“Binyamin Appelbaum In a speech with multiple fire-breathing moments, I was struck by Biden’s level tone as he declared that those who fought to overturn Roe v. Wade were going to learn about “the power of women.”—NYT. “Women?” + Donald Trump on real persons abortion + America is racing toward Canada’s euthanasia free-for-all – as seven… Read More What it boils down to
Aquinas by Edward Feser. Exquisitely written and narrated. St. Thomas died on March 7. One of the most influential philosophers and theologians in the history of Western thought, St. Thomas Aquinas established the foundations for much of modern philosophy of religion, and is famous for his arguments for the existence of God. In this cogent… Read More Aquinas by Edward Feser
For some reason I thought it was another book about our frivolous TV shows and general culture (Seinfeld, Larry David’s vicious Curb Your Enthusiasm —pick your nonsense— and I already knew this about the culture. But then things got darker. Very recently I somehow bumped into this reading. I listened. I couldn’t have been more… Read More I’ve had the book for decades. But I never read it. “Shows About Nothing.”
Perhaps most Catholics know her story. Saint Margaret of Castello was born into a well-to-do family near Florence, Italy in 1287. To the great distress of her parents, upon her birth they discovered that she suffered from a variety of severe physical ailments. She was a dwarf, had a curved spine that left her hunched… Read More Patron St. Margaret of Castello
I could never have expected his dying like that.I thought there were things he was still looking forward to. Despite it all… He had quit smoking.Do men contemplating suicide quit smoking? He seemed to have gottenover his divorce. I guess people do. He was in his late 40s. A gifted carpenter.The business and crews which… Read More Suicide.
Commentary: ‘People of God’ was seen as the way by which the Church could express herself as an institution rooted in the mystery of the Trinity, yet present and active in the world. National Catholic RegisterFather Joseph Thomas February 26, 2024 How can we explain that the Church is an ineffable mystery, yet also a visible… Read More What Were They Thinking? Vatican II and the ‘People of God’
Edward FeserFebruary 25, 2024 Popes speak infallibly when they either proclaim some doctrine ex cathedra, or reiterate some doctrine that has already been taught infallibly by virtue of being a consistent teaching of the ordinary magisterium of the Church for millennia. Even when papal teaching is not infallible, it is normally owed “religious assent.” However,… Read More What Counts as Magisterial Teaching?
2/24/24. “For years the annual Religious Education Congress in Los Angeles has been a regular source of liturgical distress as various innovations test the bounds of reverence, not to say sacrilege. This year as the congress unfolded on the West Coast, the genuine sacrilege took place on the East Coast, at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in… Read More Dead Synodality. Fr. Raymond J. de Souza.
Modern de facto Paganism often caves to the passions, but in ancient times it was not always so. Stoic wisdom is not theology, but is often good psychology in harmony with Christian ideals. The Magi also brought their gifts. “Finally, brethren, whatsoever is true, whatsoever is honorable, whatsoever is just, whatsoever is pure, whatsoever is… Read More Stoic Gems: The Porch and the Cross
Tucker Carlson speaks to the World Government Summit on US-Russia After Putin Interview | Ukraine War “The World Governments (plural) Summit is an annual event held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It brings together leaders in government for a global dialogue about governmental process and policies with a focus on the issues of futurism, technology… Read More The Mind of Carlson
For years now very many “influencers” (Catholics very much included of course) spend much of their time making and promoting videos to share their points of view, or those of others. The camera is alluring. Many dream of becoming popular, the next Joe Rogan or Tucker Carlson. But very few videos are all that memorable;… Read More How to Mark (Read) a Book By Mortimer J. Adler, Ph.D.
The stoics were important pre-modern psychologists. “It was in Greece that the most sublime wisdom flourished, as it is said in the Epistle to the Corinthians: “The Jews require signs, and the Greeks seek after wisdom.” — St. Albert the Great “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever… Read More Gleaning The Wisdom of the Ancients. On Depression.
“Canterbury Cathedral, where St Thomas Becket was martyred just next to the nave, is hosting a “90s Silent Disco” over two nights Feb. 8-9. 3,000 people expected to take part. Faithful are protesting against the event with prayer vigils outside @CburyCathedral”. Faithful Catholics are being taunted all over Europe, the United States and beyond by… Read More Canterbury Cathedral
“… the political fantasies of Jean-Jacques Rousseau have a great deal to answer for. For two centuries, his sentimentalizing utopian rhetoric has provided despots of all description with a means of pursuing conformity while praising freedom. It is a neat trick. Words like “freedom” and “virtue” were ever on Rousseau’s lips. But freedom for him… Read More Jean-Jacques Rosseau and the Antinomian Principle
National Catholic Register. COMMENTARY: Cardinal Fernández’s clarification of ‘Fiducia Supplicans,’ the Pope’s solidarity with the Jewish people, and the lack of priests at the Synod on Synodality were addressed by the Holy See last week. Father Raymond J. de Souza Vatican February 7, 2024 On the feast of St. Blaise, the Vatican cleared its collective throat… Read More Reset Saturday At the Vatican
By Dietrich von Hildebrand. “Enamored of our present epoch, blind to all its characteristic dangers, intoxicated with everything modern, there are many Catholics who no longer ask whether something is true, or whether it is good and beautiful, or whether it has an intrinsic value: they ask only whether it is up-to-date, suitable to “modern… Read More Truth: conformity of an idea or proposition to reality.
MIC Fleecing of American taxpayers Matthew Hoh Two press reports stood out to me this morning: the release of the names of two US Navy SEALs who drowned two weeks ago in the Arabian Sea and the Air Force’s production authorization for the B21 Raider bomber. Both stories symbolize an imperial inertia that defines American… Read More Americans Are Paying A Massive Price To Maintain Empire
Updated. Is the local government and local church involved in seeking to help? Why do some US cities struggle more with homelessness? A new book explores a key component of the issue: housing supply. [ Note / SH]: Illegal Substance Use Data also “show high rates of comorbid disorders such as anxiety disorders—which include generalized… Read More Homelessness, Housing Supply — and Co-morbid Disorders.
“Political analysts used to say that the Democratic Party was riding a demographic wave that would lead to an era of dominance. But that “coalition of the ascendant” never quite jelled. The party did benefit from a rise in nonwhite voters and college-educated professionals, but it has also shed voters without a college degree. All… Read More Happy Faces. Joe, Mika and Rachel Won’t Admit it Publicly, But Democrats Are Seriously Infighting
Cardinal Gerhard Mueller wrote in 2023, “Throughout the history of the Church, whenever Popes have felt or behaved like politicians, things have gone wrong. In politics it is about the power of the people over the people, in the Church of Christ it is about the service of the eternal salvation of men, to which… Read More Peter, When you are converted…
1033 We cannot be united with God unless we freely choose to love him. But we cannot love God if we sin gravely against him, against our neighbor or against ourselves: “He who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life… Read More CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, 2nd. Ed. On Perdition
… in your pocket. I don’t want money or offerings. Keep it for your family, your neighbors, and Christ’s poor. I only want to share content that will possibly edify, inform, and console in this time of global and ecclesial destabilization. Here at this website I mostly share the invaluable work of others, past and… Read More Catholic Critique. If there is any value in this website, please keep your money…
Over a thousand psychiatrists in 1964 said Barry Goldwater was unfit to be Presiden of the United States. “The Goldwater rule is Section 7 in the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) Principles of Medical Ethics, which states that psychiatrists have a responsibility to participate in activities contributing to the improvement of the community and the betterment of… Read More Goldwater, Trump, and The Duty to Warn
With, what else? Soup. “Environmental protesters” have thrown soup at the glass-protected Mona Lisa in France, calling for the right to “healthy and sustainable food”. The 16th Century painting by Leonardo da Vinci is one of the world’s most famous artworks, and is held at the Louvre in central Paris. The Louvre said the work… Read More Self-Styled “Environmental protesters” Attack Mona Lisa
Vice President Harris Stumps for Planned Parenthood. Tyler Arnold CNA: “During a speech to kick off her “Fight for Reproductive Freedoms” tour, Vice President Kamala Harris called on Congress to expand and legalize abortion nationwide by codifying the rules that existed in the Roe v. Wade era. Under the now-defunct Roe v. Wade decision, most state restrictions on abortion… Read More It’s All They Have. A Culture of Death.
BNN: “The 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) is set to commence on January 15, 2024, in Davos, Switzerland, under the banner of ‘Rebuilding Trust’. This pivotal event aims to delve deep into the potential of burgeoning technologies, their influence on global decision-making, and the forging of worldwide partnerships. The Forum’s Participants and Agenda… Read More Rising: “WEF Promises ‘New Order,'” Restricting Speech.
“Intersectionality is a Woke standard, but what is it? Where does it come from? The history of the concept isn’t that hard to trace, and where it leads us is back to some of the worst regimes in history. Kim Crenshaw tends to be credited with Intersectionality, but she got it from the radicals in… Read More Maoism With American Characteristics
Note: To tell you the truth I don’t think much of the “Catholic Worker Movement” these days. Even Dorothy Day herself was becoming somewhat discouraged by the naivete and moral incoherence of not a few of her admirers near the end of her life. Her own pain and understanding of the Gospel had made her… Read More Dorothy Day and Taxes in a Nuclear Age
The Divine Primacy of the Bishop of Rome and Modern Eastern Orthodoxy: Letters to a Greek Orthodox on the Unity of the Church. A Book by Dr. James Likoudis. Despite real progress made in ecumenical relations between Catholics and Eastern Orthodox, the last several years have seen an increase in bitter attacks on Papal Supremacy… Read More The Divine Primacy. James Likoudis.
Research associate at The Heritage Foundation Emma Waters weighs in on the ‘girl boss’ vs. ‘trad wife’ on social media. CC Note regarding radical feminism: “The corporate strategy has largely been: make children and families appear to be ‘oppression’ (the home a jail instead of a nest) and keep everyone f–king every which way (even… Read More Rise of the Tradwife: Gen Z Bringing Back Gender Roles
Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come,the glory of the Lord shines upon you.See, darkness covers the earth,and thick clouds cover the peoples;but upon you the LORD shines,and over you appears his glory.Nations shall walk by your light,and kings by your shining radiance.Raise your eyes and look about;they all gather and come to you:your… Read More Epiphany
… in the face of Tribulations. The great modern Thomist, Josef Pieper, writes, “Fortitude … does not mean mere fearlessness. That man alone is brave who cannot be forced, through fear of transitory and lesser evils, to give up the greater and actual good, and thereby bring upon himself that which is ultimately and absolutely… Read More Christians, Called to Endure
Getting older without children? A hard and fearful awakening is coming for you. Birth, death, immigration. Connor interviews Philip Pilkington & Dr Paul Morland, authors of ARC’s report, ‘Migration, Stagnation, or Procreation: Quantifying the Demographic Trilemma’, about dire destiny unless there is radical change now. What low birth rates portend. Dr. Ralph Martin on the… Read More The Consequences of Not Having Children
“The order marked for destruction can be summed up in one word: Europe—the intellectual and spiritual synthesis of Rome, Athens, and Jerusalem. The new totalitarianism proceeds by negating every form of transcendence, especially the religious truth and universal reason which Del Noce calls “Platonism.” It reconceives reality as “a system of forces, not of values.” Being… Read More Del Noce on Liberalism & the Scientism of Marx
The Rosary of the Sick, linked here, was recorded at this Shrine. My wife, Diane, and I made a short pilgrimage to the Shrine for Christmas Mass, staying over nearby in Harvard Square. Mary the Finder of Grace. “The Basilica and Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help informally known as The Mission Church is a Roman Catholic basilica in the Mission Hill neighborhood… Read More Christmas in Harvard Square and Roxbury
“Know this, that in the last days shall come perilous times.” — 2 Tim. 3:1 Excerpts from Pope St. Pius X, Pascendi Dominici Gregis: “First of all they lay down the general principle that in a living religion everything is subject to change, and must in fact be changed. In this way they pass to… Read More Pope St. Pius X on Progressivist “Evolution”. From “Page to Page.”
“This in-depth study of the Catholic–Orthodox reunion efforts during the tumultuous 11th–15th centuries reveals the vital role played by the Dominican Order in shaping the theological and political discourse of that era, with a focus on the contributions of prominent Dominican figures such as John Stojkovich of Ragusa, Andrew Chrysoberges, Manuel Calecas, Demetrios Kydones, Thomas… Read More Scholars of the Sacred by James Likoudis.
“Our whole life ought to be one continued penance“. Joel 2:12: “Yet even now,” says the Lord, “return to me with all of your heart,with fasting, weeping, and with mourning“ “if the wicked do penance. . . . .I will not remember all his iniquities.”—Ezek.xviii.21 The Nature and the Necessity of Penance — > “As soon as… Read More Frs. Francis Spirago, Richard F. Clarke On Penance
Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen writes, “If we save our life in this world, we lose it in the next; if we lose our life in this world, we save it in the next. If we sow in sin, we reap corruption; if we sow in truth, we reap life everlasting. But we cannot do both.… Read More The fast or the feast?
The American Solidarity Party is based in the tradition of Christian democracy. We acknowledge the state should be pluralistic while upholding a vision of the common good of all and of each individual conscience informed by Christian tradition and acknowledging the primacy of religion in each person’s life. Our Principles 1. Sanctity of LifeHuman life… Read More An Alternative to Trump-Biden-Harris. The American Solidarity Party.
