Catholicism
Fear – and Hope – in Europe’s Christmas Markets
Advent in Germany is brightened by its world-famous Christmas markets. The smell of grilled sausage, Germany’s famous mulled gluhwein, and gingerbread (Lebkuchen) blend together under multicolored lights creating a cheerful experience in…
Two Corrections for the Week
As an intellectual pharisee, I acknowledge that I’m smarter than everyone else (after all, I’m a philosopher!). Like Aristotle’s unchanging, eternal Prime Mover, the only suitable activity for me is contemplating my own excellence in my…
Nostalgia and Advent – The Catholic Thing
The word “nostalgia” was coined in the seventeenth century by a Swiss physician named Johannes Hofer. The word was a Latinized combination of two Greek words: nostos, meaning “a return home” (think Odysseus), and algos, meaning “pain.” Hofer…
Broken Altars – The Catholic Thing
On December 10, 1989, at the confluence of the Danube and Morava rivers under the shadow of Devin Castle, tens of thousands of Slovaks marched from Bratislava to Hainburg, Austria, piercing the Iron Curtain. Large crowds also assembled at the…
Advent: Turning Point Universe – The Catholic Thing
A turning point is an event that inaugurates substantial change, such as the Battles of Saratoga and Gettysburg or the Eagles’ “Philly Special” trick play in Super Bowl LII. The change is decisive – the future takes an unexpected path that would…
Seven Considerations on the Immaculate Conception
Many Catholics misunderstand today’s feast, which is also the patronal feast of our nation (the first country to claim her under this title). They confuse the Immaculate Conception of Mary with the virginal conception of Jesus. But today we…
A Tale of Two Prophets
Isaiah stands as the great prophet of Advent: so powerfully does he foretell Christ’s coming (as well as his Passion and Death) that this book has been called the “fifth Gospel.” Later in Advent, we will hear his most direct prophecy: “the…
Christ the Winter Fire – The Catholic Thing
“O God be gracious and bless us and let Your face shed its light upon us.” So begins Psalm 68, often said in the Daily Office, or Breviary, at the start of the day. In St. John’s Gospel, Philip says to Jesus, “show us the Father and that will be…
The Greatest Advent Hymn – The Catholic Thing
Anyone who prays the Divine Office will say the Benedictus each morning, as it is the closing hymn of Lauds (Morning Prayer). It’s also called “The Canticle of Zechariah,” the father of John the Baptist, who sang the Benedictus (“Blessed be…
Advent, A.D. 2025 – The Catholic Thing
The Island of Mozambique is a speck on Google Maps, a tiny patch of land two miles off the East African coast. Today, it’s a sleepy UNESCO World Heritage site. It’s also a magnet for hardcore tourists. One reason is its beauty. The other is…