It’s not a coincidence that the shortening days of a coming winter coincide with the last days of the Church year. It’s here, at the dark end of the year, that we reflect on the dark end of the world. The times prior to Christ’s return will be frightening, the readings remind us, full of…
In 589 Deacon Aigulf trekked home to Tours with relics he had collected in Rome. St. Gregory of Tours relates in his Historia Francorum that Aigulf saw with his own eyes the disasters that struck Rome that year. The Tiber rose to such a flood that buildings were washed away, ancient temples destroyed, and the…
They asked him: Say then, Scibboleth, which is interpreted, An ear of corn. But he answered, Sibboleth, not being able to express an ear of corn by the same letter. Then presently they took him and killed him in the very passage of the Jordan. And there fell at that time of Ephraim two and…
Two weeks remain until the Nativity of Jesus Christ. In these final moments, the veil between Heaven and Earth becomes very thin. We stand at the precipice of the triumphal Incarnation of the Logos. For twelve months we have toiled and struggled through this Valley of Tears, but from the fiat of one Woman, we now edge…
Continuing in our theme of the traditional mediation of the Four Last Things, this week we will consider the reality of Judgement. To begin, we must distinguish between the two forms of judgement that pertain to our eternal life. First, we will each experience our own Particular Judgement. This means that we will stand before…
Once again the Christmas war is getting ready to break out. By that I do not mean the perennial struggle over Holiday versus Christmas which annually afflicts the entire body politic (at least in the United States), but a conflict peculiar to Traditional Catholics. By that, I mean the question regarding the synthetic mythology surrounding…
As the Birth of Christ approaches, it is helpful to contemplate the Four Last Things. Traditionally, the Church has taught that Death, Judgement, Heaven and Hell constitute these four final realities. The intention of this article is not to give a detailed theological overview, but instead to give us pause in the hope that we…
Brethren, knowing that it is now the hour for us to rise from sleep. For now our salvation is nearer than when we believed. The night is passed, and the day is at hand. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk honestly, as…
The penitential character of Advent has gradually eroded in recent centuries. Today, many are content to prepare for the birth of Our Lord merely in a material sense; preparing meals, buying gifts, decorating houses, traveling to family, etc. Few, however, undergo the penance and spiritual preparation fit for the arrival of the King of Kings.…
