It's a common misconception that Candlemas, the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord, is the occasion of His circumcision. Actually, that's on the 1st of January (Novus Ordo has it as the Feast of Mary the Mother of God), eight days after Christmas, suitably enough. Candlemas, 40 days after Christmas (and the final end … Continue reading Candlemas – Ritual Purity
Christianity
Sunday Thoughts; A Paradox of Faith
There is a paradox inherent in the act of faith. On the one hand, belief in God involves us in innumerable logical difficulties, especially involving the nature of time and free will and their relation to eternity. Just as a simple example based on today's readings, it seems revolting to our feelings that we should … Continue reading Sunday Thoughts; A Paradox of Faith
Friday Flotsam: The Annunciation, Profundity, and Rama
1. Today, of course, is the Solemnity of the Annunciation; the very day of Our Lord’s Incarnation, bringing with it a ‘weight of glory’ almost too great to bear. Certainly we tend to forget about it as often as may be, and I rather think many of us prefer it that way. Not only living … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: The Annunciation, Profundity, and Rama
Reflections on St. Joseph’s Day
Today is the Feast of St. Joseph; the man who taught God to be a man. Wading into the theology and imagery here would be intense work, so I’m going to limit myself to one subject (well, kind of). More and more it seems to me that God works in fractals: patterns repeated all the … Continue reading Reflections on St. Joseph’s Day
Ash Wednesday: The Importance of Being Miserable
I think a large reason why the world is in the state that it is in is because we Christians have lost the art of doing penance. Our predecessors, even those of a mere century ago, would have regarded us with utter contempt in this regard. I mean, we’re the kind of people who consider … Continue reading Ash Wednesday: The Importance of Being Miserable
Words of the Saints: St. John Henry Newman on Miracles
The below comes (now, try to stay with me) from one of the appendices of Cardinal Newman's Apologia pro Vita Sua, in which, to respond to the criticisms of Charles Kingsley, he quotes at length a passage in an earlier work of his discussing miracles. The words below are from that passage: "There is in … Continue reading Words of the Saints: St. John Henry Newman on Miracles
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
History and Compromise at ‘The Everyman’
My latest post at The Everyman is up, comparing our present world to Austria in the 1930s. It's depressingly apt. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: A virulent ideological movement is spreading through a nation’s institutions. It presents itself as the wave of the future, elevating those who have been beaten down, and … Continue reading History and Compromise at ‘The Everyman’
Authority in the Passion
The concept of authority has been on my mind quite a lot lately. There's a whole lot to delve into there, especially since it's a subject we moderns tend not to understand very well. We tend to think of it as either consented rule (which would make it synonymous with 'counsel' or 'employment') or oppression. … Continue reading Authority in the Passion
Some thoughts from ‘The Infidelity of the Future’
Today at lunch I refreshed my mind by reading St. John Henry Newman's sermon The Infidelity of the Future. Some of his main points, with brief thoughts: *The great evil of our time is the Spirit of Infidelity itself. Has it never struck you as odd that we consider terms like 'unorthodox' or 'unconventional' to … Continue reading Some thoughts from ‘The Infidelity of the Future’
Serpent's Den 