Category: Spiritual Life

Monsignor Karel Kasteel has worked in the Vatican for 70 years. Served 8 Popes.

He Talks About His Experience and thoughts throughout that long period. His reflections are his own. CNS: Now 92, Monsignor Kasteel has witnessed some of the most consequential moments in the modern history of the Catholic Church, including the Second Vatican Council, the 2005 conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI, and decades of change inside… Read More Monsignor Karel Kasteel has worked in the Vatican for 70 years. Served 8 Popes.

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Converts who take root learn fast that the Church and the Cross are one.

Conversion to Truth, while totally fulfilling, is never a light matter (Jn. 14:6; Mt. 11:28-39), because the Truth is the Cross, and the Cross is no picnic. “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” — Jn. 16:33 Jn. 15:20,21 “Remember the word that I said to you,… Read More Converts who take root learn fast that the Church and the Cross are one.

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Aldous Huxley on an Emerging ‘Scientific’ Dictatorship…

Aldous Huxley on the Technocratic  Dictatorship seeking to be born. “…democracies will change their nature; the quaint old forms—elections, parliaments, Supreme Courts and all the rest—will remain. The underlying substance will be a new kind of totalitarianism. All the traditional names, all the hallowed slogans will remain exactly what they were in the good old… Read More Aldous Huxley on an Emerging ‘Scientific’ Dictatorship…

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Pasteur showed that life only comes from life. The Law of biogenesis.

“As scientists study nature, they observe that certain things happen with astounding regularity. One of the things that happens regularly is that living things always come from other living things. Scientists have known this for many years. In 1858, a German scientist by the name of Rudolph Virchow stated it like this: “Every cell arises… Read More Pasteur showed that life only comes from life. The Law of biogenesis.

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Gossip, Whisperers & Detraction: “Triple Murder”

Saint Alphonsus Liguori on the “ordinary” and sometimes daily sins of people who consider themselves blameless, innocent. “The whispering tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.”—James 3:6… Read More Gossip, Whisperers & Detraction: “Triple Murder”

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Catholic Critique — Alphabetical & Topic Index

Site Summation – updated – Chat Gpt Catholic Critique presents itself as “Christian World View & Analysis,” edited by Stephen Hand. Its stated purpose is not formal teaching but the sharing of opinions, interpretive principles, excerpts, reflections, and outside resources judged helpful in spiritually challenging times. The site repeatedly frames itself as Catholic, Christ-centered, culturally… Read More Catholic Critique — Alphabetical & Topic Index

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Accelerationist Thinkers, Short-sighted Capitalists and Marx

Steven Shaviro in his interesting book No Speed Limit writes, “Science fiction takes up certain implicit conditions of our personal and social lives, and makes these conditions fully explicit in narrative. It picks out “futuristic” trends that are already embedded within our actual social and technological situation. These trends are not literal matters of fact,… Read More Accelerationist Thinkers, Short-sighted Capitalists and Marx

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Popes St. John Paul II and St. Pius X on the AntiWord

+ John Paul II on the most decisive confrontation and “history’s last lap.” Karol Wojtyla (St.JPII) wrote, “A non-Catholic philosopher once said to me: ‘You know, I just can’t stop myself reading and rereading  and thinking over the first  three chapters of Genesis.’ And indeed it seems to me that unless one does so reflect… Read More Popes St. John Paul II and St. Pius X on the AntiWord

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More Terrible Times to Come for Many Christian Families.

Hard Sayings. “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience [in suffering in Him] and comfort of the scriptures might have hope” of redemption. — Romans 15:4 John 15 18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the… Read More More Terrible Times to Come for Many Christian Families.

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Simple Acts of Charity

Simple acts of charity can leave a lasting impact on both the giver and the recipient. Furthermore, they highlight the human connections that charity fosters, strengthening relationships within communities. By understanding personal accounts of charity, readers can develop a deeper appreciation for altruism and its role in enhancing personal and collective well-being. —Blissful balance Generosity… Read More Simple Acts of Charity

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The Sacred Deposit of the Faith. No Substantial Evolution of Meaning.

“What earlier generations held as sacred remains sacred and great for us too, and it cannot be all of a sudden entirely forbidden and even considered harmful.”  —Pope Benedict XVI, Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the occasion of the publication of the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum, July 7, 2007. “The Holy… Read More The Sacred Deposit of the Faith. No Substantial Evolution of Meaning.

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From Lourdes, Pope Leo issues stark rejection of France’s assisted dying law

Preaching to the infirmed, disabled and those who care for them at one of Catholicism’s most iconic shrines, Pope Leo XIV said that “no human law should ever make you lose the certainty of your dignity.” National Catholic Reporter Pope Leo XIV celebrates Sunday Mass at the field alongside the Sanctuary of Our Lady of… Read More From Lourdes, Pope Leo issues stark rejection of France’s assisted dying law

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The Faustian Face of Modern Science

Understanding the Epistemological Foundations of Scientific Totalitarianism. by Phillip D. Collins. Scientific totalitarianism is certainly not a new topic in the halls of political science and history. Given its bloody legacy of democide (i.e., state-sanctioned genocide, mass murder, and politicide) and its prolific spread throughout the world, scientific totalitarianism remains a preoccupying sociopolitical phenomenon of… Read More The Faustian Face of Modern Science

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Sex Kills. Joni Mitchell pulls up the cultural shades. 2004.

“And lawyers haven’t been this popular /Since Robespierre slaughtered half of France“. Lyrics Sex Kills Joni Mitchell “I pulled up behind a CadillacWe were waiting for the lightAnd I took a look at his license plateAnd it said “Just Ice”. Is justice just ice?Governed by greed and lust.Just the strong doing what they can.And the… Read More Sex Kills. Joni Mitchell pulls up the cultural shades. 2004.

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Heaven Must Love Stringed Instruments

“Angels are often depicted in art playing stringed instruments like lutes, which are part of a larger family of musical instruments known as chordophones. These instruments produce sound through the vibration of strings, and lutes specifically have a body and a neck that stretches the strings, allowing for a variety of musical expressions.  instrushare.com.au / Encyclopedia… Read More Heaven Must Love Stringed Instruments

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