“Capitalists” are often accused of wanting unfettered markets in which the only value is the almighty dollar and nobody cares about anything that is not related to making money. But others claim that capitalism is progressive by nature. Which is it? Is capitalism itself intrinsically “woke”? In “The Distributist” column in the latest issue of [...]
We can give those things God has asked, Fr. Leonard Klein asserted, for “He has not abandoned us; he has given us life and gifts in this place and this time, for this place and time.” The attentive reader will find that his sermons are a great aid to thinking through what holy living means [...]
Thankfulness to God who offers friendship is the sine qua non of eucharistic living. Thankfulness for and attention to our old friends make us open to new friends whom God will place in our lives. In that way, our friendships here prepare us for heaven. Victor Lee Austin, Friendship: The Heart of Being Human (173 [...]
If empirical science itself does not lead to atheism, the approach to science that has been taken surely has. For modernity to give way to something better, we need to trust our reason in an expansive sense as a gift of God to know our own hearts and minds—and to know the whole of his [...]
In the long battle for the human soul, there are finally only two alternatives laid out long ago by God: life or death. What we need, theologian Philip Rolnick says, is “the gospel that has never ceased offering its life-giving alternative.” The Long Battle for the Human Soul, by Philip A. Rolnick (171 pages, Baylor, [...]
The hardest part of Lent is the consistency. It takes what the Desert Fathers, those famous old monks of the Egyptian desert starting around the third century, liked to call “discernment” or “discretion.” In a modern Catholic context, “discernment” often means determining whether God wants you to be a priest, a deacon, or a religious. [...]
We ought to aim at the toughest penances, I believe. But we ought to remember two things. God has put the best ones right in front of our noses—if only we’ll accept the grace to see them and thank God in the midst of them. What ought I to do for extra penance in Lent? [...]
It might be odd to say, but one prominent virtue of two new anthologies of Christian poetry is their prose. The Saint Mary’s Book of Christian Verse Chosen and introduced by Edward Short; foreword by Dana Gioia 412 pages, Gracewing, 2022 Christian Poetry in America Since 1940: An Anthology Edited by Micah Mattix and Sally [...]
Much of what Jesus had to say on debts, taxes, death, and charity, as well as other aspects of money, economic life, and discipleship, was expressed in his parables. Thus, this might be a very good time to pick up Fr. Robert Sirico’s new book, "The Economics of the Parables." The Economics of the Parables [...]
My Grandma knew that it was only Jesus who could change the world. Our job was, as the song had it, to “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way/to be happy in Jesus/but to trust and obey.” It has been 125 years since she was born and nearly 30 years since she died, and [...]
While Benedict XVI may not himself have made great contributions to the natural sciences, he made what is much more important: a contribution to understanding a world in which the truth is one, is God’s, and, from atoms to archangels, is capable of being seen as connected. A great deal has been written about the [...]
Stanford University IT department’s “Elimination of Harmful Words Initiative” document was released recently, with its list of harmful words, suggested alternatives, and explanations for why the forbidden words are so bad. But what is truly harmful is giving fools and knaves the power to tell us how to talk when there is no real moral [...]
Ronald Knox is a spiritual master whose value is not found in a “verbal fireworks show that will wow you” but preaching “utterly useful to one attempting to live Christian life.” For that reason, it is a delight to see that Cluny Media has republished two of his classics. Taken together they provide a kind [...]
Robert Hugh Benson's "The Lord of the World" is a cracking tale of science fiction and alternate history, but the lessons it teaches have to do with spiritual facts fitting for your Advent preparations. It will also help you get ready for the end of the world. Did you know that “Dies Irae,” the hymn [...]