During the debates of the Second Vatican Council one prelate after another addressed the Fathers of the Council in fluent Latin. That they did so is hardly surprising, for Latin remained the living language of the Roman Catholic Church. … [Read more...]
Archives for 2009
On bringing back Latin
Editorial, December 2009
December 1, 2009 by Fr. Kenneth Baker, SJ
It is certain that there has been a drastic decline in the knowledge of Latin in the Catholic Church since Vatican II. It probably did not occur to most of the bishops at the council that their approval of the use of the vernacular in the … [Read more...]
St. Paul’s Gospel
Editorial, November 2009
November 1, 2009 by Fr. Kenneth Baker, SJ
On June 29 we concluded the year in honor of St. Paul, the Apostle of the Gentiles and author of half of the books in the New Testament. Earlier this year, having noticed that Pope Benedict XVI was preaching regularly on St. Paul, I decided … [Read more...]
The ambiguity of Islam
November 1, 2009 by Fr. James V. Schall, SJ
“When some fanatics kill children, women, and men in the name of pure and authentic Islam, or in the name of the Qur’an or of the Muslim tradition, nobody can tell them: ‘You are not true and authentic Muslims.’ All they can say is: ‘Your re … [Read more...]
The paradox of Christian freedom
Editorial, October 2009
October 1, 2009 by Fr. Kenneth Baker, SJ
“For freedom Christ has set us free” (Gal. 5:1). St. Paul tells us that faith in Christ makes us free. In the contemporary world there is a universal demand for more freedom—personal, political and economic. Freedom, however, is a slogan wor … [Read more...]
The Year for Priests
Editorial, August 2009
August 1, 2009 by Fr. Kenneth Baker, SJ
On March 16 in a talk to the Congregation of the Clergy Pope Benedict XVI announced that he was declaring a “Year for Priests” to begin on June 19, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, and to end on June 19, 2010. This special year dedicated t … [Read more...]
Pope John Paul II on conscience
Conscience itself does not create norms but discovers them in the objective order of morality.
August 1, 2009 by Dr. Richard A. Spinello
When Cardinal Wojtyla became Pope John Paul II in 1978, he was well prepared to teach the Catholic faithful about ethics. As a young man Karol Wojtyla thought about a career in acting, but he felt a call to the priesthood and soon found … [Read more...]
Ephesians 5: Bridegroom and Bride
By submitting herself to her husband, the wife is allowing her man to sacrifice himself for her.
July 1, 2009 by Deacon Rex H. Pilger
It is Mass on the Twenty-first Sunday of Ordinary Time, in late summer only a few years ago. Fortunately the air conditioning seems to be holding up, for this year at least. The celebrant offers the Opening Prayer, asking the Father for … [Read more...]
Praying with the Bible
Editorial, July 2009
July 1, 2009 by Fr. Kenneth Baker, SJ
At the Roman Synod on the Bible in October 2008, which I covered for HPR, the most common topic mentioned was the need to recommend “Lectio Divina” as a pious practice among the faithful. You have probably seen the phrase mentioned in rece … [Read more...]
Heaven is not an abstraction
The realism or concreteness of Catholicism is startling to minds conditioned only by abstractions or by materialism alone.
June 1, 2009 by Fr. James V. Schall, SJ
“Today’s feast (Assumption) impels us to lift our gaze to Heaven; not the heaven consisting of abstract ideas or even an imaginary heaven created by art, but the Heaven of true reality which is God himself.” —Benedict XVI, Homily, Feast of … [Read more...]
Every agent acts for an end
Editorial, June 2009
June 1, 2009 by Fr. Kenneth Baker, SJ
It is a basic principle of reality that every agent acts for an end. Every moving thing is going somewhere—for example, every car on a busy highway is going to some destination. Sunday drivers are on the road to enjoy the s … [Read more...]
The ingredient for priestly vocations
In order to fulfill their ideals and challenges, young people are in desperate need of priestly inspiration.
May 1, 2009 by Fr. Jacek Stefanski
It is truly uplifting to read about the great number of people who are received into full communion in the Roman Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil in so many parishes across the United States. This gives the Church a reason to rejoice and … [Read more...]
The Roman Synod of Bishops
Editorial, May 2009
May 1, 2009 by Fr. Kenneth Baker, SJ
About every three years I have published an article on a Roman Synod. They usually take place every three years. Representing HPR, I have covered twelve of them since 1971. This month I thought it would be helpful to explain briefly what a … [Read more...]
Renaissance saint and scholar
A THOMAS MORE SOURCE BOOK.Edited by Gerard B. Wegener and Stephen W. Smith (The Catholic University of America Press, P.O. Box 50370, Baltimore, Md. 21211, 2004), xxxii + 395 pp. PB $34.95.
April 9, 2009 by Book Reviews
St. Thomas More is one of the few intellectual and moral giants of the second millennium. He was truly a Renaissance man, being outstanding as a poet, scholar, husband and father, lawyer, statesman, and in addition to all of that a saint of … [Read more...]
European Christophobia
THE CUBE AND THE CATHEDRAL: EUROPE, AMERICA, AND POLITICS WITHOUT GOD. By George Weigel. Basic Books (2005), $23
April 9, 2009 by Book Reviews
In the closing months of his pontificate, John Paul II turned repeatedly to the “Europe question.” He insisted that a failure to mention the common Christian heritage in the drafting of the E.U. constitution would tear apart the very cul … [Read more...]
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