First of all, sorry I’ve been away for a while. If you didn’t notice, I tried to avoid political discussion during Lent. Since then, I have been completing my dissertation and trying to get a job. (I just got back from a campus visit at Wabash College; wish me fortune.) But I had come back, however briefly, for this. Upon reading about the recent “law” passed in Arizona, here are two quick remarks: (more…) Read more
We knew this was coming. It’s part of the Netanyahu administration’s plan to ethnically cleanse east Jerusalem of Palestinians – the kind of deportation that violate the moral law and as such are condemned vigorously by Gaudium Et Spes. Add that to war crimes in Gaza and see what you get. Here’s Juan Cole: “The new Israeli policy of deporting Palestinians from the West Bank on arbitrary grounds has kicked in with Ahmad Sabah, who has just been deported to Gaza and... Read more
The most famous and beloved story of St George is that of his slaying of the dragon. In it we are told that near his birth city, Beirut, there was a lake in which a dragon (or a sea serpent) lived. It would from time to time come on land to feed, eating the people which happened to be in its path. The city was told, through its idols, that they could not overcome the beast, but they could pacify... Read more
All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Earth, our mother, who feeds us in her sovereignty and produces various fruits with colored flowers and herbs. (St Francis of Assisi). From the very source, of this our life and light, there indeed issued forth by a sort of emanation the life, illumination, and soul of creation, Endelechia. She was like a sphere, of vast size yet of fixed dimensions, and such as one might not perceive visually, but only by... Read more
Among the main images of the Novgorod cathedral (from the time of Iaroslav the Wise), we find a unique female figure in royal clothing, seated on a throne. Two figured are arranged on both sides of it, facing it and leaning toward it: the Mother of God of the Byzantine type on the right; and John the Baptist on the left. Christ rises above the seated figure with arms outstretched, and above Him we can see the heavenly world, in... Read more
From time to time, I see Catholics writing about the “myths” Protestants and non-Christians have about Catholics. Sometimes those lists are good, sometimes they are not so good. Nonetheless, there is something I think which is important, and which needs to be addressed: mistakes many Catholics have about the Catholic faith. For this post, I decided to list ten things which I hear, from time to time, from others, which are just not right. The first four are inter-related, and... Read more
I’m hesitant to write this kind of post. In the first instance, it will be seen as defense of the church. Some will even see it as a defense of sexual predators. There are a lot of assumptions about sexual abuse, and they carry over into our everyday conversations. To start, I’m going to just give some basic facts. These numbers are from the CDC. Among high school students, 8% are reported to have been forced to have sex. In... Read more
While in Italy, Goethe wrote, “It is a matter of historical observation that all religions, as their ritual or the theological speculation expands, must sooner or later reach the point of allowing the animals to share to some extent in their spiritual patronage.”[1] He is certainly onto something with this rather lucid statement; while not all theological traditions within every religion will go as far as suggested by this passage, nonetheless, within the major religious faiths, such ideas do develop.... Read more
Dear readers, This has been a long time coming, but after much reflection I have decided to take an extended and perhaps permanent hiatus from blogging here at Vox Nova. As one of the blog’s founding members, it is difficult to step away from the project, especially after working with such great co-contributors over the last three years. I am quite happy with the work we’ve done, and I am honored to have been part of the blog for so... Read more
Nicholas Cafardi has written one of the best post-mortems yet related to the role of the bishops at the healthcare bill. He goes over ground that is very familiar to Vox Nova. The bishops opposed the final bill because its treatment of abortion was different from the original Stupak approach it had supported, but — as was patently clear from reading the two bills side by side — the differences on abortion were not great. One could argue that the original Stupak language was... Read more
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