Several comments on my post on the Ascension pondered on where Christ went. If we went up physically, where did he go? Did he go to some sort of physical/spiritual realm that we cannot conceive of? As it happens, I have just come from a session with our sophomores in High School discussing Nominalism and Realism. The Realists of the Middle Ages had a philosophy based on Plato which taught that the true reality was not the physical, material... Read more

Visit to Chartres I came across it as I took the tour.The tympanum over the Southern doorportrays the judgement with Christ on his throne,demons, angels and human souls carved in stone. It’s not the finest medieval scene.The figures are cramped and small. The layout’s mean,awkward and unrefined; and yet for my part,I find in the ancient stone a higher art–the sculptor understood the human heart. He captured in the people down below,greed, anger, lust and pride; and tried to showon... Read more

I’ve just finished Fr Joe by Tony Hendra. It’s a brilliant book, one I’ve been meaning to read for some time, as I knew Fr Joe Warrilow and know Quarr Abbey so well. From what I’d heard, I thought Tony Hendra’s book would be a shallow, “Well, I was once a drugged up Hollywood drop out, but I met this sweet old guy once and he sort of you know got me straightened out…” I was wrong. Hendra is first... Read more

Honest! I only bought it to save on fuel consumption. I’m trying to reduce my carbon footprint. It’s part of my evangelization work. I’m reaching out the local Hell’s Angels. I’m trying to be more relevant and hip for the teens… Actually it’s a friend’s bike. I’m not really a cool biker priest. Just pretending… Read more

What tickles me about the resurrection and ascension of Christ is the blatantly supernatural element of it all. “Come now,” the modernists say in their measured and rational tones, “must we believe that it was necessarily a crudely physical phenomenon? Surely the resurrection and ascension stories are beautiful tales told so that the dead Lord’s disciples might believe that their friend had spiritually risen and ascended…that his beautiful teachings somehow survived his physical death and that they would, as it... Read more

On St Joseph the Worker day all the students from St Joseph’s Catholic School go out into the community and do some sort of manual work. We have ‘households’ at the school. These are extended homeroom groups. Boys and girls are separate, and kids from each year group are together–staying in the household for the whole time of their school career. So they are like little fraternities and sororities. My group of fifteen boys went to help a charity called... Read more

Now here’s a puzzle for you. I’m setting up an interview with Anne Rice for various publications I write for. Some Catholics are worried that she may publicly dissent from Church teachings on matters like homosexuality, abortion and women’s ordination. If an artist dissents from church teachings what should we do with their art? Should a novel, which is in itself, orthodox, beautiful and true, not be promoted because the novelist is not totally orthodox, beautiful and true? What if... Read more

My pal Joseph Pearce says the Annual Chesterton Conference organized by Dale Ahlquist is the one conference he would get to each year if he couldn’t go anywhere else. Over 500 Chestertonians will be gathering in Minnesota for three jolly days in June. Apparently there is plenty of robust hilarity, serious thought, serious food and serious fun. William Oddie is coming over from England. I’ll be speaking on Friday evening on the Adventure of Orthodoxy. Joseph is speaking as well.... Read more

They’re making a two-film version of The Hobbit, and Ian McKellan is to play Gandalf again. More here. Who’s to play Bilbo I wonder? Isn’t Ian Holm too old? I hope not. He’d be perfect. Meanwhile, I’m re-reading Prince Caspian in order to churn out some articles for the film’s release in a few weeks’ time. What I like about the Narnia books is that the Pevensey children all talk like my friend and fellow blogger Auntie Joanna, “Oh, gosh Su,... Read more

The Owl has a nice post here about an ordination taken by the Holy Father. To the new priests: “Be sweet and strong.” Read more