One of the lessons we frequently meet in the lives of the saints is that true virtue can be very surprising. For instance, the “hilaritas mentis” (cheerfulness of heart) of many saints who were very ascetic — e.g., Saint Philip … Continue reading
Category: Theology
Inglorious Ending to the Israel-Vatican ‘Galatians Affair’
The current event that I wrote about in my latest Ad Rem, Pope Francis and the Senseless Galatians, has, it appears, reached its rather anti-climactic climax followed by an inglorious denouement. Unless either side chooses to provoke something, which appears … Continue reading
What’s in That Prayer? The Exultation of the Holy Cross
Here is the oration that the Church prays in the Mass and Office of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (September 14): Deus, qui nos hodiérna die Exaltatiónis sanctæ Crucis ánnua solemnitáte lætíficas: præsta, quǽsumus; ut, cujus … Continue reading
What’s in That Prayer? The Collect for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Here is the oration that the Church prays in the Mass and Office for the sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Tua nos, quǽsumus, Dómine, grátia semper et prævéniat et sequátur: ac bonis opéribus iúgiter præstet esse inténtos. Here is my translation: … Continue reading
Reply to ‘FM’: On Abandoning Ship During a Storm
I received an email from a reader whose initials are “F.M.” last night. My attempted reply was bounced back twice. In the hopes that he will see this on our site — and because I believe that the subject is … Continue reading
Pope Francis and the Senseless Galatians
In two back-to-back Wednesday audiences last month, Pope Francis managed to bring upon himself a great deal of criticism from two quite different audiences: faithful Catholics and the Grand Rabbinate of Israel. While Catholic outlets were quick to pick up … Continue reading
What’s in That Prayer? The Collect for Saint Raymond Nonnatus
Here is the artful oration that the Church prays for the Mass and Office of Saint Raymond Nonnatus: Deus, qui in liberándis fidélibus tuis ab impiórum captivitáte beátum Raymúndum Confessórem tuum mirábilem effecísti: eius nobis intercessióne concéde; ut, a peccatórum … Continue reading
What’s in That Prayer? The Collect for the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost
The Church’s orations are often packed with doctrinal content, as well as moral edification and linguistic beauty. All that, and — in the case of the collects, anyway — the Church is asking for something quite specific. How the Church … Continue reading
On ‘Traditionis Custodes,’ Keeping Calm, and Carrying on
“Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:10). So goes the eighth Beatitude, which is the only one of the eight followed up by an inspired “footnote” at the end: … Continue reading
‘Traditionis Custodes,’ ‘Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus,’ and the Limits of Papal Authority
Did you notice that the Holy Father affirmed extra ecclesiam nulla salus at the same time he set about limiting and ultimately extinguishing the Traditional Latin Mass? In his Letter to the Bishops accompanying Traditionis Custodes, Pope Francis wrote, “to … Continue reading
Prudence and Charity
In this third and last installment of my mini-series on Prudentia according to Josef Pieper, I will focus on one chapter from the fine book, The Four Cardinal Virtues, the title of which I borrow for this Ad Rem: “Prudence … Continue reading
Some Thoughts on ‘Traditionis Custodes’ and the Roman ‘Lex Credendi’
We at Saint Benedict Center are saddened by the new motu proprio, Traditionis Custodes. We also hold that Quo Primum retains its full force in granting to every priest of the Roman Rite the right to celebrate Holy Mass according … Continue reading
Knowing the Real and Doing the Good
Last week, I began what I intend to be a three-part study of the cardinal virtue of prudence using the insights of the German Catholic philosopher, Dr. Josef Pieper, with an eye to current events. There is a lot of … Continue reading
The ‘Mother’ of Virtues as a Remedy to Pervasive Surrealism
German Catholic philosopher, Josef Pieper, had very much to say about the theological and moral virtues in a number of his writings. Of interest here are chapters in his 1964 collection of previously written studies, The Four Cardinal Virtues, wherein … Continue reading
Saint Bernard’s ‘Three Freedoms’
Over eight centuries before Franklin D. Roosevelt articulated his “Four Freedoms,” a shorter and much better list of freedoms was elucidated by the young abbot of the new monastery of Clairvaux, one Bernard by name. In his work On Grace … Continue reading
