2011-03-03T07:58:34-05:00

Introduction and Part II You should realize that the acquisition of material things and their lavish use is only a short-lived fantasy, and that a virtuous way of life, conforming to God’s will, surpasses all wealth. When you reflect on this and keep it in mind constantly, you will not grumble, whine or blame anyone, but will thank God for everything, seeing that those who rely on repute and riches are worse off than yourself. For desire, love of glory... Read more

2011-03-02T17:12:26-05:00

Read rightly, Anselm’s account of the atonement is finally not economic. It is not a matter of debt, of juridical equity and restitution, of compensatory loss or penal suffering. As Anselm says, in accord with standard precepts of medieval theology, God needs nothing and no necessity compels God to act as God does in redeeming us from sin. Likewise, God does not demand bloodshed, divine justice is not in conflict with divine mercy, and God’s power and dignity cannot be... Read more

2011-03-02T13:30:04-05:00

Introduction and Part II We have received from God self-control, forbearance, restraint, fortitude, patience, and the like, which are great and holy powers, helping us to resist the enemy’s attacks.[1] We must exercise the virtues given to us by nature, to make them grow with use, if we want to overcome the temptations which come before us on a daily basis. It is normal to suggest that the way to defend oneself from temptation, from the enemy’s attacks, is to... Read more

2011-03-02T07:00:44-05:00

The following quote is the epilogue of The Long Loneliness, the autobiography of Dorothy Day.  This passage has strongly influenced my thinking on many things, not least the Eucharist.  (In fact, it is so important to me that I have left instructions in my will for it to be read at my funeral.)  Some years ago I remember telling my then spiritual director that after communion I was looking at the line of people coming up to receive and thinking,... Read more

2011-03-01T20:00:29-05:00

Long time reader and friend of Vox Nova, Adam V, who has his own blog, Adam V’s Blog, has written this post for the readers of Vox Nova. Please consider what he is saying and try to think with him the issues he has brought up. Thoughtful responses would be appreciated. … Has anybody ever had a day that caused them to ask deeper questions about why things are the way they are? I turned 29 two weeks ago, and... Read more

2011-03-01T10:30:29-05:00

I am around a half-century old, and as such, was probably in the last cadre of Americans saddled with the notions of American manhood that would have been recognizable to DH Lawrence: The essential American soul is hard, isolate, stoic and a killer. It has never yet melted. I have come to realize that the notions of what constituted “masculinity” that I was raised on and which I absorbed from a million TV westerns and adventure shows was a fraud,... Read more

2011-03-01T07:13:06-05:00

The first thing to keep in mind is that following Christ is not a career move. The mark of authentic conversion is that it costs you something, not that it gains you something. So if you’re trying to become, say, a “pro-life” or an anti-war or a convert celebrity, that is something, but it is not Christianity. That is to bring the world into the temple; that is to be a money-changer in the temple: to make a name for... Read more

2011-03-01T07:00:04-05:00

Introduction and Part II The truly intelligent man pursues one sole objective: to obey and conform to the God of all. With this single aim in view, he disciplines his soul, and whatever he may encounter in the course of his life, he gives thanks to God for the compass and depth of His providential ordering of all things. For it is absurd to be grateful to doctors who give us bitter and unpleasant medicines to cure our bodies, and... Read more

2011-02-28T12:58:01-05:00

I’ve received a lot useful feedback on my recent talk, “White History Month,” that I gave at my institutional home, Wabash College. (You can view the talk here via the college’s YouTube channel.) Much of the feedback has given me new things to think about, but there is one limit to the talk that I had in mind when I wrote, although I have yet to address it explicitly until now. Since the talk was given in a non-religious setting... Read more

2011-02-27T13:17:39-05:00

I. Introduction We know little about the early ascetic training of St. Anthony of Egypt. What St Athanasius tells us leaves us many questions. Perhaps the most interesting question, and one which we will never be able to answer, is this one: who exactly were the men Anthony associated with who first taught him how to be an ascetic?[1] While the assumption is that these men were Christians, and they were some sort of proto-monastics who lived in the city,... Read more

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