history
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Letter to my friend Alvaro Mutis
One day in the 1990s, we were walking down the street, having just left the Hôtel des Saints-Pères, and Alvaro Mutis stopped abruptly. We were almost at the corner of Rue de Grenelle, and he said to me, "Emmanuel, I have the feeling we walked like this together a long time ago on a street in Cádiz. And we…" Continue reading
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The abandonment of Benedict XVI
“Eli, Eli lama sabachthani?” When Benedict XVI signaled, in a few simple words, that he was renouncing the papacy, it sent shockwaves through the world and deeply affected Catholics. The most outlandish rumors circulated, and everyone wondered about the reasons for this decision, which, even if it… Continue reading
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In the heart of darkness, life
After seeing "The Tree of Life," I long forbade myself from writing about the film. Two forces clashed within me. Captivated by its poetry, by the state of bliss I was immersed in, I was afraid of disturbing the surface of this work. I became so enveloped in the mystery of this film that… 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 -
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 -
And by Saint Anthony… (Death of General Antoine Lecerf)
Antoine is no more. He passed away on Good Friday, April 22, 2011. He is in the house of the Father. Antoine is Antoine Lecerf. Lieutenant General Antoine Lecerf. A master of war. A brilliant leader of men. One of the most extraordinary men I have ever known. When you first met Antoine Lecerf… Continue reading
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Book reviews about Japan
I just finished reading "The Mask of the Samurai," an essay by Aude Fieschi (Philippe Picquier Publishers). It's an informative, well-written book that presents the different facets of the samurai throughout medieval Japan, up to its decline with the advent of modern Japan. Continue reading
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Emmanuel Todd or intellectual vulgarity
Emmanuel Todd was on France Culture the other morning to deliver his gospel. Emmanuel Todd is a prophet. He has the eloquence. He has the pretension, above all. He lacks the honesty. Indeed, one cannot be both a prophet and an ideologue. 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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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