- 28 November 2024
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Oftentimes, when we look for evidence for the transformative power of Christianity, we look to material things. In terms of how Christianity was the foundation for the Common Law, we look for those laws that seem most inspired by Christian revelation or we look for those jurists who were most known for their Christin faith. The difficulty is, that so much of Christian transformation is internal to the reality being transformed. The effects of our faith are not always as close to the surface as we would like them. This is why the world can sometimes convince us that Christianity was only a marginal actor in shaping Western civilisation. The problem is, Christianity is not an actor in Western Civilisation- it is the whole play and the playhouse in which it is set.
In this our eighth lesson, we begin to unpack how Christian Tradition shapes culture. Christianity is not a theory about the world. Christianity is revealed truth; and thus, necessitates that those who follow it, live according to it. Christianity does not have grand visions for creating a better world. Rather, it has an understanding about to form a better man, who then goes on to shape the world. The English Common Law, although quintessentially a Christian creation, is not a Christian project. No one sat down in order to come up with a system of laws. Rather it was the culture that Christianity created which shaped those laws.
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This is the fifth Friday in the month of May, and so we do not have an essay from one of our writers, rather we turn to our good friend Fr Rizzo and his memoir. We have two stories from Fr Rizzo- the first is a story of the priesthood and the power of Holy Mass; the other is a rather wonderful meditation on our Blessed Mother- this being her month.
Fr Pius Noonan
In this wonderful article, Fr Pius teaches us something obvious; but long forgotten- both words and gestures matter. Whatever ideas we express and the language we use to express them must converge on the meaning we intend. This meaning is both captured and expressed in the actions we perform in the service of those ideas. This is perhaps nowhere more important than in those gestures that accompany the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. In particular, how we orientate our worship.
Much has been written about the papacy of Pope Francis. Both during his life and now that his life is over. The only words that actually matter regarding his immortal soul are the words that the Lord will pronounce at his judgement. And in that light, our duty is clear- we pray for the dead. In this article, Fr Pius examines the complexities of the papacy of Pope Francis. The measuring rod with which he measures is the same one that applies to all popes and to all men- Sacred Tradition.
Father Matthew Solomon
Oftentimes, when we look for evidence for the transformative power of Christianity, we look to material things. In terms of how Christianity was the foundation for the Common Law, we look for those laws that seem most inspired by Christian revelation or we look for those jurists who were most known for their Christin faith. The difficulty is, that so much of Christian transformation is internal to the reality being transformed. The effects of our faith are not always as close to the surface as we would like them. This is why the world can sometimes convince us that Christianity was only a marginal actor in shaping Western civilisation. The problem is, Christianity is not an actor in Western Civilisation- it is the whole play and the playhouse in which it is set.
In this our eighth lesson, we begin to unpack how Christian Tradition shapes culture. Christianity is not a theory about the world. Christianity is revealed truth; and thus, necessitates that those who follow it, live according to it. Christianity does not have grand visions for creating a better world. Rather, it has an understanding about to form a better man, who then goes on to shape the world. The English Common Law, although quintessentially a Christian creation, is not a Christian project. No one sat down in order to come up with a system of laws. Rather it was the culture that Christianity created which shaped those laws.
Augustine is the greatest of the Latin Church Fathers. His life is not just a contribution to Western Civilisation- it is part of its foundation. The West would not be what it is without Augustine; and in particular, without his contribution to the doctrine of the human person. In this Lesson we learn how the West was won.
One of the first signs of a resurgent Gnosticism in the Church is an absence of interest in virtue: moments of infidelity are always preceded by an upsurge in idleness. Whenever virtue is not the universal driving force of Catholic life, it is because we have abandoned grace in favour of ‘illumination’. We become obsessed with some ‘new idea’ or ‘new program’ that is really only a thinly veiled attempt at denying the Church’s teaching on a topic that is proving difficult for the present generation to accept. Ironically, in moments of gnostic revival, we go to great lengths to disguise our lack of will by displaying an excess of ‘intellectual’ effort. We have never the courage to admit that we do not want to be chaste, faithful or disciplined- we need some pesudo-intellectual excuse to camouflage our cowardice. And the first real sign of this impending trouble in the life of the Church is laziness. This is the enduring of 1st century Gnosticism, a kind of latent varicella virus lying dormant in the Body of Christ.
Father Peter Joseph
St. John Henry Newman, canonised in 2019, remains one of the most admired and studied intellectual thinkers of the 19th Century. His major work, An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, remains one of the most influential works in recent history. In this essay we explore why that is, and why you should read.
Father Paschal Corby
Jesus, in your heart we find
love of the Father and mankind
these two loves to us impart –
Divine love in a human heart.
In this article, Fr Paschal tackles the ever so misunderstood topic of self-love. He offers us an insight into how authentic self-love is ordered to human flourishing: because the origin and goal of this love, like all love, is not actually the self- but God alone.
In this excellent article by Fr Paschal, we trace the fall from grace that has occurred in the most basic of human experiences: of being created either male or female. Far from being a post-modern invention, Fr Paschal explains that the post-modern imperative of control and subjugation of all things does arise as s rejection of Modernity, but rather is its logical conclusion. Gender dysphoria is a condition that requires genuine care and charity; our present day obsession with transgender ideology is an something that must be resisted.