From: The Collected Letters of C. S. Lewis, Vol. II: Books, Broadcasts, and the War, 1931-1949, edited by Walter Hooper, HarperSanFrancisco, 2004: The three ‘reasons’ for marrying, in modern English are (a) To have children. (b) Because you are very unlikely to succeed in leading a life of total sexual abstinence, and marriage is the only innocent outlet, (c) To be in a partnership. What is there to object to in the order in which they are put? . . .... Read more
Guest Post by Rod Bennett and Mark Shea Mark Shea made a great statement on this: I have to say that my feelings toward Halloween have mellowed with the years. As an Evangelical, I used to dislike it intensely as a night given over to the devil. But as time has gone on, I find I enjoy the rare opportunity for the whole neighborhood to turn out and all visit each other. I love the brisk night air. I love... Read more
Friendly agnostic / deist and regular on my blog, VicqRuiz, (words in blue below) commented on my article, Masturbation: C. S. Lewis Explains Why it is Wrong, and I responded. If we go through another round of discussion, I will add it later. ***** I think you and Lewis are quite right that a man (or woman) can become obsessed with this practice to the extent that it becomes mentally very harmful. Similarly, one can become obsessed with gambling to the... Read more
St. John Henry Cardinal Newman (1801-1890) Newman, while still an Anglican, thirteen years before his conversion, preached a sermon at Oxford University, entitled, “The Reverence Due to the Virgin Mary” (March 25, 1832), which included these words: Who can estimate the holiness and perfection of her, who was chosen to be the Mother of Christ? If to him that hath, more is given, and holiness and Divine favour go together (and this we are expressly told), what must have been... Read more
[book and purchase information] Mary and Joseph: Vision of This beauty, which I saw in our Lady, was exceedingly grand, though I did not trace it in any particular feature, but rather in the whole form of her face. She was clothed in white and her garments shone with excessive lustre that was not dazzling, but soft. I did not see St. Joseph so distinctly, though I saw clearly that he was there, as in the visions of which I... Read more
The example of the Galatian congregation proves that Christians can be tremendous hypocrites and sinners. It’s nothing new and will always be with us, because Christianity is a very difficult path. ***** The Apostle Paul on the Galatians as Miserable Sinners * Galatians 1:6 (RSV) “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and turning to a different gospel” * Galatians 3:1-3 “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you, before whose eyes... Read more
[Book and purchase information] Revelation 5:8 (RSV) And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints; Revelation 6:9-10 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne; they cried out with... Read more
From: The Collected Letters of C. S. Lewis, Vol. III: Narnia, Cambridge, and Joy 1950-1963, edited by Walter Hooper, HarperSanFrancisco, 2007; 3 June 1956; letter to Keith Masson, pp. 758-759: You rather take the line that a traditional moral principle must produce a proof of its validity before it is accepted: I rather, that it must be accepted until someone produces a conclusive refutation of it. But apart from that: — I agree that the stuff about ‘wastage of vital fluids’ is... Read more
[see purchase information] Many Protestants (particularly Calvinists, following Calvin) make the argument that since Jesus bodily ascended to heaven, therefore He could not possibly be present bodily in the Holy Eucharist (since He is already located in heaven). One way to counter this false notion is to show that God being present in physical objects (i.e., in a special way, beyond omnipresence) is not some new, innovative thing. It was a characteristic of God all along. The incarnation makes it... Read more
This is the five page-long chapter three of my book, Reflections on Radical Catholic Reactionaries (2002, slightly revised in 2013; available at the link for as low as $2.99). ***** 68. Many radical Catholic reactionaries believe that the “bitter fruits” of Vatican II have all but “destroyed” the Church. This is “quasi-defectibility.” The reactionary rarely — in mixed company — wants to assert this outright (according to their incessant doublethink), but how close they habitually come! It becomes an Orwellian situation wherein the Church... Read more
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