I want to start by acknowledging the obvious. Like most of us, I am a blog sinner. That I put forward suggestions for better blogging and blog commenting by no means implies that I have never transgressed my own advice. Nevertheless, I have occasionally been privileged to initiate and participate in charitable and productive blog discussions on controversial topics. A couple of months ago, a commenter here at Vox Nova suggested that I try to bottle such discussions and sell... Read more
Part XIII Words have been granted the power of sub-creation, Because all things have been made through the Word. Through them, we produce worlds of our own imagination, And, through his mediation, not one need be deemed absurd. Inspired, the author who follows their ideas to the end, Will find what is made reveals something about the Real. Through them, author and readers alike apprehend More of the Great Mystery which gives life its appeal. Being creatures whose existence reflects... Read more
I have been planning this post since Christmas, but was taking some time to get my thoughts in order. Given the recent discussion here about the death penalty, I decided to shift the focus of my question to a pair of closely related questions: 1) Does the Church now teach that slavery is an intrinsic evil? 2) Should the Church teach that the death penalty is an intrinsic evil? Let me be clear that I understand that the Church does... Read more
From the last period of the XIXth Century on, state intervention has been needed to compensate for the general disregard for justice and human solidarity that prevailed during the early phases of the industrial revolution. State legislation with regard to employment and labor is in itself a requirement of the common good. And without the power of the State – the democratic Sstate – how could a free body politic resist the pressure or the aggression of the totalitarian States?... Read more
It is anywhere from difficult to impossible, to be an imperial power and also have a free citizenry in your home territory. The oppressive tactics you use on the dominated “Other” eventually come home to be used on those who threaten the power of those who run the empire. Bradley Manning’s mistreatment in his confinement is a very worrying sign that this process may be accelerating. Discuss. Read more
Over the long weekend, I managed to gain a slight appreciation for something I had pretty much given up on: Internet commentary. Compared to the commentary offered by family and friends, Internet commentary seemed halfway informed. The most common theme was the belief that we faced obvious choices that people were unwilling to choose. (more…) Read more
In the 1930s and 1940s, German emigré composer Paul Hindemith was in the habit of writing a spiritual motet each Christmas for his wife, a soprano (who was, incidentally, Jewish), to perform in their home. I have performed the one inserted below, the highly dramatic “Angelus Domini apparuit,” which corresponds to today’s Feast of the Holy Innocents. The Latin text is the chilling account in Matthew 2:13-18 of the slaughter of the innocents: The angel of the Lord appeared to... Read more
May God bless you with discomfort… at easy answers, hard hearts, half-truths, and superficial relationships. May God bless you so that you may live from deep within your heart where God’s Spirit dwells. May God bless you with anger… at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people. May God bless you so that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace. May God bless you with tears… to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation and war. May God... Read more
May Christmas help to strengthen and renew, throughout the world, the consensus concerning the need for urgent and adequate measures to halt the production and sale of arms, to defend human life, to end the death penalty, to free children and adolescents from all forms of exploitation, to restrain the bloodied hand of those responsible for genocide and crimes of war, to give environmental issues, especially after the recent natural catastrophes, the indispensable attention which they deserve for the protection... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In