religion
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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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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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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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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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Philia, agape and other little things…
The Greeks used three words to describe love: eros, carnal love; philia, friendship; and agape, mature and fulfilled love. Is love only there to comfort us? Shouldn't we seek to give meaning to love, as to every event in life? Only meaning saves the human condition. Meaning… The… Continue reading
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What Mr. Ouine says in our time…
Monsieur Ouine, one of the greatest French novels of the 20th century, offers many answers to the modern world as it is. The following quotes provide a glimpse into the evil that insinuates itself everywhere. Continue reading
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Notes on the French Revolution
Most of the quotes concerning the French Revolution given in this article come from Jean Sévillia's book "Historically Correct." — Solzhenitsyn: "Since men are not endowed with the same capacities, if they are free, they will not be equal, and if they are equal, it is because they are not free." — There is a revolutionary idea… Continue reading
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Father de Smet
There are some incredible stories. Pierre Jean Smet's is one of them. The other evening, while chatting with my friend JB about C., I shared my idea of a priest arriving in Japan in the 1830s—something virtually impossible. Japan was completely closed off from the outside world during the Meiji era… Continue reading
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The secular and modern world
There's the beautiful Italian word "vergogna," and there's the French word, emptied of its meaning in modern times, "shame." Who hasn't found themselves in the middle of a dinner with dear friends, wanting to flee, to escape to avoid enduring the stupidity, the incoherence, the remarks… Continue reading