Michael Pakaluk on John Henry Newman’s brief, brilliant, logical defense of the Catholic doctrine that the Virgin was born without the taint of Original Sin. Is it possible for a memorandum to be a masterpiece? A few paragraphs long, dashed off ex tempore, for a friend, not polished? Various columns in TCT have appreciated masterpieces – a poem, a painting, a musical […]
Brad Miner: Peter Paul Rubens’ greatest painting calls us to ask ourselves: How weighty are our sins? How backbreakingly heavy are the sins of the world? And how does evil cooperate in our redemption? Some think of the paintings of Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) as mostly images of voluptuous (sometimes nude) women. (His The Judgment of Paris is […]
Joseph R. Wood: “I am always astounded by the old truth that faith and reason come together to see and understand reality in its fullness, the fullness of truth, beauty and goodness.” Iwalked along a dirt road near a religious house on a beautiful Fall morning recently, enjoying the scenery. My mind was unburdened for […]
John Grondelski: Let us celebrate this quadricentennial of Thanksgiving by reclaiming its essence: that we are a people “under God” and equal because created in his image and likeness. The “holiday wars” that first only attacked Christmas have gradually also taken over Thanksgiving. At first, the war was about time. In a reprise of the […]
David G. Bonagura, Jr.: Parents of large families may grow tired of the jabs and jeers, but will endure them with patience, because they seek God’s approbation and not society’s. “I thought you were smarter than that.” “No more!” These are two comments I received from childhood friends whom I saw after many years at a […]
Brad Miner: Catholics who want gay “marriage” can have their version of the faith as long as they’re willing to have it without the warrant of the Bible. What Is Man? is a new book – new anyway in English, having been published at the end of 2019 in Italian as Che cosa è l’uomo? – from the Pontifical Biblical […]
Brad Miner reviews the last of Daniel Craig’s performances as James Bond: another rollicking adventure, in which 007’s actions probably don’t pass muster with just-war doctrine. No Time to Die is the last of the cinematic incarnations of James Bond personified by Daniel Craig. In some ways, it’s a sequel to its most immediate predecessor, Spectre (2015), and […]
Randall Smith: If the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, expect lawlessness. A nation so dedicated to a fundamental evil will not simply give it up without a fight. Some friends were kind enough to invite my wife and me to the Texas Right to Life banquet a few weeks ago. For those who don’t know, Texas […]
Robert Royal: Politicians are backing Critical Race Theory and LGBTQ initiatives in schools. If you’re still sending your kids to such schools, either get them out or get involved. Terry McAuliffe, the once and (possibly) future governor of Virginia, said something during a campaign debate last week that surprised many of us who thought we […]
Ines A. Murzaku: We’ve had saintly examples of Catholic witness among Muslims before, and the results in Afghanistan may someday surprise us. As even the military leaders of the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan are admitting their failures and after so much else has gone wrong in that perpetually troubled nation, it’s good to remember that, […]
David Carlin wishes the pope would re-state Church teaching about homosexuality but doubts it will happen, or that America’s bishops will do so. One of the most common defenses of homosexual behavior is: “This does no harm to you or any other third parties.” To which my response is: “No harm? Well, it has pretty much […]
Fr. Gerald E. Murray: Pope Francis’ renewed endorsement of same-sex civil unions is gravely scandalous and causes immense harm to souls. In the course of the in-flight press conference after his Apostolic Journey to Hungary and Slovakia, Pope Francis was asked: “[Y]esterday arrived news of a resolution in the European Parliament which invites the member states to recognize […]
Abortionist: Killing black babies is a “blessing” Fr. Peter M. J. Stravinskas: It’s time for bishops to ban Joe Biden from Holy Communion in their dioceses in advance of his ever setting foot in their territory. “My administration is deeply committed to the constitutional right established in Roe v. Wade nearly five decades ago and will protect […]
Brad Miner: At the New York Athletic Club are three memorials displaying the names of the fallen: from World War I, World War II, and September 11, 2001. I am a New Yorker by choice, having lived in the NYC area since 1977. I expect to die here. And I still have vivid memories of September […]
Christopher Kaczor: Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson’s profound thinking about life and suffering has brought him to the very vestibule of the Catholic Church. Jordan Peterson’s work has not only provoked powerful reactions from defenders of woke orthodoxy, but also reconsiderations by atheists, agnostics, and religious “Nones” about the wisdom of Biblical stories. In our book Jordan […]