During the last fortnight, when I should have been thinking about what to put in this Ad Rem, I became bogged down in some academic and administrative matters that zapped my writing time. (Exam week and grading papers among these! … Continue reading
Category: Spiritual Life
You Cannot Rightly Love without Logos
We were made for love, and made by Love, for “God is charity” (1 Jn. 4:8), and “he made us, and not we ourselves” (Ps. 99:3). To love is in our nature as beings possessed of bodies with their passions … Continue reading
Is Jesus our ‘Friend’?
One of the more rewarding aspects of being a high-school religion teacher is to be the recipient of good questions, questions that show that the student thinks and cares about the important subject matter he is studying. Some months back, … Continue reading
The Primacy of the Intellect and the Curse of Religious Sentimentalism
For decades, there has been an invasion of anti-Logos irrationalism into the Church. Sometimes this irrationalism takes the form of sentimentalism (see Brother Francis’ article, Sentimental Theology), at other times it is existentialism (“existence precedes essence”), or a host of … Continue reading
Fighting Rage
A few months ago, in response to an article of mine on the Habsburgs, I faced what German-speakers have dubbed an “Online-Lynchmobb,” courtesy of Twitter. The puerile nature of the attacks drove me through the roof! Difference of opinion is … Continue reading
Challenging and Inspiring Parables of Our Lord
Holy Scripture abounds in analogy. There are similes and metaphors and that particular form of Hebrew poetry called parallelism. The Hebrews didn’t rhyme words in their poems, but they coupled ideas. An analogy is a comparison of two or more … Continue reading
Thank You! And Let us Adore the Sacred Heart
Last week in this space I wrote a very urgent cri de coeur to my readers. The response was tremendous. We received an outpouring of prayers and financial contributions, as well as written expressions of concern and gratitude for our … Continue reading
An Ascension Quartet
It would be a terrible shame if we failed to honor the grand mystery of Our Lord’s Ascension on this Thursday and the remaining days of Paschaltide that follow it, which are, in fact, called Ascensiontide. We may rightly (and … Continue reading
Ascension Thursday
Ascension Thursday is one of six holy days of obligation (not counting all Sundays) in the United States, although most dioceses have now transferred it to the following Sunday. Canon Law has relegated the holy days to local bishops or … Continue reading
Recovering a Bright Medieval Vision for the Future
“I try to be unoriginal.” That quote was attributed to Brother Francis in a recent conversation I had with a friend, who, like me, regards Brother as a beloved mentor. Our teacher’s point, which he made in various ways over … Continue reading
Saint Augustine: A Letter to a Widow on How to Pray
National Catholic Register, Matt D’Antuono: St. Augustine explains that the word prayer does not simply mean speaking to God, though that is certainly one way to pray. Prayer, in its broadest sense, means desire: What else is intended by the words … Continue reading
The Holy Week Challenge!
It is Holy Week. If the Catholic liturgical year can be compared to a church building, then what we are approaching is the very sanctuary itself, where the terrible Sacrifice of Christ is offered on the altar, and where the … Continue reading
Have You Heard the Latest?
Brother Francis used to criticize a certain genre of Catholic journalism which majored in the scandalous goings-on in the Church. He used to compare such publications to the gossip who greets his neighbor at the fence with the words, “Have … Continue reading
Why Have You Done This To Us?
It was an innocent question. It was, in fact, one of the most innocent questions ever asked in the entire history of the world. This astonishing claim I urge with great confidence because the question under consideration was asked by … Continue reading
Suggestions for a Good Lent
Seven years ago, I published some “Suggested Lenten Penances” on Catholicism.org. Our website statistics tell me that they get looked at every year, right around the beginning of Lent. By the time readers receive this Ad Rem in their email … Continue reading
