No, my dear brethren, even if you could perform miracles, you will never be saved if you have not charity. Not to have charity is not to know your religion; it is to have a religion of whim, mood, and inclination. Carry on, carry on, you are only hypocrites and outcasts! Without charity, you will never see God, you will never go to heaven! -St. John Vianney Alas, my dear brethren, the person who has no charity goes far afield... Read more
A while back, I introduced everyone to my patron, St. Macarius the Great. He has some great homilies that help to prepare Christians for the trials and tribulations that we will encounter along this narrow path. What’s that? You don’t need to hear anything from a desert father about the inner struggle in the life of the Christian? Don’t delude yourself. Think back over the past 9-10 years regarding scandals among the priesthood. Or better yet, look back just recently... Read more
Who’s the fairest of the all? Mammon! Have you been getting tired of all the Debt Crises du jour stories? Back in April, I did a little tongue-in-cheek post about Mammon, and how even if we actually worshipped him, we would do so in a manner that would put us at risk. And in terms of debt forgiveness, Mammon, would prefer we bring back debtor prisons, rather than ever forgive debt. Would you be surprised to learn that debt... Read more
What follows are a few thoughts on Christian peace of the soul by my friend John C.H. Wu. They are from the chapter in his book “The Interior Carmel” that reflect upon the beatitude “blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.” How soon we forget this calling of ours! Not only our vocation as peacemakers, but our destiny to become the adopted children of God.The Source of Peace John C.H. Wu Nothing conduces to peace... Read more
Patricia Cornell, proprietor of St. Theodosia’s Icon Shop writes,The Pantocrator on your website is one of my favorites! The text in the Book Jesus is holding is a combination of two Biblical texts on “judge not lest you be judged in the same way” (my paraphrase). It is one of my favorites and I handcraft this image, as well. In Christ, Patricia Thanks Patricia! Actually, when Christ holds an open book, this is a variant of the Pantocrator and is... Read more
John Cusack is Martin Blank My wife has a theory: the sound track makes the movie. I’m not saying I agree with her 100% on this, but her point is well taken. Some folks know how to adapt music to films, but most don’t. This is the first in a series of posts where I can firmly say, “They got the music right on this one!” (more…) Read more
Remember I told you that Marc Barnes, aka “the Kid” , and blogger at BadCatholic, was in Madrid for World Youth Day? The proof is above. That photograph is one of 106 that Life Teen International has posted over on their Facebook page. Here’s another with Marc and his buddies, Go check them all out. And while you’re at it, go check out Marc’s post over at Virtouspla.net It’s about Superman, or something. Read more
The real trouble with this world of ours is not that it is an unreasonable world, nor even that it is a reasonable one. The commonest kind of trouble is that it is nearly reasonable, but not quite. Life is not an illogicality; yet it is a trap for logicians. It looks just a little more mathematical and regular than it is; its exactitude is obvious, but its inexactitude is hidden; its wildness lies in wait. —G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy, Chapter... Read more
Sheesh! I wonder if the video below was done before or after the allegations of problems with the staff of Real Catholic TV came to light. It is so far off the deep end, as you’ll see. Anyone with access to books can refute this asserted notion in under two minutes. That the Priscillianists were heretics is undisputed. But alas, Priscillian and his staff were excommunicated (and executed, by the way) not because they were “taking communion in the hand,”... Read more
Originally published on February 10, 2010. Before I was a Catholic, yet seriously considering the idea of becoming one, my wife made a suggestion to me. My daughter was preparing for her First Communion and while the children were being prepared, there was someone speaking to the parents in the parish hall in the interim. My wife said he was a very good speaker and that I might enjoy what this person had to say. I was dubious, to say the least.... Read more
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