Want a real happy ending for twenty- and thirty-somethings? G. K. Chesterton’s 1912 novel, "Manalive," is a tale about young, bourgeois people living in the modern world. It is also a tale about what is necessary for such people to come alive and enjoy real friendship and communion. The entertainment world fluttered a few weeks [...]
The river stands to me for life and indeed the source of life in God. How lovely it is that the spot we have found for refreshment in the muggy, mosquito-ridden summer is on the Saint Croix River: Holy Cross in English. As I emerge from yet another dive into its depths and find myself [...]
May 26 is the feast day of Philip Neri, known as the Second Apostle of Rome—after Peter himself—and the prophet of joy, a man who was marked by his love of the desert fathers. Philip’s approach to holiness was that all were called to it, including those in the world doing worldly and even intellectual [...]
The long tradition of Catholic higher education is a substantive reality that is held in trust. Too often it has been squandered, sometimes irreparably. Yet “What We Hold in Trust” can serve as a guide for those who have hope of renewal and those who are thinking about new institutions. What We Hold in Trust: [...]
We need a resistance in these dark days to fight those whose bumper stickers say “resist” but whose voices and actions tell us to “submit.” For those who cannot be in the frontlines, funding the campaign is an honorable and necessary task. And one that might just bear fruit. If you are on the side [...]
Evelyn Waugh understands that if a writer is to develop, he “must concern himself more and more with Style.” By approaching words with the attention and craft of a tailor, the literary artist not only communicates but also gives pleasure to others. “What do you think you’re doing?” It’s a question I occasionally get from [...]
What accounts for the dip in the American people's trust in the media? Perhaps it is because our media "watchdogs" have proven over and over again that they answer to one political master: the Democratic party. Though it’s commonly ascribed to the viciousness of Ye Olde Orange Manne Badde, the state of public (lack of) [...]
Obianuju Ekeocha’s “Target Africa” exposes the imposition of destructive, elite American values on Africans by our government, our educational institutions, and our foundations. These “neo-colonialists” treat Africans as children by handing down to them decisions about how to live—decisions that have failed spectacularly in the Western world itself. Target Africa: Ideological Neo-Colonialism In The Twenty-First [...]
Russell Kirk’s prescription of having no major alliances between conservatives and libertarians is wise. Conservatives may stand with libertarians against tyranny and for sensible free market policies, but in the end, I think even accepting the term libertarian is unwise. Should you be a libertarian? The answer, as with every term, depends on how you [...]
The pursuit of women’s equality and happiness is often assumed to be closely tied to choosing work. But would it really be so bad if many mothers—who have the financial means—decide to work part-time or stay home with their children full-time once the COVID restrictions are lifted? One of the details of George Weigel’s biography [...]
The lesson of the great masking crusade is important. We need to admit now that forcing unproven, divisive, and ultimately fruitless policies on the population has been a mistake. Universal mask mandates have not made a difference in fighting COVID. Rather, they have divided our country, provided a surplus of garbage, and caused some dental [...]
‘National Review’ seems collectively incapable of seeing that it is no longer standing athwart history but is instead mostly athwart rank-and-file conservatives. NR is more liberal echo than conservative choice these days, and I don’t see any sign of recovery. William F. Buckley “Every young writer, I imagine,” wrote Ross Douthat, “has their [...]
The lack of any serious communal ascetical practices during Lent and throughout the year is one of the defining weaknesses of modern Christians. What the Catholic Church and various Protestants need is a return to real fasting that is accompanied by both almsgiving and attention to prayer. What are you giving up for Lent? This [...]
We need a culture in which the truly good figures of our past are not canceled because they did not talk in the same way as we do about moral and social issues. We also need a culture in which local and state figures are considered just as important as those on the national level. [...]