There is a well-known story about the novelist Evelyn Waugh. He was once very rude and his hostess remonstrated: “How can you behave so badly – and you a Catholic!” Waugh replied: “You have no idea how much nastier I would be if I was not a Catholic. Without supernatural aid I would hardly be … Continue reading Waugh is Me
G.K. Chesterton
Do You Want to Love Reading Again?
I’m not going to tell you how to read. Most of us have been told how to read, what to read, and when to read for all of our academic lives, and that’s why we hate reading. Charles Belden photo, which rests on one of my bookcases. Pitchfork Ranch, Meeteetse. Try to remember the experience … Continue reading Do You Want to Love Reading Again?
An Intersection of Traditions
I once got into an argument with a man at the South Dakota State Fair. A farmer, obviously, and slightly intoxicated, he confronted me with a rude dubiousness at the very idea of using a horse to move cattle. “Why wouldn’t you just use a four wheeler?” he said.
Wait… You’re Not Living Together?
It has to be one of the most commonly asked questions since my engagement. After all, all dating and engaged couples live together nowadays, right? After explaining that I will not move in with my fiancé until we are married, I am often met with an appraising look, as if the person is trying to … Continue reading Wait… You’re Not Living Together?
Catholicism: The Religion of “Stuff”
I’ll never forget the passage that I read in college which made me entirely rethink the religion I had grown up with. Turns out, I didn’t know much about my faith at all. Like many, I was under the impression that anything I could enjoy was inherently wrong. Drinking was bad, sex was bad, feasting, … Continue reading Catholicism: The Religion of “Stuff”
Food: The First Sin, The Final Hope
But in His true fashion, Our Father had written that this sin, the desire to eat, would be reciprocated in the most precious of the sacraments. While the food eaten in Genesis was poison for the soul, the food eaten in the Gospels is the antidote.
Resolutions that Are (Actually) Good for Your Soul
Clearly, the things that society values–followers, money, and position–don’t bring true joy. But the renewal of society begins in the home and within ourselves. It is my hope that these will help you find true joy and true faith in this world that has lost hope, lost happiness, and lost sight of Heaven.
From a Cattle Stall
The devil hates that Our Lord was once small. Jesus Christ was incarnate in a virgin’s womb, and thus began the one and great salvation story of mankind. Our Lord was once a baby–what’s more, a baby that wasn’t even destined to be born in a proper bed, but languished in the manger with cows gazing at him in their feed trough. How could Satan possibly understand this, with his bloated pride and hatred for all things small and good?
Sister Nature: Reflections on Earth Day
“Unfortunately, if you regard Nature as a mother, you discover that she is a step-mother. The main point of Christianity was this: that Nature is not our mother: Nature is our sister. We can be proud of her beauty, since we have the same father; but she has no authority over us; we have to … Continue reading Sister Nature: Reflections on Earth Day
The Preservation of Fire 