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We can only imagine that, to borrow from Chesterton, Connolly and Davies and all their characters are enjoying their “great flagons in the tavern at the end of the world.”
The Hidden Connection Between Miracle on 34th and Mr. Blue Read More »
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If you open the heavy tome of J. R. R. Tolkien’s collected letters to almost near the end, you’ll find a particularly fascinating epistle. In just a few short pages, Tolkien gives words of encouragement to his son Michael; reminisces about a happy trip to Switzerland; and records a year-long break in the writing of
Tolkien’s Advice for a Church in Crisis Read More »
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As a friend and I were speaking the other day, he pulled out his phone to silence it. I happened to notice the wallpaper on his phone and thought I recognized it. “Hey, is that the Sacred Heart icon that Cardinal Burke commissioned as Bishop of Lacrosse?” I asked. I had spent some time in
This Remarkable Photo Will Deepen Your Sacred Heart Devotion Read More »
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Priests around the country hailed the move as the Church’s growing understanding and embrace of a shifting culture.
Pope Francis to Allow Emotional Support Animals in Sanctuary During Mass Read More »
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About a year ago, a friend went through some complicated medical procedures. They took several months and a fair bit of travel. Ultimately the procedures were frustrating. The doctors finally told him, “We don’t know why it’s happening, and there’s no cure.” “At least it’s not life-threatening,” my friend said with a wry smile. Most
Mistakes Aren’t Sins, but Negligence Is Read More »
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Each year many people love watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas. We can imagine some commonsense reasons for that. One of the most important, though perhaps unacknowledged, has something to do with the miraculous. Quite frankly, it has to do with the Grinch’s spiritual life, and his extraordinary conversion. For most of us, the classic stages
The Grinch Had an Extraordinary Spiritual Life Read More »
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One of my good friends, whom we’ll call Rob, tells the most extraordinary stories. That’s probably because he’s had a most extraordinary life. First exposed to porn at age six or seven, he quickly found that he couldn’t live without it—or so he thought. Turns out Rob has an obsessive personality—exactly the kind of person
That Time a Demon Invaded the Confessional, and a Porn Addict was Released Read More »
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At first a limited release, the missing-person thriller Searching has garnered rave reviews from the nation’s top critics. It’s an impressive showing for first-time director Aneesh Chaganty, a former Google employee. Critics have hailed the film as a contemporary take on a familiar “whodunit” story, and they point to John Cho’s performance as particularly moving.
Is the Growing Hit Film “Searching” Anti-Christian? Read More »
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One of the pioneers of the modern Catholic novel, Georges Bernanos earned a top literary reputation even in his lifetime. The author is far from being merely a darling of the academy, however. The popes of the last fifty years have widely appreciated Bernanos. Here are some examples of why popes have called on his
Why the Popes Love Author Georges Bernanos Read More »
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From the works of Brad Thor and Vince Flynn to Matthew Betley, military thrillers regularly top the bestseller lists. They’ve been popular since at least the 1950s, but after 9/11, readers have absolutely flocked to them. In light of Pope Francis’s recent change to the Catechism involving the inadmissibility of the death penalty, however, some
Can We Still Enjoy Military Thrillers After Changes by Pope Francis? Read More »
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This story is inspired by someone I know well, but all character names are fictitious. Peter landed a coveted position as a summer session teacher at a high-end boarding school. Part of his duties involved supervision of extracurricular activities like rock climbing. Peter had a conversation with the extracurricular head coach, Gene, ahead of time.
Why False Modesty Has a Deadly Allure Read More »
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A while ago, a boss blindsided a friend of mine. I know the boss, and while he has a talent in his field and is adept at abstract thinking, his personality is somewhat dour. My friend is non-confrontational and gentle — maybe too much so. Thus, the makings of a bombshell. My friend’s boss told
Feeling Persecuted? Say This Simple yet Powerful Prayer Read More »
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At the suggestion of good spiritual directors, I’ve been practicing quiet prayer for several years. What I love most about it is just being with the Lord in his silence. As many others have testified, one experiences in contemplative prayer the extraordinary, presence-filled quiet of profound peace. When someone else in Adoration turns a page
How Contemplation Prepared Me for Tinnitus Read More »
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A friend was complaining to me about a nasty email he’d received from a co-worker. I’d seen the missive in question: I’d been copied on it, as had several others. I agreed with my friend, in all honesty, that he had a right to grouse. It had indeed been a vindictive, if not vituperative, communication.
Why ‘Creatio Ex Nihilo’ Is the Secret of Forgiveness Read More »
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A little while ago, someone I know remarked to me, “Sometimes I think I’m the opposite of God.” This guy is not the overly anxious, “I’m worried I might be possessed” type. In fact, he seems to be the ordinary guy in the pew who seeks holiness and finds joy in his faith. I asked
You Need This “Opposite of God” Examen for Your Lenten Confession Read More »
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Dean Koontz is beginning to sound an awful lot like Cormac McCarthy, I reckon. Not that I mind. I’ve been studying and writing on McCarthy for almost twenty years. I belong, in other words, to that group that ‘remembers when.’ Call us wizened if you like.
Dean Koontz Is Starting to Sound like Cormac McCarthy Read More »
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Homeschooling is becoming ever more popular. The percentage of students homeschooled aged 5-17 in the United States, for instance, doubled between 1999 and 2012. One of the main reasons for this is parental concern about public school environments. In fact, 91% of homeschooling parents surveyed in the vast 2012 United States NCES report said just that.
The 2017 Global Homeschooling Research Roundup Read More »
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As newlyweds settle down and become seasoned couples, they might be tempted to let down their spiritual guards. But that’s exactly when one of the deadliest demons strikes. The noonday devil, sometimes reduced to a “midlife crisis” or the infamous “seven-year itch,” is acedia, a complex beast that exhausts us with spiritual sloth. This laziness
Seasoned Couples: Avoid These Deadly Temptations Read More »
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You’ve rejoiced in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Puritan-bashing in “Young Goodman Brown.” You’ve reveled in his rejection of scientism and perfectionism in “The Birthmark.” You may even have shared some of Hester’s redemptive suffering in The Scarlet Letter. One of Hawthorne’s lesser-known works, however, takes on a whole different problem, one uncannily appropriate to our day. “The Procession
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Lessons on the Works of Mercy Read More »
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Many Christians and their families like to practice devotions while traveling: praying the rosary together, listening to a spiritual audiobook, even stopping to visit shrines or holy places along the way. These are commendable practices. Every now and then, however, we ought to look out the window and see what our culture’s up to. If
4 Billboards You Ought to Pray Against While Traveling Read More »
