Malcolm Muggeridge, renowned journalist from England, friend of Mother Theresa and convert to the Catholic Church, wrote an article entitled, “The Great Liberal Death Wish.”
Originally published in Imprimis, the monthly journal at Hillsdale College in May of 1979, Muggeridge set out to tell his own story about how he came to discover that the worldview he held so dearly was nothing but a death wish. He, like so many other progressives in the early to mid-twentieth century, was of...
“The devil rescues people from chastity by saying; 'You have become a puritan'” (C.S. Lewis, The Screw Tape Letters, p. 55).
Anyone acquainted with the history of philosophy would be baffled by Christopher West’s presentation of stoicism. He writes: “The stoic tries to avoid the pain of desiring more than this life has to offer by choosing not to want so much, by shutting desire down” (Fill These Hearts, p. 33).
His views sway considerably from the traditional understanding of...
Death has a way of forcing us to reflect on life. And so it is with the death of the infamous Henry Morgentaler—a man both celebrated and despised for his tireless fight for widespread access to abortion. When one looks at the trail of blood dripping from millions of children victimized by his killing crusade, it can be tempting to focus on his lifeless legacy.
Since those children cannot come back, and nor will he, I think our time is better spent reflecting on the legacy we ourselves...
Last week, Father Jordi Piqué, O.S.B., dean of Rome’s Pontifical University of Saint Anselmo, announced that the Benedictine-run University has launched an M.A. degree in Gregorian chant and organ. Endorsing the two-year program is Gianfranco Cardinal Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture. Saint Anselmo’s is the seat of the world’s confederation of the Benedictine Order and is known as a center for liturgical activity. At the parish church...
Memorial Day first began as Decoration Day. The Grand Army of the Republic – the group of Union veterans that survived the American Civil War – first established the day in May 1868 to decorate the graves of war dead with flowers. The focus for that day, and the array of activities that had come to define it, expanded after World War I to include all service personnel from all wars who lost their lives in service to the United States.
The Catholic Church has its own version of...
In a recent essay, Humblesse Oblige, writer Simcha Fisher makes a lovely case for the neglected virtue of obedience, reminding us that the Church doesn’t impose obligations simply to throw her weight around, but because she understands our feelings aren’t always adequate to the situation.
“If obedience for the sake of obedience seems shabby and pathetic to you,” she writes, think of a mom putting nutritious meals on the table for her kids. Sometimes cooking seems like just the...
The appearance of yet another film version of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s "The Great Gatsby” provides the occasion for reflecting on what many consider the great American novel.
Those who are looking for a thorough review of the movie itself will have to look elsewhere, I’m afraid. I will say only this about the movie: I think that Baz Luhrmann’s version is better than the sleepy 1974 incarnation, and I would say that Leonardo DiCaprio makes a more convincing Gatsby than Robert...
To repeat: How many of us, who sincerely want to do good work for the Lord, spend more time in the office than in the sanctuary? Too many of us who set out to do the work of the Lord would dare not miss a meeting, a conference or a pledge drive, but we let prayer slip away from us too easily (To be sure, I am a work in progress in this regard). We forget that it is not what we do or say that is the most important thing. Rather, it is what God does with what we do or say that makes the...
Anything without heart, anything without love – and I mean politics, music, law, art, even religion – anything without love, no matter how brilliant, is finally inadequate and weak. At the end of the day, the human soul yearns to be loved, and to love in return. And it won’t settle for anything less.
God loves us so deeply that he sent his only son to live, suffer, die and rise again for our salvation. That’s the message of Easter. The message of Pentecost – the “birthday of the...
“The Church is opposed to science; look at the Galileo debacle.” Haven’t most of us heard this criticism of the Church? In fact, one of the best-kept secrets about modern science is the Church’s role in its development. As with the arts, the Church gladly supports scientific pursuits that defer to the moral order.
The Church and Cloning
On May 16 came the news from scientists in Oregon that they could clone human embryos in order to treat human diseases like Parkinson’s,...
