Art
A May Garland for Our Lady
May is the month of Mary, a time of new growth and a return to life fitting for the New Eve. Blessed John Henry Newman spoke of how nature itself bears witness to the joy we find in Our Lady: Read more…
Cultural Artifact
From Sepulchers to Temples: The Transforming Presence of the Resurrection
Jesus’ words to the Pharisees often resonate with his own followers as well: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within they are full of dead men’s bones and Read more…
Culture
Joseph and Jesus the Builders
Joseph was a royal figure, descended from David, and, therefore, able to make the claim to be the Messiah: the Lord’s anointed king. David had said that he wanted to build a temple or house for the Lord, but the Read more…
Art
The Resurrection in Stone
Statuary serves its role in the church primarily through the Crucifix: prominently displayed in almost every sanctuary and Catholic home. Although there are some statues of the Risen Christ, they do not find nearly as much prominence (and we won’t Read more…
Art
Niccolò dell’Arca’s Lament for the Dead Christ
“God is dead and we have killed him.” Nietzsche is right once a year. The horror of the death of Christ for our sins, marred beyond recognition, and the responsibility we bear for this suffering, should touch us deeply. Although Read more…
Culture
Notre Dame and Broken Signs
Nietzsche, in The Gay Science, after proclaiming the death of God (through the voice of the madman), declared churches to be nothing more than sepulchers of God. Having led a pilgrimage to some of the most beautiful churches in France Read more…
Art
Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater
Giovanni Battista Draghi (1710-36), known simply as Pergolesi, died far too young. It may be fitting, therefore, that he is known for his musical setting of the Stabat Mater, the hymn we know mostly from the Stations of the Cross. Read more…
Cultural Literacy
Memorizing the Stations of the Cross
There are essential prayers that most Catholics memorize, particularly those recited in the rosary (Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be). With these prayers, the rosary has served a central way that Catholics meditate, particularly on its twenty mysteries. Many Catholics Read more…
Art
Velázquez’s Christ in the House of Martha and Mary
I chose this painting by Diego Velázquez (1599-1660) as the first of many artifacts of Catholic culture through which I will explore Catholic cultural literacy. It certainly is not one of the most important works of Catholic art, but it Read more…
Culture
Christopher Dawson on the Study of Christian Culture
The following reflection is an excerpt from a talk I gave on Catholic education and the formation of culture: Christopher Dawson, in his work The Crisis of Western Education, proposes that Catholic education should take place with the context of Read more…