One of the things that drew me to England was the great literary heritage. I was drawn by the life and witness of the poet George Herbert and dreamed of being an English country parson. It did happen in the end. I lived for five idyllic years in an English village on the Isle of Wight, and was prepared to move even further into the backwoods of Wales or Hereford or Somerset or some such place except that the quaint... Read more

DEATH be not proud, though some have called thee   Mighty and dreadfull, for, thou art not so,   For, those, whom thou think’st, thou dost overthrow,   Die not, poore death, nor yet canst thou kill me.   From rest and sleepe, which but thy pictures bee,          5 Much pleasure, then from thee, much more must flow,   And soonest our best men with thee doe goe,   Rest of their bones, and soules deliverie.   Thou art slave to... Read more

You see the signs beside the highway blazoned “Jesus Saves”. You hear the religious slogans from Catholics and Protestants, “Jesus died to save you from your sins.” or “Jesus blood was shed to wash away your sins.” I’m sympathetic when I hear modern secularists say with frustration, “What on earth does that mean??!! How can the death of a criminal two thousand years ago cleanse away my ‘sins’?” They shake their heads and say, “But I just don’t get it. What... Read more

Last year on Holy Thursday Pope Francis visited a prison and famously washed the feet of a Muslim girl. Traditionalists were tut tutting that he had broken a church rule. The rubric for the liturgy for the Mass of the Lord’s Supper stipulates that men are to be chosen for the foot washing. The arguments went back and forth: “Men are to be chosen because they represent the twelve apostles. This is the thin edge of the wedge. If this... Read more

For Holy Week here is my latest article for National Catholic Register on the deeper meanings of Jesus falling three times on the Way of the Cross. There is an old saying that it does not matter how often you fall — it matters how often you get up. I’m reminded of our failing and falling whenever I walk through the Stations of the Cross, for in the pattern of his passion, Jesus falls three times on his way up... Read more

When I prepare for a homily I often ask the Spirit to make one word or phrase jump off the page for me. This week in the gospel of the raising of Lazarus the word was “stench”. Lazarus’ body was in the grave for four days and when Jesus asked for the tomb to be opened Martha said, “He’s been dead four days. There is a stench.” Not only does death stink. Sin stinks. Sometimes we have to spend our... Read more

The furore over a Dominican nun’s lecture at a Catholic High School in Charlotte, North Carolina reported here and the resignation of Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich here shows the passive aggressive sickness of the progressive movement. Leaving the issue of homosexuality and same sex marriage on one side, consider the way these protests have been carried out. First there is the passive sentimentalism displayed. Emotions were high and were used to beat up sister and those who dared to support her. People... Read more