Ruminations of an Amateur Monastic
In addition to being the first Monday of Advent this year, today is also historically the memorial of Saint Edmund Campion. If the paintings of him are to be believed, he is a man to whom I bear more than a passing resemblance. Today I’m going to upset some of my (Protestant) Christian friends who see the Reformation as a […]
» Read moreThis is a reprint of one of my more popular blog posts, which I had intended to re-run each year on this day. Unfortunately, last year about this time, Pope Benedict XVI announced his abdication, which pretty much occupied my blogging focus. I‘m gratified that the Pope Emeritus is said to be doing well. When he was elected, he took […]
» Read moreOn today’s feast, G.K. Chesterton explains pretty clearly the source of my devotion to Saint Thomas More. (I have split up the paragraphs of Chesterton’s essay for easier online reading. Original paragraphs have dropcaps.) Most would understand the phrase that the mind of More was like a diamond that a tyrant threw away into a ditch, because he could not […]
» Read moreTomorrow is the memorial of one of my favourite saints, Saint Thomas More, who died at the hands of King Henry VIII (that villain). The story of his life was (more or less) made into the wonderful movie, A Man for All Seasons, starring Paul Scofield as Sir Thomas More. The script is just brilliant, and eminently quotable. The “but […]
» Read moreOn this day in 1891, the great Pope Leo XIII issued his landmark encyclical Rerum Novarum, on the rights and duties of capital and labour. It is worth reviewing this landmark of modern Catholic social teaching. The following duties… concern rich men and employers: Workers are not to be treated as slaves; justice demands that the dignity of human personality […]
» Read moreNew York, 3 October 1789 By the President of the United States of America, a Proclamation. Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor– and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee […]
» Read moreDear President Obama, In my capacity as President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, I write to express my congratulations on your re-election as President of the United States. The people of our country have again entrusted you with a great responsibility. The Catholic Bishops of the United States offer our prayers that God will give you strength […]
» Read moreToday is the memorial of Saint Thomas More, about whom I have briefly blathered before, principally about my confusion between him and Saint Thomas Becket. The story of his life was (more or less) made into the wonderful movie, A Man for All Seasons, starring Paul Scofield as Sir Thomas More. The script is just brilliant, and eminently quotable. The […]
» Read moreThis afternoon at Mass, the priest took the rather unusual step of preaching the Pope’s homily from his Mass in Cuba. He said that although it was intended as a call to arms for those suffering under the Cuban-Castro-Communist regime, it might just as well be a wake-up call to us here in the United States. Here’s the part he […]
» Read moreYesterday, weird anti-Catholic slogans were spray-painted on Saint James Cathedral in Seattle and on O’Dea Catholic High School across the street. The photo was taken of the marble facing on the front of the Cathedral. You can seen the bronze cathedral doors in the background. Photos of the rest of the damage may be seen here. The phrases spray-painted on […]
» Read moreSaint Benedict was the founder of western monasticism; to this day, most monks and nuns worldwide follow some variation of his “Little Rule for Beginners”. Benedict had a twin sister, Scholastica, whose feast day is today. Under her brother’s guidance, she founded the first female monastery in the west. I often think that their parents had a sense of humour, […]
» Read moreI‘ve written twice before about Saint Thomas Becket, whose feast day is today. This year, I’d like to just quote a small passage from G.K. Chesterton on the matter of Becket’s martyrdom: When four knights scattered the blood and brains of Saint Thomas of Canterbury it was not only a sign of anger but a sort of black admiration. They […]
» Read moreToday is the Feast of Saint Thomas Becket. Even before my conversion, I always admired Saint Thomas. It might have something to do with his name—as a child the only other famous Thomases I knew were Jefferson and Edison, and I didn’t much care for Edison. I’d like to think it had more to do with talking Truth to power. […]
» Read moreChaucer’s pilgrims were on their way to the Canterbury shrine of Saint Thomas Becket, bishop and martyr. The kingly descendant of the saint’s kingly murderer later destroyed that shrine and scattered his bones. Now there is only one small flame to mark the place where the saint’s relics once lay. Here is the eyewitness account of the saint’s martyrdom, by […]
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