As a neophyte to Catholic tradition in the early 1990’s, I was struck by the beauty of that part of the Traditional Latin Mass called the “Preface.” The chant that accompanies it, sung by the celebrant alone, is not only … Continue reading
Category: Spiritual Life
Having the Holy Ghost as Our Teacher and Guide
The extraordinary spiritual writer, Father Jacques Philippe, provides insights and advice for the spiritual life that are both beautiful and practical. His writings have inspired me and changed my perspective on what a flourishing interior life looks like. While Interior … Continue reading
When Fall the Valiant
And David made this kind of lamentation over Saul, and over Jonathan his son. … And he said: Consider, O Israel, for them that are dead, wounded on thy high places. The illustrious of Israel are slain upon thy mountains: … Continue reading
The Gates of Hell Shall Not Prevail, Part II
We know with certitude that the gates of hell will not prevail against the Church. We know that Our Lord Jesus Christ always has and always will defeat evil. What we do not know with such assurance is whether or … Continue reading
The Gates of Hell Shall Not Prevail, Part I
“I say unto to thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” I used to think that Our Blessed Lord was encouraging us in … Continue reading
Theme for 2024: ‘The Charity of Christ Presseth Us’
Until the beautiful feast of February 2, the Purification, we remain in Christmastide. The stunning good news the angels announced to the shepherds should be still ringing in our ears all this time: “Glory to God in the highest; and … Continue reading
Considerations on Rocky Road and Purity
To the best of my knowledge rocky road is chocolate ice cream with some toppings mixed into it. The reason I am unsure is because I haven’t eaten it too many times in my life. I was one of those … Continue reading
The Most Pure Heart of Saint Joseph
A chaste heart recognizes a chaste heart. An unclean heart finds itself drawn to those who are unclean. Persons of either category take comfort in keeping like company. Because St. Joseph’s purity of body, mind, heart, and soul was surpassed … Continue reading
Order, Disorder, and the Wisdom of God
Ordo ab chao — “order out of chaos” — is a motto used in various permutations of Freemasonry. It refers to the “new world order” that the revolutionary Masons will bring out of the chaos they create in their revolutions … Continue reading
The Immaculate One Meets the Man of Sorrows
Today is the glorious Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God. It is also a Friday. What thoughts might come to mind while praying the Sorrowful Mysteries of Our Lady’s Rosary, customary on Fridays, against the large … Continue reading
Sanctifying Time as the World Ends
The Church’s traditional liturgy sanctifies our time — the day, the week, the month, the season, the year. What is quite literally mundane and temporal is thus transformed into something heavenly and spiritual, an anticipation of our partaking in God’s … Continue reading
The Quest for ‘Interior Freedom’: A Book Review
One thing each of us desires in his innermost being is freedom. Oftentimes, we strive to attain it in ways that are counteractive to the real freedom we desire. We often look for freedom in “all the wrong places,” such … Continue reading
The ‘Our Father’ as a Trinitarian Prayer
There is a principle of Trinitarian theology that tells us all the acts of the Holy Trinity ad extra are acts of all Three Persons. (Ad extra means toward the outside, as distinguished from ad intra, meaning toward the inside. … Continue reading
Truth, Faith, and Charity with Dom Prosper Guéranger
Last Sunday was the feast of Christ the King, so the Mass for the Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost was not celebrated on that day. However, as Monday was an open liturgical day, our parish priest celebrated the propers … Continue reading
Real Love is Ordered
For this Ad Rem, I am sharing some snippets from the talk I gave at this past weekend’s Saint Benedict Center Conference, whose theme was “Cultivating and Passing on a Catholic Worldview.” The title of my talk was “‘Virtue is … Continue reading
