In a letter to Betty Hester dated August 28, 1955, Flannery O’Connor wrote: “If you live today you breathe in nihilism. In or out of the Church, it’s the gas you breathe.”[1. Flannery O’Connor, The Habit of Being, hereafter HB (New York: Far … [Read more...]
Flannery Was Right
The Problem of Nihilism Within the Catholic Church
February 26, 2022 by Fr. Damian J. Ference
Christian Joy and Human Sadness
January 27, 2022 by S. E. Greydanus
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice” (Philippians 4:4). This and other exhortations in Scripture have shaped Christian tradition with the understanding that joy is meant to be part of our life. It’s traditionally counted a … [Read more...]
Quod Scripsi, Scripsi: The Life and Legacy of Marvin R. O’Connell
April 22, 2021 by Richard J. Janet, PhD
At the end of his recently published posthumous memoir, Father Marvin O’Connell quotes the words of Pontius Pilate from Scriptures. “Even though I too can write Quod scripsi, scripsi, my trouble is not the same as Pilate’s. My trouble has to … [Read more...]
Expanding the Narratives of Scripture
April 9, 2021 by Brandon P. Otto
For all the depth hidden in Scripture, it can often appear barebones to the storyteller; frequently only the simplest actions, the most basic order of events, is described. One can hunger for more detail, for more color, for more character. … [Read more...]
The Emerging Catholic Literary Renaissance
Interview with Poet James Matthew Wilson
February 25, 2021 by Roseanne T. Sullivan
“You know, there is, at the moment, an exciting rebirth of Catholic poetry in the United States and it’s full of talented young writers, but even in this interesting cohort James Matthew Wilson, I think, is one of the leading people that you … [Read more...]
Book Reviews – June 2019
June 18, 2019 by Book Reviews
The Catholic Writer Today and Other Essays By Dana Gioia. Reviewed by Ken Colombini. (skip to review) Raymond E. Brown and the Catholic Biblical Renewal By Fr. Donald E. Senior. Reviewed by Rev. John P. Cush, STD. (skip to … [Read more...]
Book Reviews – March 2019
March 28, 2019 by Book Reviews
Servant of All: Status, Ambition, and the Way of Jesus By Craig C. Hill. Reviewed by Matthew K. Minerd, PhD. (skip to review) The Priestly Blessing: Rediscovering the Gift By Stephen J. Rossetti. Reviewed by Fr. John Cush. (skip to … [Read more...]
Words of Life for Cutting Words
A Catholic Response to Teens on Social Media Writing Sites
January 28, 2019 by Mark C. McCann
With more and more young people reaching out to one another through social media, there has been an increased call for new forms of ministry to teens within these virtual worlds. With the advent of public writing sites that allow for the … [Read more...]
Book Reviews – January 2019
January 17, 2019 by Book Reviews
A Bloody Habit: A Novel By Eleanor Bourg Nicholson. Reviewed by Fr. John Patrick Cush. (skip to review) Was the Reformation a Mistake?: Why Catholic Doctrine Is Not Unbiblical By Matthew Levering and Kevin J. Vanhoozer. Reviewed by Dr. … [Read more...]
A Spirituality of Advent
November 30, 2018 by David Vincent Meconi, SJ
Advent is a time of preparation. It has many parallels to Lent: we don the purple, we suppress the Gloria (awaiting the angels to sing it again for the first time at Midnight Mass), and we are given weeks to allow the Holy Spirit to prepare … [Read more...]
An Advent Examination
November 30, 2018 by Fr. Kenneth G. Davis, OFM Conv.
Advent is not a season of penance, but of preparation. Advent prepares us for the two comings of Christ, that is, the Incarnation and the Eschaton. However, amid the garlands and the gifts, we all know how easy it is to become wrapped up in … [Read more...]
The Words Men Need to Hear
A Priest Speaks to College Seminarians
September 18, 2018 by Fr. Timothy Shea Valentine
Speak only the words men need to hear, the things that really help them . . . (Ephesians 4:29) Introduction The effects of language—for good or ill—first occurred to me when I was five, during the summer before kindergarten. As my broth … [Read more...]
Fallen from Our First Love
September 2, 2018 by Matthew Malicki
“Could you not watch with Me for one hour?… Keep watch and pray” (Matthew 26:40-41) There are many sources of evil plaguing our society. However, we as a Church must be reinvigorated by the consoling certainty of God’s Word, especially wh … [Read more...]
Early Summer Book Reviews
June 1, 2018 by Book Reviews
Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead?: Questions and Answers about the Life, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. By Carl E. Olson. (Ignatius Press, 2016), 199 pages. Reviewed by Matthew B. Rose The Walls Are Talking: Former Abortion … [Read more...]
Drawing Others to Celebrate God’s Mercy Through Storytelling
August 18, 2017 by Stephanie H. To
“Read me just one more story!” Maggie lay snuggled beneath the pink floral quilt, her brown eyes imploring me to continue reading from the big book of fairy tales. “You should be asleep already,” I replied. I gave a half-hearted sigh, tur … [Read more...]
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