Here is a recap of the recent 40 Reflections for Lent. God bless 1. Finding Rest 2. Forgiveness 3. Repentance and Remorse 4. Knowledge Follows Belief 5. Of and To 6. The Humor of God 7. Turning the Other Cheek…
There was a bit of a dust-up on social media this week when Crisis Magazine ran an essay condemning The Chosen for portraying Jesus as a joke-cracking, regular guy. Amongst the devout some were scandalized, pointing out that never once…
Resurrection, published in 1899, was Tolstoy’s last novel and the cause of his being excommunicated from the Russian Orthodox Church. It’s powerful and depressing and thought-provoking in the extreme. Resurrection fully embodies Tolstoy’s method of writing after his religious awakening;…
Book Review: The Complete Stories of Flannery O’Connor When I decided to read Flannery O’Connor’s short stories, I went in cold, as I often do when exploring unpopular culture. On the one hand I was eager to read O’Connor, because…
Cold Hand in Mine is a collection of eight strange stories (as the author liked to describe them) by Robert Aickman (1914-1981), first published in 1975. It is the fourth collection reviewed here, and in many ways, the best. The…
Random ramblings: politics and faith. “Political science” is a troublesome term. Can politics be reduced to a science? Scientific knowledge, as we have been reminded of lately in the healthcare field especially, has its limits. Science does not and cannot…
BOOK REVIEW The Word on Fire Vatican II Collection: Constitutions Forward by Bishop Robert Barron, with commentary by postconciliar popes. I must say this is one of the most depressing books I have ever read. First a few words about…
DINING OUT Dining out Is something I can do without. If you consider last night You’ll understand my plight. For cocktails I took a pass Because the wines began at sixteen a glass. The server became quite condescending When he…