Woe to me if I should prove myself but a half-hearted soldier in the service of my thorn-crowned Captain (Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen, +1622)
Year: 2023
Interpreting the Scriptures Concerning Himself
In the Nicene Creed we find the phrase, “[Jesus] suffered death and was buried, and rose again . . . in accordance with the Scriptures.” These words of the creed echo a statement from Saint Paul: “Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the[…]
Saint George, Shakespeare and the Millennium
Today is a national holiday in England – as they commemorate the semi-legendary Saint George, martyr for the Faith, slayer of the dragon and rescuer of princesses. This is also, by one of those remarkable coincidences of providence, the birth and death of their greatest playwright, yes, the inimitable William Shakespeare, who both entered and[…]
Brian Boru, Charles and James
On this day in 1014, at the Battle of Clontarf, just outside Dublin, the great high king of Ireland, Brian Boru, died in battle against the Vikings – a Good Friday that year, alas. The Irish won – which is why it’s still called Ireland, and not Daneland, and with better music as a result[…]
Easter, Atonement and the Mystagogy of Our Faith
These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you – that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures…. You are witnesses of these things (Lk. 24: 44-48). As we continue[…]
The Road to Emmaus
As Catholics, we are truly blessed by how our Scripture readings at Mass are linked to the great events we are commemorating. For instance, today we are celebrating the third Sunday of Easter and the Church provides us with another appearance of the Risen Lord Jesus. It is one of the most well-known and loved[…]
The Dark Side of ESG – Environmental, Sustainable, Governance
(On this eve of ‘Earth Day’ – if you’ve lost real liturgical feast days, as Robespierre discovered, you’ve got to make them up – it would some good to remind ourselves with Dr. Eshan Dias’ fine summary of the background to the anti-human current climate cult, which goes back decades, and is now bearing its[…]
Blessed James Duckett: The Joy of Forgiveness
Before this day ends, a brief word about the remarkable, and largely unknown, Blessed James Duckett, about whom I knew nothing until a write for Catholic Insight mentioned his name just today, and I just had to mention him to readers. He was one of the panoply of ‘English martyrs’ of the Reformation, put to[…]
What Keeps Me Spreading the Message of the Divine Mercy
It was last Thursday, during the Easter Octave, I went down in the kitchen of the friary to take a cup of coffee as I normally do every now and then. Upon entering the kitchen, near the microwave, I saw a brown envelope, on which were written these words: To you dear priest. Being a[…]
SCOTUS to Rule on Chemical Abortions
At a local pro-life dinner a number of years ago – perhaps seven, but it’s getting hard to tell as time inexorably flows by – one of our alumnae gave a talk, that by far most abortions now, and even more so into the future, will be of the chemical sort. That is, the unborn[…]