“You’re so ‘glass half-empty’!” Have you ever heard that one? It usually comes up in a conversation after one party has made a particularly “negative” comment. At times, the accusation precipitates an argument on the merits of optimism over pessimism … Continue reading
Here is the oration that the Church prays in the Mass and Office for the fourth Sunday after Pentecost: Da nobis, quǽsumus, Dómine: ut et mundi cursus pacífice nobis tuo órdine dirigátur; et Ecclésia tua tranquílla devotióne lætétur. Here is my … Continue reading
Here is the oration that the Church prays in the Mass and Office for the third Sunday after Pentecost: Protéctor in te sperántium, Deus, sine quo nihil est válidum, nihil sanctum: multíplica super nos misericórdiam tuam; ut, te rectóre, te … Continue reading
A Lutheran from New Jersey called me last week. His question for me, which is of no consequence to these lines, led us to a discussion of the problem of evil in the Church of Jesus Christ. You see, this … Continue reading
The following is the speech I gave at IHM School’s graduation yesterday. Readers should know that our school in rural southern New Hampshire is very small. We had three graduates this year. My effort was to be lighthearted as well as informative and … Continue reading
This essay by James Corbett may challenge some of your own presuppositions or biases, something that most of us do not enjoy. It is also very informative regarding the nature of statistics and the statistical manipulation of our would-be technocratic … Continue reading
Here is the oration that the Church prays in the Mass and Office for Trinity Sunday: Omnípotens sempitérne Deus, qui dedísti fámulis tuis in confessióne veræ fídei, ætérnæ Trinitátis glóriam agnóscere, et in poténtia majestátis adoráre Unitátem: quǽsumus; ut, ejúsdem … Continue reading
When I sent out my last Ad Rem via email, I received a response from a priest friend who notified me about the strange doings at a Jesuit parish in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. This is a parish of the Archdiocese … Continue reading
June is the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the last few years, a collective of public relations consultants and groomers have also named it “Pride Month.” If you have not heard — in which case you have … Continue reading
Here is the oration that the Church prays in the Mass and Office for Pentecost Sunday: Deus, qui hodiérna die corda fidélium Sancti Spíritus illustratióne docuísti: da nobis in eódem Spíritu recta sápere; et de ejus semper consolatióne gaudére. Here … Continue reading
It is an issue of perennial controversy between Catholics and Protestants: faith and good works (or “faith versus good works,” with its built-in prejudicial notion that the two are opposed). Saint Matthew’s melancholy account of the rich young man who … Continue reading
Here is the oration that the Church prays in the Mass and Office for Sunday after the Ascension: Omnípotens sempitérne Deus: fac nos tibi semper et devótam gérere voluntátem; et majestáti tuæ sincéro corde servíre. Here is my translation: O … Continue reading
Here is the oration that the Church prays in the Mass and Office for the Feast of the Ascension: Concéde, quǽsumus, omnípotens Deus: ut, qui hodiérna die Unigénitum tuum, Redemptórem nostrum, ad cœlos ascendísse crédimus; ipsi quoque mente in cœléstibus … Continue reading
Here is the oration that the Church prays in the Mass and Office for the Fifth Sunday after Easter: Deus, a quo bona cuncta procédunt, largíre supplícibus tuis: ut cogitémus, te inspiránte, quæ recta sunt; et, te gubernánte, éadem faciámus. … Continue reading
Someone recently told me: you’re right about no salvation outside the Church, but that’s not the most important thing. Love is. The novelty of the objection interested me because it was not a denial of extra ecclesiam nulla salus, nor … Continue reading
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