There can be little doubt that of the nine books set down to describe Augustine’s life, Book VIII is everyone’s favorite. It is the centerpiece of the story, the necessary hinge on which all the action turns. Not the least of the many astonishing things to be said about Augustine is the fact that it should [...]
In Evangeline's quest of the Bride for the Bridegroom, of the lover for her true beloved, we are reminded of the soul’s quest for Christ, who is the Bridegroom of all bridegrooms. The figure of Evangeline Bellefontaine is as elusive as the figure of Gabriel Lajeunesse, the man to whom she was betrothed and whom [...]
We are so accustomed to regarding the fine arts as simply a means to pursue or attain the beautiful in the abstract, that we forget that for long centuries there was a close connection between the arts and some public purpose. Outside of academia, discussions about theories of art or the relations of art and [...]
Booker T. Washington did not call for a revolution. Instead, he called for the simplest of building blocks in American society: helping your neighbor. I reread an undergraduate paper comparing the educational methods of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois and realized the comparison was horribly incomplete. I cited only Of the Training of Black [...]
We choose our relationship with Death, much the way we choose our relationship with Life; is it going to be about taking or giving, fear or love? Recently, late at night, I passed out twice. The first time, I wondered why my eye was suddenly in sharp contact with the edge of the bathroom counter; [...]
As an authentic expression of leisure, music should at once please and elevate. As an aid to worship, music offers still more. At its best, it tutors us to feel correctly what faith and reason know to be true. Music can and should unite head with heart. That is what Palestrina and his Mass help [...]
Devin Schadt's "The Meaning and Mystery of Man" is an essential and enjoyable read for any husband or any man considering marriage, who wants to understand how wives are “essential in helping us become heroic, valiant, sacrificial men of God, and how a husband’s headship is at the service of completing his bride." The Meaning [...]
We need a return to Christian order and freedom, with God at its center. Only then will society no longer appear broken, and things will work properly. A general sense that society is broken prevails in America today. Polls show that people are not satisfied with the direction the nation is going. Things and institutions [...]
There is little doubt that Dvořák’s "New World Symphony" will be performed across the United States as part of next year’s celebrations to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Perhaps we might hope and pray that the "Te Deum" that he composed to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the discovery of the [...]
Once Pope Pius V excommunicated Queen Elizabeth in 1570, there was a target on all Catholics, especially priests. The Catholic gentry of England put everything on the line to give shelter to the priests, particularly by the construction of hiding places in their large country houses. Here is the story of my trip to some [...]
In the heavenly city, darkness and night are dispelled by the constant radiance of God. Our earthly cities have made a parody of this. “If universe big how God real?” So goes the tongue-in-cheek version of an atheist argument against God’s existence. More seriously: If the claims of Christianity and the other monotheistic religions are [...]
Without contemplation, St. Thomas Aquinas’ "Summa Theologica" is seen as a great stained-glass window, but from the outside. But with contemplation, his masterwork is seen, as if from the inside, iridescent with all the brilliance with which he was able to write, thanks to the Holy Spirit who guided his every word and his every [...]
More than a theological treatise, Sigrid Undset's novel "Olav Audunssøn" remains a true love story, one in which we find a reflection of our own story with a God whose love and mercy are pursuing us even now. Olav Audunssøn by Sigrid Undset Love is as strong as death, as relentless as the underworld (cf. Song 8:6). [...]
In the long term, the hope is for the Gregory the Great Institute to become a major contributor to the “great conversation,” bringing the wisdom of Christendom to Canada’s beleaguered and floundering culture. We live in exciting times. As a native-born Englishman, I rejoice at the news that St. John Henry Newman is soon to [...]