“You Are Distancing Yourself From Wisdom” On November 27, 2015, the German-language magazine, FOCUS, published an open letter [Issue 49/2015; pp. 46-48] to Pope Francis from a former high-ranking member of the Roman Curia. The author claims to have drawn his inspiration to “omit to speak about all the good that you are doing and are…
The first time I ever set foot inside the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC, I must have been about 15 years old. Having traveled through the night, we arrived in time for the morning Mass that would kick off the day’s events, culminating with the annual March for…
I discovered this beautiful poem by Fr. Abram J. Ryan, an American priest-poet, while researching my article about the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Fell the snow on the festival’s vigil And surpliced the city in white; I wonder who wove the pure flakelets? Ask the Virgin, or God, or the…
Part 2 of a 4-part series: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV Part 2: Throwing Yourself Away, or Yielding Yourself to God In the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle discusses how each man holds a kind of “inner conversation” with himself, reflecting on what he has already done and thinking about what he will do in days…
If you are a typical observant Catholic who has struggled with this papacy, dealt with distress caused by his words and actions, and generally struggled with dislike for the pontifex, it’s OK. Well, all right, it’s not: honestly, it is both strange and painful for a Catholic to be at odds with the Successor of…
Earlier this year, I shared a video with you by a young Christian filmmaker named Michael Chang. The video, entitled, “Who Would Dare to Love ISIS?”, was an incredibly moving glimpse into the mind of authentic Christian love as directed to the men are perpetrating unspeakable atrocities in the Islamic State. The kind of love…
There is an oft-cited quote — attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt — which asserts the following maxim: Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss people. I suppose the quote is popular because it gives off a certain aura of common sense. After all, one can see some truth reflected in the hierarchy of minds…
The movie Braveheart dramatizes the heroic struggle, led by the commoner William Wallace, for Scottish independence. In one scene, the Scottish nobles gather after some initial victories by William Wallace over the English. The nobles begin bickering over how best to negotiate with the English King, Edward Longshanks, for they fear losing their lands and…
I have never been more than an occasional viewer of Fr. Robert Barron’s Word on Fire chats. His recent televised interview with EWTN’s Catherine Szeltner put paid to whatever interest I had. Newly elevated to an auxiliary bishop in the sprawling L.A. diocese, now-Bp. Barron was in Baltimore for his initial appearance among the USCCB.…
Halloween snuck up on my family again this year. A new baby, a child entering college, a late start to homeschool, and the ever-present demands of work and family just about pushed the whole thing out of our minds. We were going to do a family theme: the Skojecs as the Avengers for Halloween. It was perfect.…
After the first terrorist attack in Paris in January of 2014, I began working on this essay. Following the most recent attacks, I decided it was time to finish it and see it published. Two important articles have raised important questions about the state of the West in its unavoidable confrontation with the increasing expansiveness…
