In my high school religion class, we have recently been covering the Sermon on the Mount. To prepare myself for the classes I was going to give, I reread the Sermon and reviewed some notes on it from years ago. … Continue reading
Category: Spiritual Life
More on How to Fight
[Part I] The arts and sciences that lie behind all combat — be it Asian martial arts, boxing, team sports, or the life-and-death combat of warcraft — are habits. These are things acquired by study and/or repetition. Now, science requires … Continue reading
How to Fight
Some Catholics are of the erroneous opinion that the Christian life does not entail fighting (even spiritually), and that all fighting of whatever sort is harmful. Others become consumed by the idea of combat and make it the whole, or … Continue reading
Avowed Atheist Converts While Reading Litany of the Sacred Heart
SMPMagazine: Imagine society’s collective shock if Hillary Clinton were to join the National Rifle Association, if members of the Westboro Baptist Church were discovered frolicking at a gay bar or if Quentin Tarantino were to announce plans to make a … Continue reading
The Isolation of the Soul
Examining the theme of loss and the isolation of the human soul through the thinking of Chesterton, Belloc, and Baring, this paper considers some of the theological, moral, and psychological matters — both the causes and the effects — while … Continue reading
Homages to a Heroine (On Saint Cecilia)
Since times of old, heroes have been praised in song, verse, and the plastic arts. Monuments in stone, paint, and word praise the deeds of such men as Odysseus, Achilles, and Aeneas. Holy Writ narrates the valor of the Judges, … Continue reading
500 Mostly Young Nuns Are Sacred Heart Franciscans in China
The Fides news agency is reporting that 500 women religious, 80% of whom are “very young,” now belong to the Franciscan Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a community devoted to education and the corporal works of mercy. More … Continue reading
The Demonic
Brian Kelly is writing an article on the guardian angels for the next Mancipia. I shall here take up the subject of the fallen angels so that readers might eagerly await what Brian has to say about those blessed spirits … Continue reading
Meekness is Strength
A good friend of mine of many years enjoys relating the story of his confessor’s admonition: “meekness is not weakness.” The priest — a famous Jesuit who has gone to his reward — was on to something. Reflecting on his … Continue reading
Scriptural Admonitions to Meekness
“Moses was a man exceeding meek above all men that dwelt upon earth” (Numbers 12:3). “For thy power, O Lord, is not in a multitude, nor is thy pleasure in the strength of horses, nor from the beginning have the … Continue reading
In Praise of Holy Desires
It is not true to say that the disciples of Father Feeney are against desire.1 Our public witness is directed toward bringing people to believe the true Faith, and to desire to enter Christ’s Body, the Catholic Church. God Himself, … Continue reading
Saint Augustine on Friendship
This paper was written in preparation for a talk at the 2006 Saint Benedict Center Conference. My talk — which was not a mere reading of the paper — is available on CD and MP3. The conference’s theme was “Catholic … Continue reading
Honoring the First Amerindian Saint
Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha is scheduled to be canonized on October 21, 2012. Less than a month before that, she will be honored by the pilgrims walking the annual “Pilgrimage for Restoration” to Auriesville, New York. Below, I reproduce a press … Continue reading
Auriesville Pilgrimage for Restoration Mixes Tradition, Vitality
The 2012 annual Pilgrimage for Restoration is scheduled for Friday-Sunday, September 28-30. This will mark the seventeenth time that a merry band of Catholic pilgrims cuts a path from Lake George to Auriesville, New York, doing penance all the way. This … Continue reading
Saint Augustine on Prayer
By the grace of God, your humble servant has recently completed his week-long Lenten retreat, which was followed immediately by the perpetual profession of two of our sisters on Passion Sunday, and today’s joyful Feast of the Annunciation. During my … Continue reading
