I was brought up in a Protestant fundamentalist home. We saw all the different denominations, but we considered them all to be man made institutions. None of them were God-given, so you just chose the one that was best for you. It is commonplace within Protestant circles to believe that the early church was similar to the church today with its proliferation of different denominations, and that just as Protestants today say, “It doesn’t really matter what church you go... Read more

I have to admit that the Infant of Prague was one of those Catholic devotions that was not immediately accessible to me as a convert. “Help me out here. What’s with Jesus dressed up as a baby doll?” But some time ago I had an experience that made me realize that the Infant Jesus–and especially the Infant of Prague image is not just a baby doll, but the image of a Knight in White Armor–the Infant who is also a... Read more

Today is the Feast of the Holy Innocents and it is one of the most heart wrenchingly relevant of all of the church’s feasts. With great and terrible irony we see in the slaughter of the Holy Innocents the wrath of the world against the gift of God. God gives the gift of his Son–an innocent infant. Herod–the King of this world slaughters the infants. God gives us the gift of the Holy Family. Herod killed his own sons and... Read more

Just when you thought the Anglicans couldn’t stoop much lower, in a disgusting article published, predictably, on Christmas Eve, Anglican priest-journalist Giles Fraser not only publicly denies the Virgin Birth, but he ridicules the idea, proposes that the Blessed Virgin Mary was just another teen fornicator and that it’s probably a good thing that Jesus was a bastard conceived when Mary had a romp with a Roman soldier. I’m surprised that he didn’t title his article, “That’s Why Our Lady is... Read more

Gentlemen who are reading, for Christmas Day make it your point to meditate in the midst of the jollity on the patience, purity and prudence of St Joseph. My latest article at Those Catholic Men website points us to St Joseph, the model of masculinity. “It’s no mistake” I said to Mike, “that every Catholic church has an image of St. Joseph up front.” Mike had come for confession and counseling over his failures as a husband and father. He... Read more

My article at Imaginative Conservative for Christmas Day is a celebration of all thing British for the holidays. Having spent twenty-five years of my life in “the damp lands,” I can affirm that while the Americans cannot be beat for Thanksgiving, the English cannot be beat for Christmas. Yes, it is true. The dour snobs in the land of Scrooge know how to pull out all the stops and celebrate Christmas in style. I doubt if any true conservative is... Read more

For two years as a young Anglican priest I had the privilege of serving as chaplain to Kings’ College Cambridge Choir School. This is the prep school where the choristers of the famous Kings College choir are educated. It was my job to help mentor and chaperone them as well as teach religion and English. One of the highlights was to receive my annual four tickets either for the Advent Lessons and Carols or the Christmas Eve Festival of Carols.... Read more

Sometimes I hear Christians grumbling about atheists celebrating Christmas. So they’re hypocrites. Big deal. Aren’t you? In thinking it through, there are good reasons why Christmas matters for atheists and for everyone. If they don’t realize why it matters, maybe the prominence of the season will  make some of them stop and think twice and realize that Jesus Christ is real, and that his birth is something to celebrate. Jesus matters and therefore his birth matters and everyone who cares... Read more

My latest blog post at National Catholic Register tries to calm you down in the midst of the Christmas rush. Whew! Have you encountered the shopping mall, main street and the Christmas rush? There is a kind of panicked grasping after material happiness. Not only do we want to pack the tree with goodies, we want to pack our stomachs with feasting and pack our homes with family happiness. It’s all wonderful and far be it from me from to be... Read more