I’ve written a few times about our border collie, who – before I saw this video – I believed was the smartest dog in the world. She looks EXACTLY like this dog, or did before she started going grey. Watch this: H/T Deacon Greg who was on the radio. Read more
(Mother of God Icon written by Jan Isham, available here) Lots of emails from outraged folks wondering why I haven’t commented on Playboy’s putting a nude image on its cover and suggesting it is the Virgin Mary. The headline reads, “te adoramos, Maria,” or, “We adore you, Mary.” Playboy released the edition on the Feastday of Our Lady of Guadalupe. In Mexico. Is it vulgar and insulting? Sure is. Is it worth my ire? No. And I’ll tell you why.... Read more
The day got away from me today and I ran out of time for Vespers, so I’ve recorded compline, the prayer to close the night, with an advent/restoration themed “homiliette.” In my talk, I call myself an derogatory term, which I am. So, you’re warned. If you don’t like that word…well…cover your ears! :-) Goodnight. Read more
Have you ever read something and then said, “damn, I wish I’d written that? I do it frequently, but especially today with this piece, especially, by the renowned skeptic, Vanderleun: Theirs was the Age of Myth; a world where night was not dimmed by the web of lights that now obscures the stars. Their nights were lit by flaring torches, dim oil lamps, guttering candles; by the phases of the moon and the broad shimmering river of the Milky Way.... Read more
Getting some hate mail from my piece up at Pajamas Media. I’m being accused of wanting an “American theocracy”. Not at all. I simply am pointing out that a determinedly secular mindset will not make much of a dent against an equally determined supernatural mindset, and so the West should not be so dismissive of the power and usefulness of the vocabulary of faith. And I can’t be completely wrong since, as we see here at Hot Air, most Americans... Read more
It is one of Buster’s regrets that, while he got some chanter practice in, he never had time to really undertake the bagpipes. Hopefully, someday he’ll rectify that problem. Meanwhile, Pianogirl sent this cartoon my way. To which I can only respond with this: All fun aside, I cannot think of anything that brings such powerful solemnity and great dignity to our memorials and partings as the pipes, and I love that the Marines, the Firefighters, the Police – the... Read more
My latest piece for PJM is up over there, and I hope you’ll go take a look at it. The essay looks at how Western Diplomacy, with its determination to talk secular, is “boxing with one glove” as it tries to deal with people who are supernaturally-minded. An excerpt: The West can speak only of borders, boundaries, markets, and measurement. Faith exists beyond boundaries and borders; it defies markets and measurement. The negotiables of the West are worldly and “the... Read more
Sadly, I’m having all sorts of network issues today and don’t know when or if I’ll lose connection, today, so here are some quick odds-n-ends: I love this video from Fr. Steve’s place. From a Catholic perspective it is silly, sweet, and – because it is so true to what we experience within our Catholic culture, even today – inspiring, as well. From the Christophers: A great story for Christmas – a podcast you’ll want to hear about a woman... Read more
One of my favorite Merton quotes, and NPR’s media maven Dick Meyer uses it in his book Why We Hate Us is this one: As long as I assume that the world is something I discover by turning on the radio . . . I am deceived from the start. It may be time for me to put that back up in my header. Merton died 40 years ago today. His biography, The Seven Storey Mountain was an instant classic... Read more
Got a notice from Amazon that they will be discontinuing the “Honor System” for donations and such as of tomorrow. I’m sad about that. I thought it was a nifty little tool, and Amazon themselves did a lot of good with it, as I recall, in raising money after the tsunami of Christmas 2004. How time flies, eh? I’ve removed it from my right-hand sidebar, and also tidied up the joint a little bit, made email easier to find, etc. Read more
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