Test.
Francis Albert Sinatra (/sɪˈnɑːtrə/; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the “Chairman of the Board” and “Ol’ Blue Eyes“, he is regarded as one of the most popular entertainers of the 20th century.[1] Born to Italian immigrants in Hoboken, New Jersey, Sinatra began his musical career in the swing era. He joined the Harry James band as… Read More Sinatra in the studio
“With the proliferation of systems, methods, concepts and philosophical theses which are often extremely complex, the need for a critical discernment in the light of faith becomes more urgent, even if it remains a daunting task. Given all of reason’s inherent and historical limitations, it is difficult enough to recognize the inalienable powers proper to… Read More The Church and Philosophical Discernment.
“George Harrison played a crucial role in the production of “Monty Python’s Life of Brian” (1979) by financing the film after EMI Films withdrew their support just before filming began. He mortgaged his home to provide the necessary funds, stating he wanted to see the movie made, which has been described as the “world’s most… Read More George Harrison and The Life of Brian
by Thomas Storck. What is needed is a real debate on religious questions providing a rational public apologetic for the faith. “For we were not following fictitious tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his grandeur.” – 2 Peter 1:16 The… Read More The Catholic Faith Is Not a Noble Lie
The late philosopher, William Barrett, in his famous book on Existentialism entitled Irrational Man, writes of faith and reason, “THOUGH strongly colored by Greek and Neo-Platonic influences, Christianity belongs to the Hebraist rather than to the Hellenist side of man’s nature because Christianity bases itself above all on faith and sets the man of faith… Read More Whose Wisdom? Whose Reason?
Full length presentation below the powerful first, brief, video. “A fascinating new look at the biblical, historical, and scientific evidence for Creation and the Flood. Learn from more than a dozen scientists and scholars as they explore the world around us in light of Genesis. St. Alphonsus Liguori: “It is a certain rule, received in… Read More Is Genesis History?
—- Or, Why My Favorite Moggs Reads The Sun Religiously. Prince Harry is reportedly planning to extend an olive branch to King Charles by inviting him to open the Invictus Games in the UK in 2027, which some say could help mend their long-standing rift. . Page Six The US Sun. But that’s just the half of… Read More Moggs’ WiseHead Revisited.
The Telegraph, UK. Rory Stewart is wrong about everything, but he gets away with it because he is posh. Fans of The Rest is Politics believe the social status of a political opinion matters more than its accordance with reality. The former Conservative minister’s career is a reminder there is no limit to how wrong you… Read More Rory Stewart is wrong about everything, but he gets away with it because he is posh
“The Russian intelligentsia produced a faith based upon a strange syllogism: ‘Man is descended from the apes, therefore we must love one another.’” — Vladimir Solovyev. On Lenin’s desk in the Kremlin there stood, for most of the years he worked there, a strange bronze statue of an ape gazing with an expression of profound… Read More Lenin, the Ape and the Skull
“Under Nicolás Maduro’s administration thousands of people died in extrajudicial killings and seven million Venezuelans were forced to flee the country due to economic collapse.” —Wikipedia. “Venezuela has been a significant transit hub for drug trafficking, particularly cocaine, due to its proximity to Colombia, which is the primary source of cocaine. The Venezuelan government, under Nicolás Maduro, has been… Read More Nice Smile
With Ross Douthat, NYT. What should the U.S. do next in Venezuela? President Trump’s former Venezuela envoy Elliott Abrams wants the Trump administration to push harder for full regime change. But, he and Ross debate if a democratic transition is even possible based on the administration’s interests and past American efforts in the region.
Sec. of State Rubio takes aim at UN. US president says a military operation in Colombia ‘sounds good’ to him and warns Mexico ‘to get their act together’. The United States President Donald Trump has threatened military action against his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro, following Washington’s abduction of Venezuela’s leader, and said he believed the government… Read More Trump threatens Colombia’s Petro, says Cuba looks ‘ready to fall’
Jan 5, 2026 2:43 PM EST WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. took the unprecedented step Monday of dropping the number of vaccines it recommends for every child — leaving other immunizations, such as flu shots, open to families to choose but without clear guidance. Officials said the overhaul to the federal vaccine schedule won’t result… Read More Trump administration cuts number of vaccines it recommends for every child
Anett Fodor tells the story ofBeethoven, Liszt and the Little Broadwood. | The London piano manufacturer, Thomas Broadwood, visited Ludwig van Beethoven when he was staying in Vienna. He realised immediately that the Master was suffering from impaired hearing. Broadwood was a great admirer of Beethoven and a few months later, he gave him a… Read More Exceptional Provenance
By Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. | ” … dictators are not the creators of the world’s evil; they are its creatures; they are only boils on the surface of the world’s skin; they come to the surface because there is bad blood beneath. It will do no good to puncture the boils, if we leave… Read More The Wars and the Revolution
Updated. The U.S. struck Venezuela primarily to capture President Nicolás Maduro, who has been accused of drug trafficking and leading a corrupt regime. This military action was part of a broader strategy to address the perceived threat posed by Maduro’s government and to support opposition efforts in Venezuela. More via CNA / NCRegister / C-Span.… Read More U.S. Strikes Venezuela. Updated.
Note: the objective in presenting this data is not to discourage but so that a good part of the clergy will finally get real and begin helping their people to address these matters from the pulpits and in homes regularly, because adults and children are hurting out here. Otherwise we must all, from Popes to… Read More Chat GPT: Heterosexual Marriages Continue General Decline. The Warning of the Prophets.
“Was Jesus really born in Bethlehem, or did the gospel writers “invent” the story to fit prophecy? Did a Roman census ever force people to travel back to their ancestral towns? And what about Herod’s massacre of the innocents – pure theology, or plausible history? Tom Wright and Mike Bird respond here to challenges raised… Read More N.T. Wright Replies to Historian Tom Holland Regarding N.T. Nativity Accounts
“Ah, she looks like snow – I want to put her in a broadway show–Ah she’ll dance and dine–Like a lucifer she’ll always shine… I feel like letting go….” —Letting Go, Venus and Mars album. Paul McCartney SH: Were some of The individual Beatles into astrology? If so, which ones and why? Tin Man Grok A.I.… Read More A.I. Hedges on The Beatles and Astrology. A “Conversation” With Tin Man.
Anne Bancroft was a convert to Judaism in 1964. She played an unforgettable central role as Mary Magdalen. Rod Steiger, Jewish, the American actor had Jewish ancestry on his father’s side and was connected to Jewish cultural roots. He likewise played an unforgettable central role as Pontius Pilate in the series starring Robert Powell (who… Read More Three Jewish Actors Who Played Prominent Roles in the 1977 Series Jesus of Nazareth
By Father Gabriel of St Mary Magalene, 1953. O Lord, increase my confidence in Your help and grant that in this confidence, I may always find courage to begin again. What most distresses souls of good will who are seriously trying to live a spiritual life, is to find themselves falling so many times, despite… Read More The Courage To Begin Yet Again
“…the most unsettling question raised by [the Incarnation] is not “What if Christ had not come?” but “What if He has come, and we live as though He has not?” Christmas exposes this paradox with uncomfortable precision. We sing the hymns, quote the promises, and decorate our sanctuaries, yet it is possible to live functionally as if Emmanuel were… Read More A Most Unsettling Question
Bishop Robert Barron at Westminster Cathedral, London. 2023. Bishop Robert Barron’s whirlwind missionary journey to London. He spoke to members of Parliament; gave a homily in Westminster Cathedral; spoke with award-winning historian, author, and broadcaster Tom Holland; and more. On February 6, 2023, Bishop Robert Barron gave an address at the Houses of Parliament for… Read More Jesus, the Torah, And Freedom
by Ron Paul | Dec 22, 2025 Late last week, Congress passed and President Trump signed the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The bill marks the first time the US military budget officially passed the one trillion dollar mark. Of course, when you add in other military-related spending such as interest on the debt, veterans’ affairs, and… Read More Opinion. A Christmas Gift to the War Machine. Ron Paul.
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