Each generation is converted by the saint who contradicts it most. (G.K. Chesterton)
Month: July 2022
Banishing Envy
The final words of today’s second reading, from Saint Paul’s letter to the Colossians, like their parallel in Galatians, are much resorted today: Here there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all, and in all.[1] There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave[…]
Coins, Climate and Contraception
As the Pope departs from Canada, after visiting the national shrine of Saint Anne de Beaupré, we pray through the intercession of the good Saint Anne and the Blessed Mother for good fruit and, as he enters into his August rest, that the Holy Spirit guide and inspire him. To be more specific, we pray[…]
The Shadow of Peter
A friend mentioned to me the significance of the papal pilgrimage to Canada – that, regardless of what we think of the current occupant of the chair of Peter, there is still the ‘shadow of Peter’ that follows him whither he goes. The phrase was at first off-putting to me, for, like many readers, I[…]
Distinguishing Sin
Sin is complex, with multiple layers and levels. What is offered here will hopefully help discern our own moral state, as well as, to a lesser extent, what sin may signify in others. To begin, sin is a moral act, something done, or not done, in thought, word or deed. This we may call the[…]
As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live. (Pope Saint John Paul II)
Invasion of the Mind Snatchers
(At the suggestion of a faithful reader, this reflection has been slightly expanded for the sake of clarity, not least the role of the middle 40). I’m sort of surprised that First Things published this piece, on the mass psychosis that has gripped the world. John Watson’s analysis, that there is a 30-40-30 split, like[…]
Sic Transit Gloria Mundi
In 1540, on this 27th day of July, Henry VIII married his fifth wife, Catherine Howard. He was 49, and aged well beyond his years, even for that era, grossly overweight, with boils, and likely syphilis. She may have been 18, a frivolous young woman, who did not long survive the marriage, being soon accused[…]
Blessed Maria Maddalena Martinengo, a Great Imitator of the Humble and Poor Christ
On July 27th the Church celebrates the feast of Blessed Maria Maddalena Martinengo. The Northern Italian Capuchin nun teaches us how to love Christ in humility and total simplicity. Mary was born from a noble family who lived in Brescia on October 4, 1687, at the Martinengo palace in Brescia. Sadly, the ordeal cost the[…]
Crown and Crozier – Podcast on the Papal Visit
I was recently interviewed on the fine new Crown and Crozier podcast, hosted by Patrick Owen Brown (who has a piece published recently in these pages). You may find the piece on their webpage: https://www.crownandcrozier.com/ I don’t quite remember what I said, but I may have been just a tad too rosy-hued, especially given developments[…]