Inspired by Truth, Enlightening Minds for the Church in Canada and Throughout the World
Inspired by Truth, Enlightening Minds for the Church in Canada and Throughout the World
I have been asked by a reader to comment on two recent Ottawa-related themes: The first is our Prime Minister’s participation in the rites and rituals of other faiths, and by ‘other’, I mean other than his own Catholicism. Trudeau, who can be found praying in various religious houses, from Muslim to Buddhist to Jewish,[…]
Today marks the 267th anniversary of the death of Johann Sebastian Bach, who passed into eternity this day in 1750, after a rather barbaric and unsuccessful attempt at eye surgery to heal his progressive blindness. Somewhat underappreciated during his lifetime, Bach is now recognized as one of the greatest composer in history, to some the[…]
Before we leave Saint James the Greater and polygamy behind for now, two further factoids that came across my attention: It seems the Mormons claim in their own tradition that the same very James, along with Peter and John, who are often linked together in the Gospels, appeared on a certain day in 1829 to[…]
I joked of ‘fortress U.S.A.’ in a text message as my travelling companion and I drove through the desolate countryside south of Winnipeg. On the return journey of a cross-Canada drive, we had decided to take the route partly through America, to save time, and see the southern shore of Lake Superior, whose rugged, hilly[…]
Yesterday, Dr. Sephora Tang, a young psychiatrist plying her trade in Ottawa, whom I happen to know, was on the CBC’s Ontario Today defending conscience rights of physicians, especially in the face of the euphemistic ‘medical assistance in dying’ laws forcing them to participate in euthanasia. Doctors are fighting an uphill battle, as they are[…]
I write driving (as a passenger, not to worry) through the majestic scenery of the Canadian Rockies, the views surreally obscured by the smoke of nearby raging forest fires, a natural occurrence which normally provides much benefit: Removing old growth, preparing for new, sort of like an arboreal Lent. Of course, the effect on those[…]
Today marks the 228th anniversary of the official beginning of the French Revolution, back in 1789 with the storming of the Bastille prison. Much ado is made of this ‘storming’, even though there were only seven inmates still there. The Marquis de Sade (from whom we derive the term ‘sadism’) had been imprisoned for his[…]
I have an article published this morning in Crisis magazine, on a quartet of totalitarian thought-control laws recently passed here in Canada. Feel free to peruse and comment. One of the purposes of this cross-Canada pilgrimage on which I have ventured is to pray for this country, which adopted me from Scotland, along with so[…]
Today is the feast of Saint Benedict, with the variety of whose ‘options’ carrying his name he may not necessarily agree. At a young age, he retreated from the decadence of sixth century Rome, but, as is often the case, the world, or at least some from the world, followed him. Truth and holiness have[…]
Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God (Mt 5:8) But I say to you every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart (Mt 5:28) In the matter of purity, there is no greater danger than not fearing the danger; when a man[…]
