The War Faction

Last updated on: December 7, 2011 at 9:17 pm By Mark Gordon

Less than thirty days before the Iowa Caucus, it appears that we are finally achieving some sort of clarity in the race for the Republican presidential nomination. The contours of a real three-candidate contest are finally begining to emerge, with Newt Gingrich as the conservative insurgent, Mitt Romney as the Wall Street Establishment candidate, and Ron Paul in his now-familiar role as libertarian gadfly. From where I sit, Ron Paul can’t win the nomination and Mitt Romney can’t beat Barack... Read more

A Study Of “On The Character of Men And the Virtuous Life”: Part XLI.

Last updated on: December 7, 2011 at 4:00 pm By Henry Karlson

Introduction and Part II “The truly intelligent soul is not disturbed when she sees the success of the wicked and the prosperity of the worthless. Unlike the stupid, she is not deluded by the gratification by such people in this life. For she understands clearly the inconstancy of fortune, the uncertainty and brevity of life, and the unbribability of the Judge; and she is confident that God will not fail to provide her with the nourishment she needs.”[1] The bodily... Read more

For Hope, Saint of the Forgotten

Last updated on: December 7, 2011 at 2:45 pm By Matt Talbot

Sitting with you in that room Among the haunted and wounded Tissue balled in your tender hand As you try to make sense of the senseless The murder of two grandchildren – Your only two – A year apart On the streets of the Forgotten And the grief – The crushing grief The skin of your face Floats on an ocean of tears: And yet While grief is your companion Despair is a stranger. You have adopted the neighborhood, Reaching... Read more

The Victory of the Fish

Last updated on: December 6, 2011 at 12:32 pm By Henry Karlson

The fish symbol, the ichthus, was one of the earliest symbols representing Jesus Christ. The word in Greek, ΙΧΘΥΣ, is an acronym for Ἰησοῦς Χριστός Θεοῦ Υἱός Σωτήρ — Iēsous Christos Theou Uios Sōtēr – translated into English as Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. Jesus is the fish, and the fish was used as a sign in which Christians could identify each other. Theologically, Christians found great significance to the fact that Jesus can be represented by a fish.... Read more

O Felix Culpa

Last updated on: December 6, 2011 at 12:00 am By Henry Karlson

Oh happy fault! Because of sin, the world has been raised up to a higher status than it had at its origin. O felix culpa quae talem et tantum meruit habere redemptorem! O happy fault that merited such and so great a Redeemer! To see sin, evil, as the source of something great, of something good, seems paradoxical if not self-contradictory. And yet, because of sin, we have the incarnation coming to the world to save it. Because of sin,... Read more

Evil Is Not, And Strives To Unmake The Universe In Its Own Image

Last updated on: December 4, 2011 at 11:20 am By Henry Karlson

The ontology of evil is that evil is anti-being, it is a self-destructive parasite whose end, if it were allowed to come to pass, lies in the extermination of being itself. Evil cannot exist on its own, but only thrive on the good, eating away at it until that which was good is no longer and that which is fed on the good will then die out as well. Nonetheless, evil appears in the world, it is a phenomena which... Read more

Stephen Colbert on the new liturgy

Last updated on: December 2, 2011 at 4:25 pm By David Cruz-Uribe

And now some histrionics on the new liturgy that are actually funny: The Colbert Report Enjoy a good laugh, everyone! Read more

Ecce Deum: Caritas

Last updated on: December 2, 2011 at 2:52 pm By Henry Karlson

Love covers a multitude of sins. It is love which frees us, which liberates us from the deterministic habits of sin. When we look at someone in and through the eyes of love, we see what is good and true in them; we don’t judge them, we don’t condemn them: love cannot condemn the beloved. We would rather die and suffer in the place of our beloved than to see them condemned. When we realize God is love, we understand... Read more

Benedict on Capital Punishment

Last updated on: December 1, 2011 at 5:17 pm By Sam Rocha

Read the whole (very brief) address or watch the (very long) video. I express my hope that your deliberations will encourage the political and legislative initiatives being promoted in a growing number of countries to eliminate the death penalty and to continue the substantive progress made in conforming penal law both to the human dignity of prisoners and the effective maintenance of public order. (Hat-tip to K. Estrada, president of Franciscan University of Steubenville’s “Students for a Fair Society”) Read more