Jesus Christ
Of Forty Days and the Gospel Plough
In the season of Lent, the Church enters the wilderness to fast and abstain. It is a time of testing. The number forty often indicates this throughout the Scriptures. “Forty days” signals a time when God tests the hearts of His people, so that…
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…
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,…
‘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…
The Challenger Speech and Time Sanctified
State of the Union addresses consume copious energy in the White House speechwriting shop, which is odd, given how quickly they are forgotten. President Bill Clinton declared that the “era of big government is over” in 1996, but can anyone…
Fighting the Wicked Witches of the West
What is a feminist? This used to be an easy question to answer. When feminism simply meant equal rights and opportunities for women, most people felt comfortable identifying as such. After all, who could be against women having the right to vote…