THREE MYTHS ABOUT THE CHURCH TO GIVE UP FOR LENT. From the unimportance of monsignors to the crucial witness of martyrs. I’d say 95% of public discussion of Catholicism in this country assumes the truth of all of these myths. (Also, if PG Wodehouse shuffled back onto this mortal coil, I’d like to think his next book would be called The Unimportance of Monsignors.) Read more

PRAYING THE ROSARY THROUGH ART: Crisis has posted the entire series. Really, really nice choices. The joyful mysteries; sorrowful; glorious. Read more

IN WHICH JOSEPH CONRAD AND ORSON WELLES GIVE RALPH EMERSON A RICHLY-DESERVED BACKHAND. Read more

It was getting late with the warm fuzz of the wine well worked into our minds […clipped] –“The Jesus Poems: Cana,” by this guy Read more

“THE DEATH-HAUNTED ART OF FRIENDSHIP“: Catholic Lane has been generous enough to let me do a whole series on this topic! The introductory installment is here. Please do let me know if there’s something I should be sure to look at or something you’d especially like me to touch on. Read more

OCCAM’S RAZOR IS THE WORST RAZOR! Some thoughts on revisiting The New Jerusalem: The Interrogation of Baruch de Spinoza, which has been revived at the DCJCC’s Theater J and will play through April 1. My review of the original production is here, so these are just some scattered additional notes. (Oh, and here’s a post about a Philadelphia production, over at The Groom’s Family!) First, the play is still fantastic, Alexander Strain is still ridiculously compelling despite playing a guy... Read more

BODY AND SOUL: What makes the difference between a tradition and a cliche? Sucker Punch, at the Studio Theater through April 8, is your basic boxing movie translated to 1980s race-riot Britain. This is definitely not a criticism! The play is full of life and although its situations are all ones we’ve seen before, they feel completely fresh and new. This is a story about the temptations of success, the pull of communal loyalty, the inevitable destruction of youthful hopes,... Read more

“HOW I GOT GOOD CATHOLIC BOOKS INTO MY LOCAL LIBRARY SYSTEM (AND HOW YOU CAN TOO!)“ Via… maybe Simcha Fisher? I immediately thought of Wesley Hill’s book (not Catholic but we will overlook that for the moment) and less-immediately thought of two kids’ books I loved, The Satanic Mill and The Wicked Enchantment. I wrote about them in an old piece which is very flawed but with whose basic thesis I still agree, here. (The 2009 date is when it... Read more

[T]here is no progress in love. It will always be a surprise.–from Pascal Bruckner’s new book, The Paradox of Love, reviewed here; want to pay me to review this? Read more

HONEY, IT’S LATE, TIME TO PUT THE CLOUD OUTSIDE. Via Jesse Walker. I think actually the windows are my favorite part, but the indoor cloud is great too. Read more