In the traditional period of Passiontide, the last two weeks of Lent, we turn our attention directly to Jesus’s suffering and death. As disciples of Jesus, it should be sobering that all abandoned him on the night of his arrest, and only one of the twelve stood at the foot Read more…
The word “art” refers to something that has been produced, something that requires artifice. In that sense, we can judge its merits based on the product itself, rather than the subjective disposition of the producer. You can be a good painter and a bad person, for instance. We do not Read more…
Is the offertory just an interlude? A time to use the restroom? In actuality, it has profound meaning, but one easily overlooked. We have an itinerary of sorts for the Mass from the words of the Gospel: he took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to his disciples. Read more…
Even as we enter a penitential season, I’d like to reflect on penance in a festive season. This topic does have an application to Lent. Every Sunday celebrates the Resurrection, but Sundays still remain part of the Lenten season. Today is the First Sunday of Lent, for instance, not a Read more…
The Prophet Malachi foretold that Elijah, the great prophet who did not die, would come again before the “Day of the Lord” appeared: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to Read more…
The American continents are mysteriously united under Our Lady’s care, with the entire continents having been placed under the patronage of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the United States under the Immaculate Conception. John Grondelski recently reflected on the fittingness of the United State’s patroness as the Immaculate Conception. He Read more…
Since everyone is talking about the Person of the Year, why not a blog dedicated to Catholic culture? That’s something I wouldn’t have expected until a friend sent me an article linking Swift’s songs to the medieval Cathar/Albigensian heresy: “The Dark Truth about Taylor Swift: Too Many Young Women Yearn Read more…
Through the Institute of Catholic Culture, I will be leading a free book study of the Jesus of Nazareth Trilogy: https://instituteofcatholicculture.org/events/jesus-of-nazareth We’re starting with volume one but then are taking a detour for Advent to the Infancy Narratives and will finish with the Holy Week volume during Lent. Pope Benedict Read more…
Monks star in The Beer Option, but nuns are not absent. In fact, one of the main patronesses of beer, the great Doctor of the Church, St. Hildegard of Bingen, was a Benedictine abbess who touted the health benefits of hops and beer. In her book, Causes and Cures, she Read more…
When evaluating the art of the twentieth century, more than Picasso or brutalist concrete structures, we should think about film. Its use of technology and its popularity makes it more representative of modern culture than any other medium. Great art has always spoken to the common person and interpreted the Read more…