I know, I know, I haven’t done my “comprehensive” list of good reads for Christmas, or my annual Christmas Gift Ideas post — they’re coming, I promise — but first let me share this because I’m having a bad, overwhelmed day where all I can do is fight on Twitter and quote T.S. Eliot, and announcing this makes me feel better! Coming soon, a third printing of Strange Gods: Unmasking the Idols in Everyday Life, with a Study Guide included... Read more
Father James Martin is a very kind man and a joyful priest who loves his vocation and will tell you that priestly celibacy is a discipline and gift that has enabled him to form deeply intimate, lasting friendships with with all kinds of people — friendship that, removed from the flesh and the material, is free to seek out the God-element in each person, and to love with the mind of Christ. Many of my celibate friends feel similarly, whether... Read more
During the Great Big Illegal Immigration Brouhaha of 2006—a drama of conservative hyperventilation and La Raza flag-waving parades that has since been repeated each May preceding a mid-term election—about two thousand of my blog readers left, never to return. They left because I had argued for the reform of a bogged-down and inefficient National Immigration Service, and the creation of a reasonable path to citizenship for peaceful people who had often been living in America for years—sometimes decades—working, and building... Read more
As the guy in the Emerald City would say, “Well, bust my buttons!” A new brain connectivity study from Penn Medicine published today in the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences found striking differences in the neural wiring of men and women that’s lending credence to some commonly-held beliefs about their behavior. In one of the largest studies looking at the “connectomes” of the sexes, Ragini Verma, PhD, an associate professor in the department of Radiology at the Perelman School... Read more
Earlier this morning, I filed my copy for my regular column at First Things — a piece that explores the means by which divorced and remarried Catholics might be readmitted into full Eucharistic communion at Holy Mass. The column doesn’t run until tomorrow, but it strikes me as being particularly timely thanks to this story by Andrea Tornielli: “A new approach needs to be taken with respect to the administration of the sacraments to remarried divorcees.” Archbishop Lorenzo Baldisseri is... Read more
“The great danger in today’s world, pervaded as it is by consumerism, is the desolation and anguish born of a complacent yet covetous heart, the feverish pursuit of frivolous pleasures, and a blunted conscience. Whenever our interior life becomes caught up in its own interests and concerns, there is no longer room for others, no place for the poor. Whenever our interior life becomes caught up in its own interests and concerns, there is no longer room for others, no... Read more
Almost a year ago, I announced that I was going to make a full-hearted effort to pull back from the temptation to ideological excess, and I completely meant it. I was tired of being angry, more than a little convinced that my anger suited the purposes of others, beyond my ken, and fed up with consenting to being bitter — which was not only exhausting but took me nowhere I wanted to go. Here’s what I’ve learned, so far: It’s... Read more
Back when Strange Gods was first released, I got an email from a friendly fellow named Pete Socks whose site, The Catholic Book Blogger, was about six months old. He gave my book a spanking review and also shot me some fun and interesting questions for an interview, and I began to follow Pete’s work. I was impressed with his energy, his willingness to read and read when the books sometimes flow in more quickly than most of us can... Read more
This happened while I was on vacation, so I’m a little late to it, but it’s terrific news, and not too late to vote for her! The Catholic Spirituality Blogs Network has nominated Margaret, along with other great Catholic writers, for a Frankie Award honoring some of the year’s best blog posts. Margaret is nominated for her brief but well-wrought post, “The Perils of Digging Potatoes”. I wasn’t one to dig potatoes using a spading fork; I found I did... Read more
One of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving is becoming the annual recipe swap between Ace O’ Spades HQ’s Gabriel Malor and me, and our readers, too! In the past we’ve covered quick noshes, like Spiced Nuts, veggie side-dishes like Squash Stuffing, Roasted Parsnips and Apples, Turnips and Carrots (my personal favorite!), and desserts like Pumpkin Cheesecake Dip and Italian Rainbow Cookies. This year, Gabriel is offering Bourbon-berries “in lieu of the traditional can-shaped cranberry sauce” (I’ll take it!) and I’m... Read more
The Anchoress
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In