This week I am a guest on the Brooklyn Diocese’s New Evangelization Television, speaking about the end times. The main question: are all these natural disasters signs of the end of history? Answer: no. Rather than speaking about the end of history, we should be speaking about the history of the end. “The end” has a long history, from the expectation among Paul’s early followers that Jesus would come back quickly (see 1 Thess 2:19; 3:13; 4:15; 5:23; 1 Cor... Read more
I just listened to the President’s speech defending American intervention in Libya. I found it powerful and well reasoned, but less than compelling. However, while listening to the speech, a thought came to me that shows there are complications to the situation that he has failed to address and which point to a flaw in the American position. The question that came to me is simply this: what about Sirte? (more…) Read more
Introduction and Part II We find ourselves once again in a series of paragraphs with related theme, that of the nature and experience of good and evil. We are in familiar territory, but we find the text once again delving into the territory with some new insight. If we took the time to explore everything contained in the next few paragraphs, and discern what is being said in them, we would find out we are dealing with a spiritual genius.... Read more
Perhaps the New Testament prophecy that the charity of many will grow cold envisages precisely our present time. It is a tragic epoch, for it must understand two things simultaneously: that nothing else is worthwhile in the world except man (because there is nothing else in the world on which one can stake oneself)–and that yet ultimately man is not worthwhile. This is the time of philanthropism and perfect humanism, when all philosophies whether of the East or of the... Read more
Over at the Commonweal blog, they are discussing the need to be more accommodating to couples who wish to receive the Sacrament of Marriage if the Church is going to continue to be a going concern, considering marriages authorized by the D. of Providence (RI) have plummeted 71% in a 40-year span whereas population increased about 5%. We are presently at a time and place where pastors are increasingly not surprised to have a true pagan seeking instruction on entering... Read more
After an article in L’Osservatore Romano decried France’s hasty call for arms over Libya, and after the Pope has already said the civilians in Libya should be protected, it should not be surprising that Pope Benedict is now speaking out on the Libyan situation and calling for an end to the use of arms over Libya. It should surprise no one that I believe that the strikes are gravely unjust. While there might be a good cause behind it (though... Read more
I have been loosely following Jim Manzi’s critique of economics. He has been addressing head on the physics envy of the economics profession. His argument to me is pretty simple: economists may indeed have insight to offer into various discussions but those insights should by regarded for the most part as the inferences of specialists as opposed to the strict application of principles that a technician would use. A lot of the folks don’t seem to understand the distinction he... Read more
Introduction and Part II Evil is a passion found in matter, and so it is not possible for a body to come into being free from evil. The intelligent soul, grasping this, strives to free itself from the evil burden of matter; and when it is free from this burden, it comes to know the God of all, and keeps watch on the body as being an enemy and does not yield to it. Then the soul is crowned by... Read more
Scenes of Romero in the foreground. His speeches from the movie in the background. Read more
Lest there was any doubt that the fundamental aim is to tilt the bargaining power (even more!) toward employers, the latest initiative from the House Republicans calls for starving striking workers into submission. This is only the slightest of exaggerations. The proposal is to completely cut off food stamp benefits to household where any “able-bodied work eligible adult member” decides to go on strike. This is a fundamental assault on the non-negotiable rights of workers. It stands completely against the tenor... Read more
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