On Wearing Socks and the Death of the Queen
Before we can have a Christian civilization, we must first have a civilization. We must have rituals and rules. We must have etiquette, a way things are done.
It’s Not for the Pope to Change
We may have a third, and perhaps most catastrophic, change coming to Catholic teaching under the pontificate of Francis.
Fighting Catholic Gaslighting
Trying to make Catholics believe that any criticism of past fallible Church decisions demonstrates unfaithfulness is gaslighting and should be resisted.
Catholics in the Crossfire in a Post-Roe World
In a post-Roe world, the not-so-subtle “Know Nothing” spirit in America will be less subtle; indeed, it may become barefaced very soon.
No, I Don’t Want to Go Back to the 1950’s
I am traditional, but not because, as “progressives” often say, I want to go back to the time of “Pre-Vatican II,” or “the fifties.”
In Praise of Slow
Our problem is not so much that we are “communicating” too much (though we are); the problem is that we don’t reflect before we do.
The Divisiveness of the Latin Mass and Vaccines
“Divisive” is a loaded word. Like the adjective “prejudiced,” calling someone “divisive” automatically puts him on the defensive. And so, being the first to call someone else “prejudiced” or “divisive” is to gain the upper hand in any argument. This has been happening lately with the issues of the Latin Mass and the COVID-19 vaccines. … Read more
Traditionis Custodes: A Blessing in Disguise?
As the saying goes, when life gives you lemons, make a whiskey sour. To this extent, Traditionis Custodes may be a blessing in disguise in the long run. Let me explain. Two things seem clear from the motu proprio. One, in fact, is clear. The Extraordinary Rite may now be celebrated only with the permission … Read more
The Church of What’s Happening Next
The Vatican announced recently that the next synod of bishops will now extend over a two-year period of various “phases.” According to Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, the hope is to turn the synod from “being an event into a process.” This worries me. The idea of a sort of … Read more
Let’s Not Be Reasonable
A good description of the devil is “one who comes along when I’m very tired and suggests something very reasonable that I know I shouldn’t do.” This came to mind when seeing the responses to the recent Vatican reiteration of the Church’s teaching on homosexual acts. Some dismissed it; some of us were pleasantly surprised. … Read more
One Mass, One People
In a recent article for Crisis, Father Dwight Longenecker voiced his frustration with trying to unify his parish in the midst of what seems like national disintegration. He is right to be concerned, because as the Church goes, so goes the nation (and the world). The odd thing is that the Church had, in her … Read more
Why Did This Happen?
What if we treated the issue of race in our criminal justice system as we do in our medical system? That is, not as a cause but as an index. What do I mean? Statistics in the criminal justice system show that blacks are more likely to be arrested for violent crimes, incarcerated, and victims … Read more
Self-Doubt as a Spiritual Virtue
Two years ago I wrote a piece about St. Thomas entitled In Defense of Doubt. In it, I praised St. Thomas for facing his doubts and said that honest doubt can be a good thing. In light of current proposals to change the wording of the last clause of the “Our Father,” I should like … Read more
Finish the Transgender Argument
Yogi Berra said, “It ain’t over till it’s over.” It’s a logic that would be refreshing these days. Here’s a variation that may help with some current controversies: if you want to end an argument, finish it. In other words, one way to end some arguments used for certain causes would be simply to follow … Read more
The Right Side of History
It’s been said that advertising is the world’s oldest profession, with the devil needing only a clever marketing campaign to get Adam and Eve to eat the apple. Whether or not that is true, it certainly is true that we can be swayed by slogans and jingles into doing the silliest things. “You deserve a … Read more
Is a Married Clergy the Answer?
With the latest revelations concerning sexual abuse by the clergy, the Church has once again asked the question “What is to be done?” One answer often given is that of a married clergy. While this proposal is not contrary to the Faith, there are arguments which make it unsound, perhaps particularly at this time and … Read more
Sexual Scandals Reveal A Problem of Belief
Sooner or later, in some way or another, there will be an investigation as a result of the revelations concerning Cardinal McCarrick. The idea seems to be to discover what, within the structure of the Church, went wrong to allow for the abuse scandal to happen. I’m not certain that’s the problem. The problem, to … Read more
Jane Austen’s Common Sense Wisdom on Marriage and Family
When one is looking for a good dose of reality and common sense, there are few better places than a Jane Austen novel. Entertaining they are, but also scattered with drops of wisdom that run counter to our modern notions. For example, take the idea of “change” (often coupled with “hope”); today this idea is … Read more
All God Asks
Ronald Knox once said, “He who travels in the barque of St. Peter had better not look too closely into the engine room.” In case you’ve been living under a rock the last five, ten, fifty years, the barque has been going through some heavy seas. Some would say we’re with Columbus sailing to a … Read more
Fr. Martin’s Grammar Problem
Sometimes I think all that is needed is a good course on grammar. At least, that is my first thought in reading an article about Fr. James Martin and his book Building a Bridge: How the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community Can Enter Into a Relationship of Respect, Compassion, and Sensitivity. (Fr. Martin recently … Read more