The international listening posts of the Central Lack of Intelligence Agency have unscrambled various messages that have been sent electronically from sources unknown to destinations that have yet to be specified. These messages were filtered out from the millions of electronic impulses radiating through the atomosphere. The messages were disguised and coded within the billions … Read more
This is the third article in a series by Prof. Esolen on the mutilation of hymn lyrics. The edition of “Worship III” referred to throughout is the Canadian one. To complete my holiday autopsy of the musical corpus left to us after forty years of tinkering, I’ll highlight how recent hymnal editors have botched … Read more
God has granted me a reprieve. Seven whole days have passed without a major American state abolishing marriage, or a Catholic hero dying prematurely at 98. That frees me up to return to the happy task of unfolding a layman’s understanding of the market economy, viewed through the lens of Christian ethics and prudent political … Read more
I knew I wanted him the minute I laid eyes on him. He was comically rotund, with round, dark, knowing eyes and a fluffy fleece. He was a lamb. Not a real one, of course, but a large stuffed lamb, an Easter decoration or a child’s toy. There, in the grocery store, I stopped my … Read more
It is about this time in Lent, around halfway through, that one begins to wonder what the point is. Of anything, really. One purpose of the season is just that: to bring us up against impossibilities. Today, I’m thinking particularly of impossibilities in the realm I am compelled to stare into in my daily life … Read more
Lent is tough — not so much because of the voluntary deprivations one may undertake, but because of what it leads up to: the Cross. Take a look. Of course, there is the Resurrection on the other side of it. Without that, it would be hard to make it through the day (and I have … Read more
One of the ways we mark Lent is through almsgiving, which doesn’t just mean writing checks but engaging in all the Works of Mercy recommended by the Church. One of those that has never really appealed to me is “visiting the prisoner.” Maybe I’m wimpier or more worldly than most of you, but I’m daunted … Read more
More than any other time, the season of Lent raises for us the question of suffering. Indeed, the great advantage of Christianity over competing faiths is its technology for rendering suffering meaningful. Beginning with the book of Genesis, divine revelation seems to me less an answer to speculations such as, “Where did the world come … Read more
I am not a crafty mom, but I sometimes let fantasy and ambition get the best of me. Two days before the start of Lent this year, my oldest daughter reminded me of a family activity we had done together many Lents ago. It was a craft I had read about in one of those … Read more
Time for a few Friday links: John Allen on Pope Benedict’s latest book: “It’s likely to cement the impression that Benedict XVI is his own best spokesperson.” Diary of a Part Time Monk: A man decides to fast on doppelbock beer (“liquid bread”) and water for the whole of Lent — just like monks used … Read more
I’m starting off Lent this year not in the desert but in my own Jerusalem, New York City — city of temples and towers, titans and toilers, Rev. George Rutler and the Rockettes. It is here you’ll find the best and the worst man has to offer, the supremely serious and the sublimely silly. Here … Read more
Oh, the noise! Oh, the noise! Noise! Noise! Noise! That’s one thing he hated! The NOISE! NOISE! NOISE! NOISE! Dr. Seuss’s The Grinch Who Stole Christmas Mr. Grinch, you and me both. It may very well be the most wonderful time of the year, but it’s also the nosiest. All is not calm, no matter … Read more
To wrap up Lent in my class, “Finding the Face of God in the 20th Century,” I decided to concentrate students’ minds with a chorus of De Profundis. For two solid weeks, we have worked our way through literature of the Holocaust: Eli Wiesel, Victor Frankl, and convert Roy Schoeman. And the timing seems fitting: … Read more
Seen on the streets of Baltimore the other day (don’t worry, traffic was stopped when I snapped this picture). If you can’t read the text, it says, “The Light is ON for You. Catholic Churches around the Archdiocese of Baltimore will be open for confessions each Wednesday during Lent (www.ArchBalt.org).” This outreach program has been … Read more
Roasted artichokes in oil; garlic-pickled mushrooms; cipolline onions in balsamic; exquisite antipasti and exotic pastas; squid in ink — I am doing well out of Lent so far, thanks largely to an after-Christmas sell-off in a local supermarket. The proprietor is an Italian immigrant of some taste, who got it into his head that if … Read more
Rekindling a semi-tradition from last year, here is a piece of sacred music to help celebrate the First Sunday of Lent. I thought I’d start off with a relative newcomer (to me, at least): “In te Domine speravi,” from the ubiquitous Anonymous. O Lord, in Thee I have hoped; let me never be put to … Read more
Lent. It’s here already. My Shrove Tuesday fare was a bit subdued because I’m fighting a cold, but I managed to make my favorite pancakes. With only 7 tablespoons of flour and 1 cup of sour cream, it’s the perfect food for Fat Tuesday. But I’m not posting to tell you about my pancakes. A … Read more
Brenda Steele, writing at Catholic Advocate, remembers her first Lent after her conversion. As a convert, I remember every minute of the Easter Vigil when I, too, could at long last, partake in the sacrament of the Eucharist for the very first time. If you are a convert, and you’re reading this, you know exactly … Read more
If you’re anything like me, Ash Wednesday usually sneaks up on you, such that you’re scrambling to figure out what you’re “giving up” halfway through the first week of Lent — and then it’ll be something poorly thought out that doesn’t seem to do much along penitential lines. So for my fellow procrastinators, I’ve done … Read more
Brother Michael Gaitley, MIC watched the NCAA National Championship game at my house between the University of Alabama and the University of Texas. What a delightful man! He came with his sister, Heather McGrath, whose husband Michael McGrath is on the board at Magdalen College. Brother Michael’s book, Consoling the Heart of Jesus: A Do-It-Yourself … Read more