Columns
The ‘Dark Wood’ of Philosophy?
It’s Lent, when our mortifications and the Church’s readings give us a sharper opportunity to think about what we love, and whether we are loving the right things. James Patrick was a wise man and a good friend. I met him after he had founded a…
Orpheus Redeemed: A review of ‘Hamnet’
Hamnet, the 2025 film that has already won a slew of awards and is a favorite to win Oscar “Bests” for Picture, Director (Chloé Zhao), and Actress (Jessie Buckley), deserves its accolades. Based on Maggie O’Farrell’s novel, it reimagines the…
The Glory Secretly Alive – The Catholic Thing
The small but growing Catholic Church in Norway is blessed to have two bishops now, native Norwegians, under fifty-two years old. Bishop Frederik Hansen, appointed the Bishop of Oslo in July 2025, joins the Cistercian Bishop Erik Varden,…
Caring About Immigrants, Now and Then
I will begin with a statement that may seem like pointless virtue signaling, so I hope readers will stick with me. The statement is simply that I think we should care about how immigrants are treated, whether they are legal or not. Now, I don’t…
War, Just and Unjust – The Catholic Thing
Nuclear weapons, like other modern technological developments, have placed great strains on traditional moral principles. Just as modern medicine has changed our appreciation of the beginning and end of human life, the tremendous destructive…
‘Now We See in a Mirror Dimly’
The Transfiguration reveals the mystery of Christ’s Person. In His glorified body, He stands as the fulfillment of the Law with Moses and of the Prophets with Elijah. He is the beloved Son of the Father, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity.…
Changing the World is Not Enough
My generation, Gen Z, has been graduating from college for about ten years now, and is typically told some variation of the same message at Commencement: go forth and change the world. But not everyone can change the world. And perhaps it’s…
Do Lent! – The Catholic Thing
Lent is in full swing now. If you are like me, you enter this season full of determination and enthusiasm: My prayer will be deeper. My penance will be purer. My almsgiving will be richer. And may it well be so for all of us! But if you are like…
Brother Marco in Munich – The Catholic Thing
Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s speech two weeks ago at the Munich Security Conference has been praised for its conciliatory tone, and even for its putative revival of grand political oratory. Looked at from the point of view of recent papal…
How to Write Well – and Why
Remember the fabulous 1970s? The decade of Watergate, recession, gas lines, defeat in Vietnam, unemployment, inflation, and a failed Iranian hostage rescue? Add to that the advent of “whole language” theory in education. Whoever came up with…