Spiritual Warfare   The concept of spiritual warfare reminds me of a quote widely attributed to Leon Trotsky. To wit: “You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you.” Now, there’s no evidence that the old Bolshevik actually said it, but it’s true. There’s a battle raging, and we’re all part of … Continue reading Spiritual Warfare, the Chain of Command, and St. Equitius

But this article isn’t about China or the hand-slapping incident. It’s my first response to Traditionis Custodes, Pope Francis’ 2021 motu proprio restricting the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM). Interestingly, I think my observations at that time still apply. Five years later TC does not seem to have brought the extinction of the old liturgy any nearer.

Giuseppe Sarti “Now the Powers of Heaven” Those of us in the West who have heard of the Italian composer Giuseppe Sarti most likely know about him through the tribute paid by another composer. In Mozart’s Don Giovanni Don Juan listens to an air from Sarti’s opera Fra i due litiganti il terzo gode as … Continue reading Giuseppe Sarti ‘Now the Powers of Heaven’ and Rublev ‘Holy Trinity’

Whose Standard Do You Follow? “Whose Standard?” That is the question posed by St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuits. But first, would I be out of line to say that the Society of Jesus is not what it used to be? I don’t want to be a Jebbie basher: I have studied under and … Continue reading Whose Standard? St. Ignatius Loyola

In Time of War “In Time of War” can mean more than one kind of war. Spiritual Warfare has been a theme in a number of my posts. For good reason. While the struggle “against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in … Continue reading In Time of War: Agnus Dei from Haydn’s Missa in Tempore Belli

St. Bridget’s success, and our “success” as Christians, consists in fidelity to Christ and in nothing else.

  Glorifying God It’s only natural that the children of a loving Father should try to please and honor him. And so for the past two thousand years, Christians have put untold effort, ingenuity and love into creating a magnificent store of inspiring art of all sorts to glorify God, including a treasury of sacred … Continue reading Glorifying God: Scarlatti’s “Exultate Deo” and “Jesus Christ the Returning King”

The Tamarian captain understands that actions, that experiences, can communicate in ways that words cannot, which is of course as true of human beings as much as it is of fictional extraterrestrials.  This is a large part of why so many religions rely on ritual and formal rites: the actions communicate to us much more deeply than mere words, because we are actually living out what they want to convey.  In fact, the true meaning of the term “mystery” (from the Greek μυστήριον) is not something unknowable, but something that can only be known experientially, through doing. Traditional Christianity tells us that God uses these mysteries as a means not only of imparting His Grace, but of revealing himself to us.