Let despair be known as my ebb-tide; but let prayer have its springs, too, brimming, disarming him; discovering somewhere among his fissures deposits of mercy where trust may take root and grow. –R.S. Thomas “Tidal” in Mass for Hard Times (1992), also included in Collected Later Poems Today it’s time to take stock of what wasn’t week this weak. I’m surprised to find out that atheist Slavoj Zizek is drawing attention, but I suppose anyone who’d want to put Clinton supporters... Read more
I have reached a point of exhaustion with politics, just as any respectably abnormal person should. The fanaticism of true believers in the American political process is mind-boggling. Sometimes you wonder: Why troll, when those you troll are already come pre-trolled? For example, I recently encountered a wild-eyed defender of the Clinton Consensus who constantly rails against the Trump “brownshirts.” The great irony is that this person’s online profile is a picture of Dorothy Day. When asked “What would Dorothy Day Do?” this... Read more
I am merely trying to say that there is a cultural danger inherent in any utopia of perfect reconciliation and–what is another facet of the same problems–that the concept of original sin gives us a penetrating insight into human destiny. –Leszek Kolakowski, Modernity on Endless Trial In order to show what the doctrine of original sin might mean, it is necessary to return to first principles and examine the apostolic witness to try to identify the roots of what was... Read more
I write about politics again not because I have any hopes (nor fears) about what the results of the 2016 election will bring; I write only because the language the Clinton Consensus is using has theological significance. The hell-language of the consensus tells an important story of changes in modernity that every believer should understand. They also conceal some very interesting things about the same. Followers of Clinton are using scare tactics (finger on nuke button, negotiating with Iran, foreign policy disaster–whole world going to hell scenarios) that would’ve... Read more
The West’s knowledge of Islam makes Christians say dumb things about ISIS; I would venture to say nowhere is this knowledge lower than among Catholics in depressingly irreligious France. Pope Francis, it turns out, is not French. The pope caught a lot of flack after WYD for saying we shouldn’t talk about Islamic terrorists. The response was swift, ignorant, and predictably knee-jerk. Secularist France–not to be confused with its long but now mostly dead Catholic tradition–reacted with the twitter hashtag... Read more
Let us remember that love lives through sacrifice and is nourished by giving. Without sacrifice there is no love. –St. Maximilian Kolbe This statement takes on its true meaning only when we think of it within the context of St. Kolbe giving up his life in Auschwitz. We frequently forget that Catholic priests were sent to concentration camps as one of the first groups to die there, long before the Jews of Europe. But we also frequently forget what St.... Read more
In those days, the princes said to the king: “Jeremiah ought to be put to death; he is demoralizing the soldiers who are left in this city, and all the people, by speaking such things to them; he is not interested in the welfare of our people, but in their ruin.” King Zedekiah answered: “He is in your power”; for the king could do nothing with them. And so they took Jeremiah and threw him into the cistern of Prince... Read more
The Weakened Edition is an opportunity for me to see and appreciate what appeals to my readers. This is an especially useful tool when, like in the past three weeks, I haven’t had much time to write. Full-time work and working on translating books has really taken a bit out of my writing time. When I do have time to write I’d like to concentrate upon writing things you might want to read. Before launching into the TOP10 most read... Read more
If our gospel does not penetrate the veil, then the veil is on those who are not on the way to salvation; the unbelievers whose minds the god of this world has blinded, to stop them seeing the light shed by the Good News of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For it is not ourselves that we are preaching, but Christ Jesus as the Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. It is... Read more
There’s plenty of talk about Francis’s silence during his visit to Auschwitz last week. This picture of the silent pope is reinforced by the video footage of his visit where he is seen walking quietly through the camp, mutely but generously greeting camp survivors, and spending some time in contemplation in St. Maximillian Kolbe’s starvation cell. Even though the pope did not make a speech in the Auschwitz death camp, which he gets credit for from some corners, he did... Read more
Cosmos The In Lost
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