“I have a question for you. If someone on the outside appoints a superior for your Carmel, without the knowledge or consent of any of the nuns, how would this go down?” Over the past year, there have been various articles and comments concerning the situation of the Carmelite Monastery in Arlington, Texas....
A reflection on the readings for May 5, 2024 — The Sixth Sunday of Easter. (When audio is available, you can find it here.) As you heard today’s scripture reading (or read it in the missal) did you notice a word stand out? Between the second reading and the gospel, “love” is found...
[Updated May 6, 2024] Bishop Strickland has used his social media once again to promote an anti-Catholic cause. This time, he promoted a schismatic group in his home state. In my recent article about a rumored Vatican document about discerning apparitions and supernatural phenomena, I briefly mentioned a situation in the Archdiocese of...
Now then, we have decreed that no Christian should compel those who are unwilling and refusing to come to baptism. If, however, any of the Jews flee to the Christians for the sake of the faith, once his will has been made manifest, let him be made a Christian without calumny. Truly no...
There has been some buzz recently in Catholic social media over the announcement of the “Catholics in Communion” conference in Bozeman, Montana, hosted by the good folks over at TradRecovery.com. Naturally, their criticisms have been perceived by those attached to the Mass of Antiquity as an attack on “Traditionalism” itself. The esteemed Catholic...
“Jesus came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue. They were astonished and said, ‘Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds? Is he not the carpenter’s son?’” (Mt 13:54-55) Today, on the feast of St. Joseph the Worker, we contemplate the dignity of work. The person...
[Updated] Marissa Greene of Fort Worth Report has reported that the Arlington Carmelites have withdrawn their request for a restraining order against Bishop Michael Olson and officials from the group of monasteries to which they belong, the Association of Christ the King: Following the sudden cancellation of an April 30 court hearing between...
I actually meant to write this post a week or so ago, but with so many things going on, I’m only posting this now. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m attempting to ease myself out of the apologetics sphere a bit and try to look ahead, in part because there are plenty of good...
A reflection on the readings for April 28, 2024 — The Fifth Sunday of Easter In 21st-century American Christianity, there appears to be a strong desire to separate belief in Christ from membership in the Church. This is backed up by strong anecdotal evidence, the proliferation of Christian movements who resist the “church”...
[The use of nuclear energy] has become a reality and had its application in the construction of the “atomic bomb” or “bomb of nuclear energy”: the most terrible weapon that the human mind has, to this date, devised. Im this conjuncture, we cannot refrain from expressing a thought that constantly grieves our soul,...
The very notion of the development of Catholic doctrine is of course very much in discussion today and will be for a long while yet, but it seems to me that the concept itself is a bit messier than is typically depicted. To illustrate what the development of doctrine looks like, analogies from...
I have spent much of the past week following the latest developments in the ongoing drama between the embattled Carmelite nuns of Arlington, Texas, and Bishop Michael Olson of Fort Worth. I also took some time to look back at the beginning of the conflict, seeking a better understanding of what led to...
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