Spes in Domino - "Hope in the Lord"

We can learn a lot from the faith of the Magi.  How often do we, who have the full revelation of Jesus Christ and his Gospel, instead seek our own worldly agenda, following the example of miserable King Herod?  Blog post: https://spesindomino.org/2023/01/05/epiphany-faith-vs-power/

St. Anastasia shares in the Incarnation by sharing her feast day with the commemoration of Christ's Nativity on the Solemnity of Christmas.  Blog post: Merry Christmas (and Feast of St. Anastasia)! - Spes in Domino

“Of The Father’s Love Begotten” is a beautiful and ancient hymn.  Written in Latin in the 5th century by Aurelius Prudentius (translated in the 19th century by Henry W. Baker and J.M. Neale); the tune is Divinum Mysterium, an 11th century chant. Concordia is the recording artist, from Hymns for All Saints: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany. The image is The Nativity, by Tintoretto, originally 1550s, reworked 1570s (also the featured image at the top of this page).

What is man that the Creator even notices us? And yet he does more: he becomes one of us. That's what we await during Advent. Read the original post at: What Is Man That Thou Art Mindful of Him? - Spes in Domino

Lets show a little love for the mother tongue. Read the original post here.

Who would you expect to be more open to conversion, prison inmates, or students at a Catholic college? 

What if you set out not to find something? Atheists and the search for God.

This is the transformative power of faithful suffering.  If we let him, Christ can transform our suffering into a powerful force for the good of our fellow men and women. Not only that, there are rewards for the sufferer as well. Our faith teaches us that when we join our sufferings to Christ’s, we never suffer alone. (Blog Post: "What do you say to a God who permits bone cancer in children? Ask Chiara Badano")

The Presentation looks back to Christmas, but ahead to the Cross, and reminds us that only Jesus Christ can make sense of the Paradox of Pain.

If you want to change the Church, if you want to change the beliefs that have animated Christians for two millennia, you need to take away the concrete images, the traditional words, and the familiar actions that embody the traditional understanding of the faith. 

Does St. Thomas Aquinas teach that it's okay to disobey Catholic moral doctrine simply because our conscience tells us to do it?  Listen to this podcast to find out.

How many times have we seen that the more formidable the opponent, the more dramatic the impact when he comes crashing down? The nascent Church faced just such an opponent in the days after the ascension of Jesus, an opponent much more formidable than the fighters James Jeffries and Robert Fitzsimmons put together.

Truth is the mortal enemy of Sin.  There is nothing sin hates and fears more than the truth.  Few issues illustrate that reality as starkly as abortion.  In Roe v. Wade the court sacrificed the Truth of Human Life to the Untrammelled Human Will.

Ultimately, it comes down to a matter of truth. Our Lord tells us "He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and he who is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much." (Luke 16:10) How can we hope to be faithful to Him Who is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life" (John 14:6) if we're not faithful to the ordinary everyday truths? 

The Body of Christ is more important than politics. Website version: "Who's really "politicizing" the Body of Christ?"

The new front in the Spiritual War is also the old front - Blessed Margaret Pole gave her life for the sanctity of the family. Readable version: "A Martyr for Marriage"

The story of three English kings shows us that we can't see what the consequences of our actions will be five hundred years from now. Readable version "Sins of the Fathers . . . and of Kings" 

We shouldn't be afraid to let the Dogma live loudly within us.

Palestrina's "Veni Creator Spiritus" Performed by: The Sixteen To see my video and my discussion of the painting: "The Pentecost" by Fray Juan Bautista Maíno (1612-1614), go to:  https://spesindomino.wordpress.com/2021/05/17/palestrinas-veni-creator-spiritus-and-mainos-the-pentecost-from-san-pedro-martir/

The classic argument for why belief in God is the best bet still stands.

Part II of a series.  Below are links to resources mentioned in the podcast: Fr. Z's Blog The Cardinal Newman Guide to Colleges

The first of two episodes 

Sure Merton got kind of iffy towards the end, but his good books are still well worth reading. Articles cited in the podcast: "Merton's Parable of the Trappists and Icarians" by Iacobus M “More on Merton” by Carl Olsen “Can You Trust Thomas Merton?” by Anthony E. Clark

Thomas Merton is a name that can provoke a reaction from all manner of Catholics . . . all manner of reactions as well. This article, an update of a post I first published six years ago at the time of Merton's hundredth birthday, is about an illuminating story in one of his early (i.e., orthodox) books.  I'll publish a follow-up post about Merton himself next week.

The second of two podcasts exploring how, as a Christian, to navigate the currents of religion, culture, and politics.

Religion, culture, and politics are not of equal importance - how is a Christian to sort it out? (1st of 2 segments)

"Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." (Mark 12:17)  Deciding how to balance what we really owe to Caesar with what we owe to God is a perennial issue for a believing Christian.  In the age of Covid and related governmental tomfoolery that question has become, let us say, even more acute.

The introductory post to my blog Spes In Domino.  Twitter, Google, Facebook, etc. aren't God . . . but Somebody is . . . 

The point is that the Church doesn't exist as a community for the sake of the community itself, it exists to bring us into communion with the Trinitarian God. Even fundamentally good and essential communities such as the family can't do that.

In this podcast I discuss how the amazing memories of Australia's oldest inhabitants inform our defense of the authenticity of the Gospels.

As the latest Gallup report shows, we are no longer or Christian or a moral people.  Welcome to Mission Territory.

Like Dark Energy, God cannot be measured with scientific instruments . . . but his effects are very clear. 

The period between Death and Resurrection is one of stillness and waiting in our world, but Jesus doesn't rest . . . 

When Jesus says to them, "You will all fall away” (Matthew 26:31), he’s not speaking only to his Apostles, but to all of us who have been his disciples in the millennia since, as well as all those in the years  to come.

When Jesus takes on the servile task of washing the Apostles’ feet at the Last Supper, He doesn’t simply speak but acts out his message, in the manner of an Old Testament prophet.  He is showing the Apostles through his example that the purpose of their office is to serve, and not to exalt themselves.

Jesus came to save us from true slavery - slavery to sin.

Why do Sunday's "Hosannas" turn to "Crucify Him" by Friday?

Mary’s willingness to give up herself to be a part, perhaps the greatest (solely) human actor in God’s Great Drama of Salvation, is the big picture; as is often the way, there’s a little picture, too, a way in which the Annunciation is reflected in our own lives.  God has a plan for all of us.

We need to help prepare the Church to keep the sacraments available, especially the Eucharist, the next time there's a "Covid Crisis."  And there will be a next time.

In today's world we need the example and intercession of St. Joseph, human Father of Jesus, more than ever. The Litany of St. Joseph is the perfect way to build up our relationship with him.  You can find the full text of the prayer in my post at: https://spesindomino.wordpress.com/2021/03/18/the-crisis-of-fatherhood-and-the-litany-of-st-joseph/

There are two ways to react to being abducted by pirates: the world's way, and the way of Christ.

A Lenten meditation on spiritual leprosy.

What happens when a conservative culture critic, a progressive Episcopalian bishop, and a liberal columnist walk into a movie theater together?

Meditating on on the the events in the Book of Jonah and in Jesus' Parable of the Prodigal Son helps us to understand ourselves and God's forgiveness. By Iacobus M

St. Philemon knew that there was a time for acting, but also a time to act on his faith.  By Iacobus M at spesindomino.wordpress.com

How I became friends with St. Paul through the "signatures" at the end of his letters. By Iacobus M, at spesindomino.wordpress.com.