Category: Politics and Society

Christendom no longer exists, but, nevertheless, Catholics must be active members of their respective societies and agents of justice in a world bereft of moral values. We must know history, not merely current events. European history, after the conversion of the nations, was the history of the Church. This history is certainly important to know. But, as Americans, we cannot afford to be ignorant of our own history. The virtue of patriotism, which is actually a natural manifestation of the supernatural gift of piety, demands that we have an appreciation for whatever is good in the history of this land of ours, not just after 1776, but since events were recorded here. The virtue of patriotism also obligates us to recognize the sins of our nation. “My country right or wrong,” is an evil axiom that changes patriotism into self-adulating nationalism.

As Catholics, we ought to be justly concerned about world events, especially about the persecution of the Church that is going on in other countries. Advantage ought to be taken of the many good Catholic outlets of information that are available today. Our website is a good source of the news that counts. From our religious perspective, we are able to bypass the useless information and disinformation that fills the major media, and provide the news that affects our lives as members of the Church militant. If it doesn’t help anyone sub specie aeternitatis (under the aspect of eternity) we don’t post it.

The ‘Splendid Little War’

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Exactly 120 years ago this month, the United States was gearing up to go to war. In April Congress would declare it, government in those days still adhering to the constitutional requirement that Congress declare the nation’s wars instead of … Continue reading →

A.E.I.O.U.

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History-minded readers will recognize the letters A.E.I.O.U. as the logo of the Habsburg dynasty and therefore Austria when it was the center of the Holy Roman Empire that they ruled for centuries, an empire which became the Austro-Hungarian one, the … Continue reading →

Beware of Ravenous Wolves

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Preface The Election of Donald Trump: Could This Be Our Last Chance? This article was published on December 23, 2016 (Saint Benedict Center; On-line Journal; Richmond, N.H.), shortly after Donald Trump was elected President of the United States. Beware of … Continue reading →

The Childslayers

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When Brother Francis was teaching me Christology, he would constantly repeat something that Father Leonard Feeney often said to him. Holding an icon of the Mother and Child at the beginning of each class, he would say, “Here is the … Continue reading →

Against the New Racism

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Recent postings on social media have made me ponder the subject of hateful overreaction. I speak specifically about the racism that exists in certain narrow “conservative” circles. (I put the word in quotes because I find that many who call … Continue reading →

A Tale of Three Revolutions

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Last night I attended a meeting of the Alhambra Historical Society, at which Joyce Amaro, president of the Alhambra Preservation Group, gave a presentation on the formerly Episcopalian chapel of Ss. Simon and Jude and her organisation’s thus far successful … Continue reading →