Born out of dust, of dust’s consistency, You start, from the immensity of night, A wisp of fluttering transparency, Glorious with willingness, this final flight.
Category: Articles
On Christian Wisdom
Wisdom does not consist in the possession of a great store of knowledge, but rather in the reduction of one’s knowledge to a few underlying principles. Growth in knowledge, through the accumulation of facts, is not necessarily growth in wisdom, … Continue reading
From the Secret of the Rosary
Never will anyone really be able to understand the marvelous riches of sanctification that are contained in the prayers and mysteries of the Holy Rosary. This meditation on the mysteries of the life and death of Our Lord and Savior … Continue reading
My Letter to a Protestant Objector
(Edited from an actual reply recently sent from Saint Benedict Center.) To our online readers: I am sharing this “for what it’s worth” to you. I never got a response from the lady to whom it was sent. Maybe you … Continue reading
Miracle on 115th Street
The Church in the United States has always been predominately Irish as an institution. Even today, with Hispanics obviously bound to become the Catholic majority in the near future, she remains essentially Irish-American in character and spirit.
A Feud with St. Joseph Cupertino
The feud between St. Joseph of Cupertino, patron Saint of the American Air Forces and me, is over at last. It was initiated, by me, several years ago; maintained, by me, in a state of smoldering animosity for several years, … Continue reading
Mar Matthew Gregory Nakkar, A Syrian Saul
(1795-1868) (Reprinted with Permission) Editor’s Introduction: In the Arab Catholic world there is a rich treasury of liturgical rites. The Ancient Syrian Rite — that of Antioch — is the “parent rite” of five “children”: The Maronite Rite, discussed at … Continue reading
Courtship: The Chaste Preparation for Holy Matrimony
(This was written in preparation for a series of conferences on vocations and states in life that I gave at Saint Benedict Center in the Spring of 2005. Please see the end of this piece for a small table of … Continue reading
Holy Matrimony: Choosing a Partner
(This was written in preparation for a series of conferences on vocations and states in life that I gave at Saint Benedict Center in the Spring of 2005. Please see the end of this piece for a small table of … Continue reading
The Great Sacrament: Holy Matrimony
(This was written in preparation for a series of conferences on vocations and states in life that I gave at Saint Benedict Center in the Spring of 2005. Please see the end of this piece for a small table of … Continue reading
God’s Own Mother
In 434 A.D., St. Vincent of Lerins, a priest of the monastery at Lerins, a pair of islands lying off the Bay of Cannes, wrote in defense of Mary’s title, “Mother of God,” which had been attacked through various Christological … Continue reading
Faith and Good Works
Whenever the differences between Catholicism and Protestantism are enumerated, one of the most common items on the list is “Faith and Good Works.” The role of good works in human salvation was one of the crucial issues of the Protestant … Continue reading
Crisis and Control (and a Remarkable Speech)
When Christendom existed the general object of the princes who ruled its lands, guided by the teachings of the Faith and what had worked for their predecessors, was to provide and maintain peace and prosperity for their peoples. The degree … Continue reading
Another Patron for Boy Scouts
One year ago, I posted a column on our website about Servant of God, Francis J. Parater, an Eagle Scout, who died in 1919 while studying in Rome for the priesthood. I proposed him as a worthy candidate to one … Continue reading
Crowns for Armenia
Armenia, a land of towering mountains, fertile valleys, shimmering lakes[1] , and shifting borders, is located on the continent of Asia, between the Black and the Caspian Seas, pressed between Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. In the past, Greater Armenia’s … Continue reading
