This New Thanksgiving Grace in America is Spectacular

This New Thanksgiving Grace in America is Spectacular 1

For many, Thanksgiving is one of the favorite holidays of the year. In a culture which has lost much of its sense of family, it is a time for families to get together. It remains largely unsullied by the commercialization that has infected Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Halloween and even Mothers’ Day. Everything … Read more

The Battle of Empty Minds: Can’t Anyone See Beyond the Hatred?

The Battle of Empty Minds: Can’t Anyone See Beyond the Hatred? 1

The rash of violence leading up to the elections has given way to the spinning of narratives to explain the sad state of the nation. While ignoring all violence from their side, the left has become especially adept at turning every violent incident involving anyone even remotely conservative into an ideological statement … Read more

Caravans’ Advances Have Evoked Two Vastly Differing Visions for America

Caravans’ Advances Have Evoked Two Vastly Differing Visions for America 2

As three human caravans snake their way through Mexico, two different visions of America emerge. The first vision can be represented by several metaphors that reflect a materialistic, mechanical mindset.  Thus, some see America as a giant shareholding company in which immigrants, legal or otherwise, are seen from a purely economic perspective of … Read more

Can Halloween Be Christianized Again?

Can Halloween Be Christianized Again?

As Halloween approaches, the debate over whether Catholics should join in the celebrations has reignited. Many claim it is a harmless holiday for children that Catholics may freely participate in. Others affirm that it has now descended into dark regions with the return of pagan and Satanic imagery; it should thus be … Read more

A Great Incompatibility Has Descended Upon the Nation

A Great Incompatibility Has Descended Upon the Nation

When we say Americans are divided and polarized, it can conjure up the image of cloth stretched to the point of ripping. However, this image does not represent everything we are experiencing as a society. Indeed, the social fabric is already torn. The united America we once knew no longer exists. Instead, … Read more

When Misery Has Too Much Company

When Misery Has Too Much Company

Misery has a lot of company these days. Perhaps too much. The number of those unhappy, stressed, or lonely has reached its highest point on record. America is not alone in its misery. However, it is hardly consoling that the whole world keeps it company. This climate of discontent is the consistent … Read more

A Rare View of Frontier Catholicism in America

A Rare View of Frontier Catholicism in America 1

Frontier Catholics? What frontier Catholics? The idea that there were Catholics on the American frontier is unfamiliar to many. The early history of the United States is often thought of as a product of Protestantism. Our earliest settlers, so the accepted story goes, were English—some Puritans and others Anglican—but all Protestants. Maryland … Read more

Finding the Beauty of the Church and the Route Back Home

Finding the Beauty of the Church and the Route Back Home 3

The late-nineteenth-century conversion story, En Route, by J. K. Huysmans is a book that penetrates deeply into the mind of the reader. It is an autobiographical yet fictional account of the return journey to the Church of a famous French art critic and novelist in decadent Paris. The book has weathered well … Read more