Saint Ignatius Loyola was, before becoming a saint, a man of practical affairs, being a career soldier and aristocrat. I say “before becoming a saint” using the narrow, strict notion of the word saint, that of being someone excellently holy, … Continue reading
When God created all things in the beginning, He did so for a purpose worthy of Himself: His own glory. It may surprise readers to learn that this is actually a dogma of the faith and that anyone who denies … Continue reading
What do the definition of life and the philosophical concept of “secondary causality” have to do with hot-button issues that separate Catholics and Protestants? A lot, I believe, and what follows here is an introduction to a concept that can … Continue reading
For the month of July, my wife and I are reading Father Faber’s book on the mystery of the Precious Blood. In it, Father Faber writes the following about the salvation made possible by this mystery, “The least accidental joy … Continue reading
“You’re so ‘glass half-empty’!” Have you ever heard that one? It usually comes up in a conversation after one party has made a particularly “negative” comment. At times, the accusation precipitates an argument on the merits of optimism over pessimism … Continue reading
Here is the oration that the Church prays in the Mass and Office for the fourth Sunday after Pentecost: Da nobis, quǽsumus, Dómine: ut et mundi cursus pacífice nobis tuo órdine dirigátur; et Ecclésia tua tranquílla devotióne lætétur. Here is my … Continue reading
Here is the oration that the Church prays in the Mass and Office for the third Sunday after Pentecost: Protéctor in te sperántium, Deus, sine quo nihil est válidum, nihil sanctum: multíplica super nos misericórdiam tuam; ut, te rectóre, te … Continue reading
A Lutheran from New Jersey called me last week. His question for me, which is of no consequence to these lines, led us to a discussion of the problem of evil in the Church of Jesus Christ. You see, this … Continue reading
Here is the oration that the Church prays in the Mass and Office for Trinity Sunday: Omnípotens sempitérne Deus, qui dedísti fámulis tuis in confessióne veræ fídei, ætérnæ Trinitátis glóriam agnóscere, et in poténtia majestátis adoráre Unitátem: quǽsumus; ut, ejúsdem … Continue reading
June is the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the last few years, a collective of public relations consultants and groomers have also named it “Pride Month.” If you have not heard — in which case you have … Continue reading
Here is the oration that the Church prays in the Mass and Office for Pentecost Sunday: Deus, qui hodiérna die corda fidélium Sancti Spíritus illustratióne docuísti: da nobis in eódem Spíritu recta sápere; et de ejus semper consolatióne gaudére. Here … Continue reading
Eucharistia means good favor or good grace or good thanks. The mystery of the Holy Eucharist is that by which the God whose delight is to be with the children of men has contrived to remain always with us in … Continue reading
Someone recently told me: you’re right about no salvation outside the Church, but that’s not the most important thing. Love is. The novelty of the objection interested me because it was not a denial of extra ecclesiam nulla salus, nor … Continue reading
In the writings of the Desert Fathers, the reckoning of what we call the “deadly” or “capital” sins was not exactly the same as the familiar list of seven that we now have: pride, covetousness, lust, anger, gluttony, envy, and … Continue reading
By now, I hope that all our readers have read Gary Potter’s latest excellent piece on this site, Christ is King of More Than Our Hearts. Gary’s lesson, implied in the title itself, is that the social reign of Our … Continue reading
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