Today is the feast of John of the Cross. A mystic, his famous work is called “The Dark Night of the Soul,” and it speaks of that moment we all feel at times, when it feels as if we’re getting nowhere spiritually. If every time we prayed, we got happy feelings, we would begin to […]
Book Review: Finding God in the Hobbit
December 14, 2012 by
The book up for review this month is Jim Ware’s Finding God in the Hobbit. Kurt Bruner writes the introduction, and muses upon the sadness of a childhood that didn’t involve hobbits when it could have. I have to agree. As an only child of a single mother, such fantasy books did not populate my […]
Sacramental Marriage, Civil Marriage, Gay Marriage, and the Catholic Church
December 14, 2012 by
Mawwidge… I’m told it’s an institute you can’t disparage, though that seems anything but the case these days. A litany of arguments in favor of allowing for “gay marriage,” in the short-hand parlance, or “homosexual unions,” has been given by hosts of talking heads, celebrities, and every-day folks. It’s a “civil rights” issue, some will say. […]
So Long As They’re Dead…
December 11, 2012 by
Francis J. Beckwith describes the process of being invited, and then dis-invited, to write a piece in honor of a distinguished academic and evangelical friend for festschrift, which was being compiled by some folks in conjunction with the appropriately named Moody Publishers. Several days later, however, the editors informed me that the publisher had forced them […]
The Ultimate Advent / Christmas / Winter Song Collection
December 11, 2012 by
On Advent, Christmas (Holiday), Christmas (Secular), and Winter Music It’s no secret: I love Advent. I find something terribly saddening when people start playing Christmas music in October (or earlier), and then cease playing it on December 26th, thereby messing up the entire Advent season and Christmas season. Not because I dislike any of these songs, but […]
With All of the Hubris and Chutzpah of Antiochus…
December 10, 2012 by
I do not like the president. I’m sure he acts in what he views as the best interests of the most people, but he’s wrong, and he’s dismantling the very basis of our country: the first amendment, by forcing Catholics to violate their consciences in order to be in business. But that’s all old news. […]
The Future of Internet Evangelism
December 10, 2012 by
It is commonly cited as fact that arguing on the internet is “dumb,” and “pointless,” and an overall “waste of time.” As far as generalizations go, this probably smacks of truth to many who have attempted to engage in the activity known as “internet evangelism,” whether the cause they were evangelizing was one of religion […]
Fr. Baron on “Skyfall” and the Catholic Themes in James Bond
December 3, 2012 by
SPOILER ALERT Fr. Robert Barron takes some interesting points from the most recent James Bond flick, Skyfall.
“My Porn Addiction”
November 26, 2012 by
From the folks over at LifeSiteNews: November 26, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) – It was in the mid 90s that we began to hear a whole lot about this new thing called “the Internet,” which could answer all of mankind’s deepest questions. At around the same time I hit puberty and began to spend my time moping […]