It occurred to me that one of the reasons so few Catholics go to confession is that they don’t really think they have done anything wrong. Then when they do come to confession many of them make very poor confessions and the first thing they say is, “I’m not really sure why I’ve come to confession because I don’t think I’ve done anything wrong, but I know I should come to confession….” or they make a confession which consists of... Read more

The modern Catholic Church is already in schism, but it is an internal schism, hidden to most people. Read more

The National Catholic Register reports on President Trump’s visit to a Catholic school here along with his Education Secretary, Betsy deVos. Let me share what it is like being the pastor of a small parochial school in Greenville, South Carolina. Our parish is just 500 families. That is small for a Catholic parish. We have a K4 – 8 parish school with just under 150 students. The parents sacrifice much to send their kids to our school. The teachers work hard... Read more

OK. I admit it. The headline was an attention grabber. But during Lent a good read is Dante’s Inferno. My favorite translation used to be Dorothy Sayers, but I’ve been converted. I am really enjoying Tony Esolen’s translation. You can find it here. I’m sorry I first bought Esolen’s books in paperback. They are already coming apart. If you can afford it, get the hardcover copies. If Dante is daunting, why not try an updated and very well written version by my... Read more

People seem so confused about morality. Especially sexual morality. I’m reading Dante’s Divine Comedy as Lenten reading and when he encounters Francesca and Paolo in the second circle of hell where the lustful are swept around by endless whirlwinds–because they were swept away by the whirlwind of lust. Tony Esolen notes that it would have been easy for Dante to have made the disgustingly decadent wicked Queen Semiramis the main figure in this circle of hell, but instead he chose two very attractive people.... Read more

One of the lines I love most about the first Eucharistic Prayer is the prayer for the Catholic Church and all bishops who ‘preach the Catholic faith that comes to us from the Apostles.’ In the creed we profess “One Holy Catholic and Apostolic” Church, and in my discussions with non-Catholic Christians from Reformation communities, I have asked what interpretation they put on the creed as they are not Catholics, but still profess to believe in ‘One Holy Catholic and... Read more

The term “Jesuitical” was rooted in the Jesuits’ reputation during times of persecution for prevarication. They became experts in saying one thing and meaning another. It seems their reputation for intentional ambiguity, “nuanced” language and communication that resembles a smoke and mirrors conjuring act is stronger than ever. I’m not a fan of LifeSite News, but they report here an interview with top Jesuit Fr Arturo Sosa Abascal in which he states that Jesus’ teaching on divorce and re-marriage is... Read more

A reader has alerted me to a statement by a British MP in which he equates conservative Anglicans to the Muslim terror group ISIS. In this article Tory politician Michael Fabricant thinks the Anglican church should get with the times. The longer the Anglican Communion shies away from modern liberal values, the greater the chance that its British, American and Commonwealth Churches will become mere shells of their former selves.’ He then goes on to repeat the tiresome liberal myth that... Read more

OK. Here’s another book suggestion for Lent. My book The Romance of Religion picks up on the idea that religion is a great adventure. It is not pious or puritanical or pusillanimous or pussyfooting around. It is the stuff of all the great romances, the great adventure stories. It is full of great risks and great rewards. Here’s an excerpt In a world of useful things it might seem absurd to write a book in praise of romance. Who needs romance... Read more