My family has a tradition of creating collages of items that ground or inspire us—pictures, quotes, and various other odds and ends. I’ve created such collections at home and at work. They serve as a sort of public declaration, proclaiming, “This is who I am. Deal with it.” One of the permanent fixtures...
In his prayer for the consecration of Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Pope Francis lamented the collective sins of our world. We can’t see ourselves as free of guilt; we have all fallen. He said: Yet we have strayed from that path of peace. We have forgotten the lesson...
In my last article, I discussed the dangers of traditionalism and finished by promising to address the traditionalist anxiety about change and instability, especially in the liturgy. Many traditionalists make no attempt to appreciate the significance of the Second Vatican Council and its associated reforms. Instead, they treat it as a sort of...
A homily for the Fourth Sunday of Lent (Laetare Sunday)—March 27, 2022. On my way home from an appointment the other day, I was listening to the Spotify All Out 90’s playlist, as one does, when an old favorite that I hadn’t heard in years came on: “Hold On” by Wilson Phillips. If...
A reflection on the readings for the Fourth Sunday of Lent, March 27, 2022. We have heard the parable of the prodigal son many times. It seems that Jesus left the parable wide open with unanswered questions. Did the older son join in the celebration? Did he finally see his father’s point of...
Therefore, Mother of God and our Mother, to your Immaculate Heart we solemnly entrust and consecrate ourselves, the Church and all humanity, especially Russia and Ukraine. Accept this act that we carry out with confidence and love. (scroll down for answer)
In the second installment of this series on Stephanie Gordon’s book, Ask Your Husband: A Catholic Guide to Femininity, published in February by TAN Books, I discussed how Gordon’s guidance is potentially harmful to her readers’ wellbeing. Today I’d like to explore exactly how this harm might play out by looking more closely...
I suppose it was inevitable, but on the eve of Pope Francis’s historic consecration a new conspiracy theory has popped up. It has been championed by the usual suspects in an apparent attempt to disrupt what promises to be a historic and unifying moment of prayer and solidarity for the Church, praying for...
Catholicism is a religion of the paradox, of distinctly opposite ideas that nevertheless are both affirmed in their totality. One and Three. God and Man. Virgin and Mother. Sacrifice and Meal. Another of these dualities is the relationship between doctrine—what the Church teaches—and how the Church puts these teachings into action in its...
On March 25th at around 6:30 p.m. Rome time, Pope Francis will consecrate Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The date is significant; it is the Solemnity of the Annunciation, the same feast chosen by Pope St. John Paul II for his consecration of Russia in 1984. Many writers have...
On the Solemnity of St. Joseph, March 19, 2022, Pope Francis unveiled his highly anticipated reform of the Roman Curia in a new apostolic constitution for the Roman Curia, entitled Praedicate Evangelium, or Preach the Gospel: on the Roman Curia and its Service to the Church and the World. Still only available in...
Two high-ranking Catholic bishops made headlines recently by calling for a change in Church teaching on homosexuality. On February 3, Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, the Bishop of Luxembourg, said bluntly that Catholic doctrine on homosexuality is “sinful” and “wrong” because it is based on out-of-date understandings of sociology and biology. A month later, Bishop...
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