1. I have been reading the letters of Professor Tolkien lately, mostly straight through, though sometimes jumping about when I want to find his views on something specific. Mostly I read it because I enjoy his company, as it were, and I feel as though I am getting to know him personally as a man. … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: On Professor Tolkien and Related(?) Matters
Faith
Friday Flotsam: The Importance of the Things of This World
1. I think the thing that people hate and fear most about Christianity, especially Catholicism, is how important it makes the things of this world. Nobody objects to deism - belief in a creator God who is largely indifferent to humanity. Nobody seriously objects to 'spirituality' or a general belief in the afterlife or something … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: The Importance of the Things of This World
Happy Easter
The Lord is Risen Indeed Piero della Francesca
Feast of the Annunciation
"But in Gondor the New Year will always now begin upon the twenty-fifth of March when Sauron fell, and when you were brought out of the fire to the King."-The Return of the King "Ecce ancilla Domini. Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum."
Friday Flotsam: The Feast of St. Joseph
1. A blessed Feast of St. Joseph to you all! May the foster father of Our Lord Jesus intercede on behalf of everyone who reads this and for the Church and our nation as a whole. 2. A thought occurred to me this morning, listening to a sermon on St. Joseph (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OXUfeFFjXg). The priest points … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: The Feast of St. Joseph
St. Patrick’s Day
LatinEnglishSancti Patricii Hymnus ad Temoriam.The Lorica, Breastplate, of St. Patrick (The Cry of the Deer) Ad Temoriam hodie potentiam praepollentem invoco Trinitatis,Credo in Trinitatem sub unitate numinis elementorum.I arise todayThrough a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,Through belief in the Threeness,Through confession of the Onenessof the Creator of creation.Apud Temoriam hodie virtutem nativitatis Christi … Continue reading St. Patrick’s Day
Thought of the Day: A Solution to the Immaculate Conception – Evolution Problem
Honestly, I have no bone in the evolution fight. To my mind it makes no practical difference whether, as a matter of prehistoric fact, humans are or are not bodily descended from apes or other animals. I think most of the 'conclusions' that people derive from the theory (e.g. "see, everything is just a chemical … Continue reading Thought of the Day: A Solution to the Immaculate Conception – Evolution Problem
Embarrassing
A pretty common experience for Romans these days
Peace on Earth at Catholic Match
When I wrote today's Catholic Match piece, I was taking it for granted that the year would end in tumult (these things are written weeks or months in advance). Turns out, this is even more timely than I expected: In truth, if you’re seeking reasons to lament the apparent failure of the angelic promise of … Continue reading Peace on Earth at Catholic Match
Fear of Death
“When you remove, like even in the schools, you remove prayer, you remove God, you remove the fear of God, you create the possibility of the fear of everything else. But watch this: If you instill the fear of God, you eliminate the fear of anything else!”https://mobile.twitter.com/zhenryaz/status/1320102253865308161 I know nothing of Kanye West, but if … Continue reading Fear of Death
Serpent's Den 