Augusto del Noce (1910-89) is among the least well known of the brilliant political philosophers of the twentieth century. Having the misfortune of composing very dense academic writings in Italian, and generally considered “conservative,” Del […]
“I rejoice heartily in the LORD, in my God is the joy of my soul.” —Isaiah 61:10 “Joy has come to me from the Holy One.” —Baruch 4:22 When someone tells me to “be happy,” […]
In this installment, we shall consider the second of Luke’s canticles, the Benedictus. However, like St. Luke himself, we must set the stage. Luke, a very precise historian, informs us of the exact time and […]
Some preliminary considerations The context for Our Lady’s canticle of praise, overall, is the Gospel according to St. Luke and, more specifically, within his Infancy Narrative. Only Matthew and Luke offer a “pre-history” to the […]
Anyone wondering if man is capable of reason need look no further than the self-evident fact that he desires to understand. Indeed, he is frustrated when understanding eludes him. In those moments, he experiences what […]
Editor’s note: This is the second part of a two-part essay. Read Part One here. One sometimes hears preachers exhort their congregations to enter into a “relationship” with God. I have no desire to diminish […]
In the fourth century, St. Cyril of Jerusalem asked of those receiving Communion: Tell me, if anyone gave you grains of gold, would you not hold them with all care taking heed lest you should […]
“Beauty will save the world,” says’s Dostoevsky’s Idiot. We need beauty. The preeminent theologian of beauty, we might say, was Hans Urs Von Balthasar, who rhapsodized on this notion thus: Beauty is the last thing which […]
Editor’s note: This is Part 1 of a two-part essay. Read Part Two here. Should we consider “relation” a transcendental property of Being? That may seem an odd question. The transcendental properties of Being are […]
Walker Percy’s father committed suicide when Walker was a teenager. After his mother drove her car off a Louisiana bridge, he was raised by an agnostic first-cousin. Such experiences have driven many a young soul […]
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