Western Civilization is undeniably in decline and indeed its very existence is in doubt. Yet these thoughts ought not to drag conservatives down into a morass of defeatism. Though the hour is late, a remnant must run to the barricades and shield itself and whatever is left of Western Civilization from the barbarians at the [...]
The world needs young men who will devote their great energy to meaningful work, who will not follow a whining culture, who will stand out, stand up, and work hard. If you want a meaningful, worthwhile life, you must work hard. This is true for anyone, though my focus here is young men. Our culture [...]
The question of the purpose of peace has troubled humanity from the time an ancient hand was first raised in anger. It is one thing to win a war and impose peace on a vanquished enemy, and altogether another thing to cultivate one’s own victorious city or nation once the wolf has been held at [...]
I find George Bernanos’ classic novel, "The Diary of a Country Priest," an unsatisfying tale that incarnates Bernanos’ own bleak vision of life, whereas Francis Kilvert’s diaries are delightful, and the real incarnation of a life of faith and service in the countryside. Francis Kilvert In 1979, I went to study theology at [...]
Prudence takes into account a deeper wisdom about the human condition than can be gleaned from a simple cost-benefit analysis. It understands that human communities are not merely about justice and the Gross Domestic Product, but about love. And sacrificial love doesn’t hesitate to rush in even against the worst odds. Recently I sat at [...]
What Willa Cather did in "O, Pioneers!" was create an American Myth, the difficult—slow but steady—story of a pioneer, a Swedish woman, Alexandra, who yearns to love the land and succeeds in doing so. Every once in a while, slow and steady wins the race. One of America’s greatest literary regionalists, Nebraskan Willa Cather (1873-1947), [...]
Should honor and fame no longer be ends of ambition in such a world? The ancient philosophers doubted the ultimate merit of fame, but they also looked for the most spirited students, those most inclined to “undertake extensive and arduous enterprises." In response to my essay about baptizing ambition, a friend from Boston College recommended [...]
By my reckoning, Frank Martin and Arthur Honegger were among the greats of 20th-century classical music. Fusing tradition with the new, they created works rich in humanity that leave a deep impression on the listener. Instead of throwing tonality out the window, they enriched it with fascinating new sounds, and they never forgot music’s human [...]
Eutrapelia—the habit of playing well, of having good leisure—is one way to practice rest by doing something that brings us delight. It prepares us for eternity. If we cannot learn to rest in something good here on earth, how will we be able to rest in heaven? What would alien invaders make of watching a [...]
In the liberal tradition, Adam is described as the one who must toil against a surrounding lack in order to be properly made man. But Genesis undercuts the idea that toil is man’s “lot,” if by it one means that toil is man’s by nature, in the order of Creation, rather than by punishment, in [...]
Edvard Grieg composed his "Ave Maris Stella" ("Hail Star of the Sea"), for mixed choir, in 1898. Its lyrics, in Latin and English, are below the embedded video. Ave, maris stella, Dei mater alma, atque semper virgo, felix cœli porta. Sumens illud "Ave" Gabrielis ore, funda nos in pace, mutans Evæ nomen Solve vincla reis, [...]
After the Second Vatican Council, not only were mystics and saints all but absent, but so also were the sort of new and vital religious orders to help spread and disseminate the teachings of the Council. However, as history has shown, pendulums do swing. St John Henry Newman’s “New Spring” is at last on the [...]
If you still get distracted in prayer, still get angry unreasonably, still dread lots of tasks that you should be doing—take your focus off the feelings. Instead, ask yourself: do I know what I should be doing? If not, pray to God to show you. Two truths of the Christian life: First, self-reflection is a [...]
Each of us, in the face of an atrocity, can only pray to the Madonna with the Sword-Pierced Heart, seeking the mercy of her Son for sinful humanity and seeking to share in her sorrow for those innocent victims of man’s inhumanity to man. And the Pope has cast his arms abroad for agony and [...]