My first order of business is to explain the meaning of “the Doctrine of Creation” in the title of this Ad Rem. For my purposes here, I will define the term thus: the literal, historical truth of the first chapters … Continue reading
Category: «Ad Rem» A Fortnightly Email Message from the Prior
«Ad Rem» is our Prior’s fortnightly email message offering news and commentary regarding the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the Crusade of St. Benedict Center, and issues affecting the universal Church. Each number offers brief, ad rem (“to the point”) commentary on timely or otherwise important matters. Click here to subscribe to our email list and receive the «Ad Rem» each time it’s published.
What Is a Catholic Worldview?
This fall, Saint Benedict Center’s annual Conference will have as its theme, “Cultivating and Passing on a Catholic Worldview.” It is my purpose in this Ad Rem to outline some key elements of a Catholic worldview, without trying to be … Continue reading
Aristotle and Saint Thomas on Happiness
“The pursuit of happiness” — along with life and liberty — is one of the unalienable rights that we were endowed with by our Creator according to the Declaration of Independence. But in spite of the word being so deeply … Continue reading
A ‘Lex Orandi’ Appetizer
This Ad Rem is an ‘appetizer’ for a longer piece on our site. This past weekend, I was a presenter at the third annual “Crusader Knights Congress” put on by Mike Church and sponsored by the Crusade Channel and LifeSite. … Continue reading
The Virginal Espousals of Saint Joseph and Our Lady, Part II
This is a continuation of an earlier Ad Rem on this same subject. I would like to begin by acknowledging the overwhelming patristic evidence for belief in Our Lady’s perpetual virginity. Here is a partial list of Fathers. From the … Continue reading
Anatomy of an Ecclesiastical Smear Campaign
In this space last week was Part I of a promised two-part Ad Rem. Because of the matter treated below, I have lacked sufficient time to write the second part. It will come, Deo Volente, soon. Meanwhile, what appears below … Continue reading
The Virginal Espousals of Saint Joseph and Our Lady, Part I
Some weeks ago, a group of Protestant apologists landed on this site — and other Catholic sites, from what I gather — to attack the doctrine of Our Lady’s perpetual virginity. They did this in the comment sections of various … Continue reading
The Tropology and Anagogy of Our Social Life
Continuing as promised where I left off last Ad Rem, I pick up here on the second half of the four senses of Scripture as they apply to our religious life together, and as they may be applied, mutatis mutandis, … Continue reading
Supernaturalizing Our Social Interactions
What follows is a series of meditations that represent a concrete application of some wisdom I gratefully learned to a topic of both practical and theoretical importance for me and my fellow Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, namely, … Continue reading
Anecdotes of Two Recently-Deceased Pontiffs
The still-recent deaths of Pope Benedict XVI and Cardinal Pell brought to mind an anecdote of each that I think worth sharing with readers. The first concerns Pope Benedict, when he was still Cardinal Ratzinger. I briefly referenced it in … Continue reading
True Devotion to Mary and Trinitarian Prayer
One fortnight ago in this space, I took up the question, “Must I Pray Only to Mary?” I promised then that I would return to develop further “the idea that, because Marian Consecration is fundamentally Christological and Trinitarian in nature, … Continue reading
Must I Pray Only to Mary?
A woman once came to speak to me about some difficulties she was having. At some point in the conversation, it came out that she could not pray to God the Father, but insisted on addressing all her prayers only … Continue reading
Interjecting Advent Authenticity into the Secular ‘Holiday’ Season
Aside from being authentic expressions of the worship of Christ’s Mystical Body, ancient liturgical traditions are also wonderful correctives to the spirit of the age. Vis-à-vis Christmas, those who celebrate it still are often confused by merchants and entertainers into … Continue reading
Concerning Strength and Weakness
At first blush, it may appear vain or proud for a Catholic to desire “strength.” After all, the Apostle tells us that, “the weak things of the world hath God chosen, that he may confound the strong” (I Cor. 1:27b). … Continue reading
But the Church Really Is ‘Just a Building’
For some strange reason, in numerous conversations I have had with Protestants, the same statement has been made over and over by the other party while discussing the nature of the Church: “The Church is not a building!” The observation … Continue reading
