It is often asserted that the Christian societies of old were oppressive, torturous regimes stifling human freedom. This is false. Witness the countless sermons preached by the saints against the worldliness of their day. Men were not forced to go to Mass at the point of a spear. Rather, in a Christian society, there is…
In recent comments, His Excellency Bishop Robert Barron discussed the post-conciliar period and addressed the various historical movements before and after the Second Vatican Council. He makes reference to the “unhappy” renewal of the “trad” movement and heavily criticizes what he calls “pre-conciliar conservatism.” I do not wish to criticize the bishop here, but rather…
In my last piece on this topic a few people pointed out to me a glaring omission. Here I will attempt to remedy this and briefly discuss a few crucial distinctions that we must keep in mind. Suggestion to Sin In the last piece, we discussed sources of scrupulosity in pride. While it is true…
Prummer defines scrupulosity as “a state of groundless fear rather than the judgment of a sound mind” (no. 144). He identifies the signs of scruples: an excessive anxiety about previous confessions, protracted accusations of irrelevant details, stubbornness that refuses to accept the decisions of the confessor. Scruples affect a soul devoted to God and sensitive…
We see in the Latin liturgical tradition an interesting thing: with the major feast on June 29 as well as the minor feasts, both apostles are always commemorated [1]. If the feast is chiefly of the Prince of the Apostles, then St. Paul is also commemorated with an additional collect and vice versa [2]. This liturgical…
After the revelations of Theodore McCarrick and the corroboration of the Viganò testimony, all reasonable men can agree that an infiltration exists within the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. Part of the solution to this grave problem is to investigate the historical roots of the crisis. To that end, Taylor Marshall’s book Infiltration argues the…
Note: Skip to the On the Contrary if you are not familiar with a Thomistic article. Objection 1: It seems that Patriotism is not a virtue. For our Lord said, My Kingdom is not of this world (Jn. xviii. 36) and, further, we are strangers and pilgrims (I Pt. ii. 11) whose citizenship is in heaven…
The Declaration of Truths recently signed by five bishops provides the Church with a clear document capable of uniting Catholics against the enemies of Holy Church. But in order to unite, faithful Catholics of every stripe will need to agree on this: the pastoral approach of Vatican II must be abandoned — but without abandoning…
