St. Monica softened Augustine’s heart, and prepared the ground to receive the seeds of his conversion, but she herself was not able to plant those seeds: she could not convince her son to change his life.
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A Brief Visit to Hell
First of all, there is simply no way for a believing Christian to get around the reality of Hell. Jesus Christ himself is quite explicit about it, as we saw above. The Church has taught it as a foundational doctrine from the very beginning.
Not far from the Tree: Scarlatti’s “Te Deum” and Raphael’s “Disputation of the Holy Sacrament”
Last month we heard Alessandro Scarlatti's magnificent Exsultante Deo. Today we have anequally inspiring Te Deum from his son, Domenico Scarlatti (1685 - 1757). This apple didn't far fall at all.
Kyrie from Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis
When we think of Beethoven, Sacred Music might not be the first thing that comes to mind . . . but what he did compose was, as we might expect, moving, powerful, and simply beautiful.
What Would You Do? St. Maximilian Kolbe and the Gospel of Love
In the end, he gave the ultimate gift: his own life. When his jailers chose ten men at random to be starved to death in retaliation for an escape, St. Maximilian, who had not been chosen, volunteered to take the place of one of the ten.
Spiritual Warfare, the Chain of Command, and St. Equitius
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
A Hand Slap to the Traditional Latin Mass
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’ and Rublev ‘Holy Trinity’
Giuseppe Sarti "Now the Powers of Heaven" Giuseppe Sarti 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 … Continue reading Giuseppe Sarti ‘Now the Powers of Heaven’ and Rublev ‘Holy Trinity’
Whose Standard? St. Ignatius Loyola
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: Agnus Dei from Haydn’s Missa in Tempore Belli
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