Catholicism
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Another year comes to an end…
As the year draws to a close, we often cast only a fleeting glance. We shouldn't dwell on it too much. We never know how many things we've forced ourselves to bury might resurface, like those impromptu, rude, and irritating pop-up windows on the internet. One exercise we can try is to… Continue reading
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In the shadow of Ernesto Sabato
When Ernesto Sabato passed away on April 30th at the age of 99, he repeated to himself the words of Maria Zambrano: "To die, this elusive act which is accomplished through obedience, takes place beyond reality, in another realm." In his home in Santos Lugarès ("Holy Places" near Buenos Aires), Ernesto Sabato obeyed this final injunction. He… Continue reading
Argentina , stupidity , Catholicism , counter-revolution , Ernesto Sabato , war , history , forgiveness -
Monsignor Centène…
The people of Vannes are fortunate indeed. Bishop Centène's homily at Saint-Pierre Cathedral in Vannes last Sunday was truly uplifting. This isn't the first time Bishop Centène's homilies have been mentioned on Catholic websites, and given their quality, this is unlikely to change anytime soon. Continue reading
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Priest of the "Benedict XVI generation"
Dear Father, It is with great pleasure that I bid you farewell. Not that I am happy that you are leaving the Chapel of Our Lady of the Lily, but because I am happy to have met you and that you are continuing your priesthood, setting an example of the priest according to Benedict XVI. Yesterday, for the feast of… Continue reading
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Newman and Socrates
The links between ancient Greek philosophy and Christianity are numerous. The most famous of the Greek precepts, Gnothi Seauton, "Know thyself," inscribed at Delphi, retains a certain mystery. Another fragment of the phrase has remained with us: "But not too much"... Know thyself... But not too much! Plato leads Socrates to reflect on the Delphic formula in... Continue reading
Catholicism , ethics , ancient Greece , history , Newman , Our Lady of the Lily , Plato , political correctness , priest , religion , Socrates , Zenit -
Emotion at Notre-Dame du Lys
A profound emotion was felt by all the faithful of Notre-Dame du Lys this morning at the 11:15 am Holy Mass. A delegation of Iraqi Christians from Baghdad was present, as well as an Iraqi priest who spoke simply and movingly about the massacre of last October in… Continue reading
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Original fault
Despite Shûsaku Endo's doubts about the true Christianity of the Japanese, as expressed in the admirable "Silence," it also seems to me that the Japanese share a fundamental trait with Christians: their ability to empathize. Isn't this one of the cornerstones of Christianity, one… Continue reading
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What kind of death for the West?
It is increasingly pleasing to me to hear these speeches from Westerners reveling in the death of Catholicism, the death of this old religious hide, or even the death of God himself. Continue reading
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Tribute to Jean-Marie Domenach
Rereading notes I took years ago while reading Jean-Marie Domenach's *The Return of the Tragic*, I remember our meeting. I see him arriving at my small studio in La Fourche, asking me for a glass of wine, and me beginning to explain in detail the direction I… Continue reading
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God's path leads through our humanity…
An extraordinary passage from Blessed Cardinal Newman: By sinning, by suffering, by correcting ourselves, by improving ourselves, we advance toward truth through the experience of error; we achieve success through failure. We do not know how to act rightly except after having acted wrongly. […] We know what is right not by… Continue reading
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The Breath of Tibhirine
It's an intelligent film. And saying that is already saying a lot. In an age where stupidity reigns supreme, making an intelligent film about faith allows us to rise above the waters and fill our lungs; to find sustenance. Of Gods and Men exemplifies the lives of monks. What… Continue reading
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The columnist's hatred
I've titled this article "The Hatred of the Columnist." The French columnist—because it truly is a French affliction—is such that he invents himself as master of time, of the world, and above all, of how it's doing. It's unbearable. Purge the columnists and pluck out the buds! All these columnists gathered together are nothing more than a pub talk.… Continue reading
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Notes on the History of Catholicism
Notes from Jean-Pierre Moisset's *Histoire du catholicisme* (chapter 9: *Le choc de la modernité (mid-18th century – 1870)*, p. 394). The ritual of touching for scrofula after the coronation, still practiced, is losing its prestige. Symptomatically, the formula for the laying on of hands is changing. It was "the king… Continue reading