I know, I know, I have a perverse sense of humor, but this line from this achingly honest piece by a former Baptist seminarian just charmed me: I called my dad crying on January 28th. I was going to become Catholic and hated the idea so much. As far as I’m concerned, the kid’s a natural! I bet he ends up being a priest! Welcome to the Catholic Church, Steven. As Paul Johnson said, “come on in; it’s awful!” And... Read more
Terry Teachout on the death of his mother: As always, I threw myself into work in order to stave off despair. Going to the theater three or four nights a week was as good a way as any to keep my mind occupied, but in between shows I thought the same blunt, ugly thoughts that had come to me at odd moments ever since December. What do I do if she starts to fail while my play is in rehearsal?... Read more
Zoran Karapancev / Courtesy of Shutterstock.com I hadn’t read Mo Dowd’s latest screed because I’ve been really busy and because, well, her Yosemite Sam act has really begun to bore me over the years — as Joanne (envisioning Dowd as another Looney Toon fave) writes here: I wonder sometimes why she doesn’t simply self-destruct in her Tasmanian Devil hissing and spinning… Anyway, because I read Joanne’s piece, I read Dowd’s — and if you’re going to read either you should... Read more
Caught this over at Deacon Greg’s place. There is nothing like the unconditional love of a dog, and nothing like its fierceness when you need it’s protection. It will lay down its life to keep you safe, and when you come home after being away, it does not harass you; it does not shake a finger at you; it does not hold you at arms length until you prove yourself; it simply loves you with all the love it has... Read more
Given that we only celebrated the arrival of Eve Tushnet to Patheos a few weeks ago, you’d think we’d have our fill, for now, of smart women who also happen to be dandy writers. Well, you’d be wrong. I am very happy to announce the addition of Joanne McPortland’s blog, Egregious Twaddle to our happy little Catholic blog-glomorate amid the cyber-aeropagus here at Patheos! Like Eve, Joanne made me wait — but they’re both well-worth it! If you don’t know... Read more
This is cool, from Thomas L. McDonald: Logos Bible Software has graciously offered to provide a Complete Logos Catholic Scholar’s Library to one lucky reader of God and the Machine. . . This is one huge package, folks. It includes the powerful Logos Bible Software as well as a vast library of Catholic scripture study, Bibles, history, theology, the complete Church Fathers, a generous selection of texts from the saints and councils, a hyperlinked Catechism, Hebrew and Greek language resources,... Read more
I’ve been nearsighted for 40 years, but it has always been a source of some pleasure to me that I could take off my glasses and read comfortably. Until two nights ago, when suddenly I found myself unable to read some printed material — in 12 point Ariel, no less — no matter where I put my hand. My glasses were useless, and I found myself having to beg a pair of my husband’s reading glasses from him (he has... Read more
Over at The Catholic Answer Magazine, my column dredges up the pain caused by gossip, and hints that mercy is always a good, if not-always-perfect, option. Answering the phone, I was alarmed to hear only a deep, guttural sobbing on the other end. After a moment, the caller collected herself enough to say, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” “Who is this?” I asked, suspecting a wrong number. In another second I recognized the voice; it belonged to someone who, 20... Read more
A point I frequently try to make, around here, is that Catholicism is too large, too wide, too nuanced, too small-c-catholic to permit ideological purity. Catholic politicians or ideologues who manage such “purity” have always had to betray a tenet of Catholicism to get to that place. And that, to my way of thinking, is actually one of the best arguments for Catholicism, and Catholic Orthodoxy, in the world. It brings reasonable resistance against sophist trends and the sentimentalist’s means... Read more
I mentioned this book briefly in this round-up of great reads from last month, but today’s column at First Things tells you why Ave Maria Press’ reissue of Sigrid Undset’s Stages on the Road is so very relevant, and why Undset can speak effectively to our age: Raised by progressively-minded atheists, Undset realized while still a teenager that ideologies and their accompanying “isms” gave inadequate measures of the world and humanity, always narrowing truth precisely at the point where what... Read more
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