Today, the 20th of July, is the Feast of the Prophet Elijah. Carmelites trace their spiritual legacy to him; St John the Baptist presents to us the fruits of that tradition; he is granted a place next to Jesus the God-man like no other: tradition calls John the Friend of the Bridegroom. But why is Elijah so important? What is the meaning of Elijah’s life? Why was he seen next to Moses at the Transfiguration? Many suggest that Moses represented... Read more
Reflecting on Bush’s dubious theology that freedom is God’s gift to mankind, and the US is divinely-ordained to spread “freedom”, Ross Douthat had the following to say: “The gift of freedom that Christ promises is far more real than anything else in this world, if Christian teaching on the matter is correct. On the other hand, there’s nothing that’s political about that promise, and the attempt to transform God’s promise of freedom through Jesus Christ into a this-world promise of... Read more
Chávez does a great job trying not to stay out of the spotlight: After the government takes over the management of the “Virgen de Coromoto” hospital in the city of Maracaibo this coming August, the name of the institution will be changed to Ernesto “Ché” Guevara. In addition, the statue of Our Lady of Coromoto will be replaced by a bust of Ché. The Virgen de Coromoto is the patroness of Venezuela. For more, visit El Diario de las Américas... Read more
This evening around the country at the stroke of midnight, the 7th Harry Potter book will be released in the US. Will Harry successfully kill Lord Voldemort? Will Harry die in the process? Will Ron or Hermione be killed? Does Dumbledore return? Will Hogwarts be closed? These are the questions I have as I wait to read the final book. How wonderful that both children and adults can enjoy these stories. Ms. Rowling truly is a good story teller for... Read more
Christopher Dawson: “Every living creature must possess some spiritual dynamic, which provides the energy necessary for that sustained social effort which is civilization. Normally this dynamic is supplied by a religion, but in exceptional circumstances the religious impulse may disguise itself under philosophical or political forms.” (Progress and Religion) He thought the three chief political substitutes for religion in the 20th Century were: Democracy, Socialism, and Nationalism. “Democracy bases its appeal on the sacredness of the People – the consecration... Read more
The Devil Came on Horseback. Here’s a summary of the film: THE DEVIL CAME ON HORSEBACK exposes the tragedy taking place in Darfur as seen through the eyes of an American witness who has since returned to the US to take action to stop it. Using the exclusive photographs and first hand testimony of former U.S. Marine Captain Brian Steidle, THE DEVIL CAME ON HORSEBACK takes the viewer on an emotionally charged journey into the heart of Darfur, Sudan, where... Read more
I’m going to attempt to be brief tonight, and so I request some indulgence in that I won’t be attempting to address objections in the post but I may do so in the comments. One of the more disturbing trends I see is a reduction to fatalism of many of the world’s problems. While in most cases the rational actor is not completely denied, the rational actor is certainly diminished. Fatalism has a certain attraction in that we don’t have... Read more
At Coalition for Fog, a few commentators have actually defended the U.S. use of atomic weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. Despite the fact that the use of these weapons is perhaps the greatest sin committed by the United States and that Catholic support or defense of their use is a self-refuting idea, we still find Catholics claiming that these weapons of mass destruction saved lives purchased at the cost of a lesser evil. This is perhaps... Read more
There have been many reactions to the recent CDF document, Responses to Some Questions Regarding Certain Aspects of the Doctrine of the Church, most of which were as one expected. A few which have not been sufficiently discussed, like the response of Pope Shendouda III , are somewhat surprising and should be examined without any media bias reading into what was said. However, the presentation of the document by the media, and the selection of respondents the media presented us... Read more
Somewhat surprisingly, my recent post defending gun control proved to be one of the most controversial. I must therefore be a masochist, as I have a burning desire to revisit this topic!! Then again, I remain convinced that I am right 🙂 Last time, I showed that gun-related deaths (both suicide and homicide) were staggeringly high in the United States. This time, I would like to get a little more rigorous, by looking at cross-country patterns of gun deaths and... Read more
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