Its waters are cold, and rougher than expected, even for a wild olive from Northern climes. My path toward God is that of the philosopher. It’s a difficult one, a spiritually dangerous one, and I’ve come to believe that it’s …
Category: Philosophy
The Second Vatican Council Is Now Far Spent
Fr. Dwight Longenecker is a fine writer. No one expresses a certain point of view better than he does. I’m not sure how to characterize it exactly; it might be described as a via-media-at-all-costs, the straight road that veers not …
Substance and Accidents: A Beginner’s Guide to Defending the Eucharist
The Real Presence of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist is among the greatest mysteries of our faith. Indeed, the priest celebrating the traditional Roman Rite whispers in the midst of consecrating the Precious Blood, “Mysterium …
Vatican II’s Confusing Counsel on Conscience and Human Dignity
The Dubious Consciousness of Contemporary Man The modern doctrine on the dignitatis humanae, or dignity of man, has encouraged and even ensured the laïcité, or secularization of the political sphere. The Second Vatican Council’s Dignatis Humanae at first approaches this …
No Third Way: The Fundamentals of Rationality
It did seem as though many of the Synod fathers were proposing something that is logically impossible. It was not said out loud, but the implication was that they were asking, “Between yes and no, being and not being, sin …
Defective Philosophy: A Primary Cause of the Communion Debate
The question most hotly debated at the recent Synod on Marriage and Family is that of whether divorced and remarried Catholics – without a decree of nullity for their previous marriage — should be permitted to receive communion. It seems …