Perhaps because I know where Falcon Heights is. Perhaps because he was my age, graduating high school the same year I did. Perhaps because by the grace of God I awoke from my cynical news slumber last night, when I heard and read and saw the report on the shooting of Philando Castile — after reading about the previous shootings and the ones previous to that. I immediately thought of a story I used to laugh at with my friend... Read more
On June 30, 2016, the Italian news outlet La Stampa put out an article written by Gianni Valente with the provocative headline, ‘Zen to Chinese Catholics: If agreement with China is signed, do not follow the Pope.’ ‘Zen,’ of course, refers not to Buddhism, but to the retired Roman Catholic bishop of Hong Kong, Joseph Cardinal Zen Ze-ken. While the article makes no mention of the word ‘schism’ in Zen’s call for Chinese Catholics to openly disagree with the Bishop... Read more
My brother introduced me to the Old Crow Medicine Show perhaps a dozen years ago, when their album O.C.M.S. had just dropped to instant critical acclaim and put them on the cusp of major commercial success. Their song, “We’re All in this Together”, instantly struck me as the best track of the album, and a real song of America [scroll to the bottom of this post, or click on album image to the right below]. The song is not only American,... Read more
These are only hints and guesses, Hints followed by guesses; and the rest Is prayer, observance, discipline, thought and action. The hint half guessed, the gift half understood, is Incarnation. Here the impossible union Of spheres of evidence is actual, Here the past and future Are conquered, and reconciled . . . –T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets Francis bashing is a popular pastime among reactionary Catholics (not to be confused with the orthodox Catholics). Happy is the Catholic who hasn’t seen someone... Read more
To the reader of self-hell(p) books, This little book about heaven-help. –Fabrice Hadjadj, The Resurrection Fabrice Hadjaj, whose work I’ve promoted for several years in posts such as For Catholicism the Spirit is the Root of Evil not the Body!, Even Demons Believe: Converting the World Will Not Make Everyone Holy, Difference, Disharmony, and Drama Are the Essence of Marriage, and Does Catholic Monasticism Have a Sexual Orientation? is finally available in English translation thanks to Maginificat Publishers. Yes, these are the same folks who send... Read more
The next couple of weeks you’ll watch the British Pound turn into the British Ounce after the Brexit. But did you know about the Catholic and Marian origins of the EU? The EU is generally identified by American defenders of religious liberty as being anti-religious. However, the European Union owes its origins to Catholic politicians and Catholic imagery. Here is the story of but one of them: The President of the [flag] competition commission was Belgian Jew who had converted to Catholicism and... Read more
The structure of the United States of Europe, if well and truly built, will be such as to make the material strength of a single state less important. Small nations will count as much as large ones and gain their honour by their contribution to the common cause. The ancient states and principalities of Germany, freely joined together for mutual convenience in a federal system, might each take their individual place among the United States of Europe. I shall not... Read more
I have labored carefully, not to mock, lament, or execrate human actions, but to understand them. –Spinoza, Theological-Political Treatise The Obergfell one-year anniversary is a few days away, but the debate has quickly moved onto other matters. This blog started with religion, that is, a big block toward getting a tenured teaching job. Once I had given up on any such aspirations I happily dove into sex and politics. Now I feel mostly comfortable writing about these dinner conversation killers... Read more
We may have revolved every possible idea in our minds, and yet the truth has never occurred to us, and it is from without, when we are least expecting it, that it gives us its cruel stab and wounds us forever. –Marcel Proust, Sodom and Gomorrah The cut and dry mainstream media story of Omar Mateen as a homophobe Muslim terrorist is slowly, but surely, falling apart. You wouldn’t know it from the mainstream reporting on this tragedy. When you... Read more
Mass will be followed by coffee, donuts, and AR-15 training this week. The oddest reaction to the Orlando shooting goes to Fr. Z. He reasons America is a dangerous place to live in because of guns, Therefore you should get a gun. Not just any gun, mind you. The reasoning goes like this: If the goons are carrying AR-15’s–billed in the video Fr. Zuhlsdorf shares as “America’s best weapon against terror” (unintended irony?)–then so should you. I wish this were... Read more
Cosmos The In Lost
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In