just in case you are looking for an outlet for your Lenten almsgiving. A reader writes: A dear college friend of mine, Emily, became a missionary down in Comayagua,Honduras with the Missioners of Christ after graduating college last year. Recently the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal have provided her with space to start a community library. This library is geared toward the school children in the community that do not have access to the nearest public library. Here is the... Read more

Yesterday, you got to hear discussions of everything from soup to nuts. Today, you get to ponder political lunatics, discuss some of the Sorrowful Mysteries, drive a seaweedmobile, and track the centrifugal trajectories of Episcopal and Catholic apostates. And, of course, there’s the convivial atmosphere of the comments boxes where you can promulgate your theories, reminisce about Walt Kelly, join me in my complex neocon ultramontane plottings and (who knows?) find that tapioca vendor you’ve been looking for! Wouldn’t your... Read more

…is because this (uttered in 2005) is still Received Conservative Wisdom: Where would the world be if Americans did not live out their proclivity to consume everything that looks good, feels good, sounds good, tastes good? We provide a service for the rest of the world. If we were running a current account surplus or trade surplus, what would happen to economic growth worldwide and what would be the economic consequences? So I think we are doing our duty there.... Read more

Devoted to the Faith, Chastity, Love and Evangelization. Check thou it out! Read more

I thought I might post this little taste of Volume III: Miracles, Devotion, and Motherhood from Mary, Mother of the Son. This is from the chapter on the Holy Rosary: The Agony in the Garden Another title sometimes used to honor Mary is “Co-Redemptrix”. It’s not an “official title”. It’s just an expression of piety among some Catholics. And it affords a fairly typical example of the way in which the Church mulls things over for long time (usually centuries)... Read more

over at Mike Liccione’s blog. I agree with Mike that the claim Irenaeus opposes the development of doctrine doesn’t hold up. He opposes mutation or plants that spring from seed not planted by the apostles. But about the growth of the mustard seed itself he has not a word to say in opposition. I’ll discuss this question of development of doctrine at length in Mary, Mother of the Son, Volume I: Modern Myths and Ancient Truth since, after all, one... Read more

…was the first bishop to receive a state subsidy. Dudes: Once Caesar (or Caiaphas) buys you, he owns you. Read more

made from seaweed. But only if it could fly. Read more

“I want to highlight the creativity within the brain of a cripple and, while not attempting to hide his crippledom, I want instead to filter all sob-storied sentiment from his portrait and dwell upon his life, his laughter, his vision and his nervous normality.” Mission accomplished. God rest his soul. Read more

I was listening to a recorded lecture on the fall of the Wiemar Republic yesterday, and the instructor pointed out that when we talk about a military overthrow of the legitimate government, we have two words we generally use: coup, which is French, and putsch which is German. We have no English word for it. “Reformation”? “Act of Supremacy”? “Glorious Revolution”? Read more