A priestly correspondent has reminded me of the diabolical dimension to the present destruction of marriage and family in our society. The reason Satan hates marriage is because in the ideal of marriage man and woman are restored to harmony and pro creative union. When the marriage is Christian he hates it even more. When the marriage is sacramental and Catholic he hates it with a bitter hatred. Why? Because a Catholic marriage should be filled not only with human love,... Read more
After my most recent visit to Rome I’ve been reading more about the history of Rome, and the parallels with twenty first America are fascinating. Many people know about the fall of the Roman Empire and follow the usual narrative that Rome collapsed from within because of moral decadence. Of course, the story is more complicated than that, and it begins not with the fall of the empire, but with the beginning of the Empire. The Roman Republic stood for... Read more
A friend commented about the same sex controversy saying that he has family members who are gay and they are furious with the Catholic church saying, “Who are they to define marriage?” In discussing the problem we observed that most Americans are now so enswamped by subjective sentimentalism that they cannot conceive of someone having moral values that are given by an outside source of authority. There are two different manifestations of this subjective sentimentalism, but first I ought to... Read more
Fr Barron writes brilliantly here on the threats posed to Christians in America today. He recognizes that, despite the reassuring words of Justice Kennedy that religious objections will be respected and recognized, that there is no logic to that position: Since same-sex marriage is now recognized as a fundamental human right guaranteed by the Constitution, those who oppose it can only be characterized as bigots animated by an irrational prejudice. To be sure, Justice Kennedy and his colleagues assure us that... Read more
Reactions to two flags in America sum up the nation’s mood. The Rainbow Flag has come to stand for the gay liberation movement. It has triumphed at the Supreme Court on Friday, and almost like the timing was planned, the weekend saw Gay Pride parades across the world in which the rainbow flag was omnipresent. The Rainbow President even had the White House lit up in a rainbow flag. This omnipresence of the rainbow flag was celebrating a lifestyle and... Read more
My article for Imaginative Conservative website this week is a critique and grudging admiration for the baroque style of church architecture. Am I the only one to be so unenthusiastic about the baroque period? Do others share my distaste for the plaster pilasters, the too clever painted ceilings and the faux architectural tricks or do they love the exuberance and intentional theatricality of the style? Isn’t it too grandiose, flamboyant and well…. prissy? This was done, after all in... Read more
So many are lamenting the immorality of the Supreme Court’s decision yesterday, but I can’t help seeing the idiocy of it. This is not only a grossly immoral decision but it is silly, short sighted and stupid. Think about it for just a moment. The effect of this ruling is that anybody can marry anybody. There are plenty of reasons why I might want to “marry” someone. If I am married we share health insurance and pension benefits. We share... Read more
The news is breaking that the Vatican has given a negative ruling about the alleged supernatural events at Medjugorje. Of course before making any full comment we’ll want to read what the CDF has to say, but on this occasion I thought it might be of interest if people heard my Medjugorje story: I was an Anglican priest living in England, in 1985 when I was invited by a group of Anglicans and Catholics to visit Medjugorje. I didn’t want... Read more
One of those interesting details has surfaced which reminds you that everything is connected. It is now predicted that the Supreme Court will give its ruling on same sex marriage on June 30. The Mass readings for that day are Genesis 19.15-29 – the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. We should be clear. The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was not simply because the city was full of homosexuality. The violent homosexual rapists were a symptom of a deeper ugliness... Read more
This week’s article for Aleteia explains why the Pope’s encyclical should be regarded as a milestone in Catholic evangelization. The pope realizes that many outside the church and outside Christianity cannot hear the simple message of Christ because of the distractions of religious language, historical prejudice, cultural baggage and anti religious propaganda. So he takes lessons from St Paul. The article picks up on the point that St Paul, when preaching in Athens, knew his audience. He understood their world... Read more
Fr. Dwight Longenecker
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