Outsourcing to Brandon Vogt today with this old, but very amusing piece. The post is pretty good, but this anecdote is the best part, reproduced verbatim: The year was 1770, and in a small Italian church, two altar boys prepared for Benediction. Annibale Della Genga and Francesco Castiglioni entered the sacristy, put on their albs, and … Continue reading Low Effort Blogging: The Two Altar Boys
The Church
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
Thought of the Day
"Who, thinkest thou, is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath appointed over his family, to give them meat in season. Blessed is that servant, whom when his lord shall come he shall find so doing. Amen I say to you, he shall place him over all his goods. But if that evil … Continue reading Thought of the Day
Talking About the Abu Dhabi Document at the Everyman
A little late on this, but the documents says that it hopes to be a long-term object of research, so I suppose this is sort of a way of that coming to pass, though I don't think the authors would like my take. In any case, I was asked to give my response to the … Continue reading Talking About the Abu Dhabi Document at the Everyman
At the Everyman, Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus
The Everyman asked me to tackle the question of salvation outside the Church, following Bishop Barron's infamous interview with Ben Shapiro. Fortunately, I'd just been reading up some on the subject. This one's probably gonna generate some controversy; if you have a comment, please either leave it at the 'Everyman' site, or under this post. … Continue reading At the Everyman, Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus
“Something True to Believe”
Every Godzilla fan is familiar with the song All to Blame by Sum 41, which was the official song of Godzilla: Final Wars, the fiftieth-anniversary film and third 'grand finale' of the series (it's been around for nearly sixty-five years; it's had a couple finales). It's actually a decent song, despite some screaming and slightly heavy-handed lyrics. … Continue reading “Something True to Believe”
Really Good Post at First Things
I found this essay at First Things and had to share it. Of the many issues plaguing the contemporary Church, perhaps the strangest is our great fear of rigidity or 'legalism.' Really, who looking at Christians in America or Western Europe could honestly think "our biggest problem is that we're too rigid, too intolerant of … Continue reading Really Good Post at First Things
The Dangers of Attacking Hypocrisy
There’s nothing more popular these days, either in the Church or the surrounding culture, than attacking hypocrisy or moral pride: Pope Francis talks about it all the time, and slinging accusations of it back and forth has become something of a pastime among Catholics of differing traditions. Of course, the Other Side uses it as … Continue reading The Dangers of Attacking Hypocrisy
Serpent's Den 