Safe Haven

I don't know the facts of each case, but 2 more black men have died at the hands of police. Dr. Bryan Cross asserts that a dubious utilitarianism which could countenance a pre-emptive war (unjust) in Iraq is the same philosophy that justifies excessive police violence after the fact. Indeed, it is utilitarian, but also consequentialist, in that an observer could find some positive outcome, and use that desirable outcome to judge an action morally acceptable. I also read a good piece by a lawyer who essentially reminded law students not to support a law unless they were willing to kill in order to enforce it. It seems a bit stark, until we realize that governments coerce by their nature. The question of when and whether such coercion is just is separate from the acknowledgment that force is the nature of political authority. All the more reason we have to lament the loss of awareness that the natural moral law gives governments their authority. As a baseline, I agree with the ar...

I had some time today in the morning, so I made a morning offering. I would love to tell you that this happens every day, but that's a lie. But there I was, and I was thankful for grace, which seems to be more plentiful than my disgust with myself. Perhaps that truly is the story of God's love for all of us: abundant life more plentiful than our disgust with ourselves. I don't mean to suggest that we don't do things which offend the holiness of God; read the Catechism concerning sins of various sorts for five minutes if you have a doubt. But we overdo everything in this culture, including self-condemnation. It seems holy to drone on and on about how terrible you are. It's really just pride. The truth is, I'm on the knife's edge of my worst self at any given moment, but it is that worst me that Christ knows and loves, giving His life to save. Personally, I don't want to hear about Christ's "finished work" from the lot of you. If you don...

We celebrate sacraments in the Church; we don't just perform them. I think many separated Christians get afraid of the way the sacraments work , because it seems at once presumptous and fearful. Yet if we can agree that a pious soul might need to remember that Christ is the true minister of all sacraments, then we can understand that the Catholic teaching is the logical application of that truth. You cannot stir up in yourself enough faith or zeal to make a sacrament work, so to speak. We can, however, in those moments during and prior, decide whether we understand who Jesus is, and whether we are willing to let Him walk with us, no matter how many times we stumble. The whole thing is shot through not only with charity, but faith and hope, too. I can think of nothing more bold than to approach the throne of grace in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, but the way some people tell it, we never needed any of it. The double-edged sword of the claim that sacraments aren't necessary i...

Roger Federer is in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon, a tournament he has already won a record 7 times. I'm going to remind you that Federer is the greatest tennis player ever, and still near his peak at the age of 34. To watch him even on TV is an experience. The tennis is art, cloaked in sports. What is more, Federer nemesis and the world's top-ranked player, Novak Djokovic, was upset by another player. Many people are saying that it's Federer's tournament to lose. I won't say that, because there are great players still in the draw, including the second-ranked player and 2013 Wimbledon champion, Andy Murray. But Federer beat Murray for the title 4 years ago. And here we are again. Recall that Federer has lost in the championship final to Djokovic the last two years. There is no doubt we are witnessing in Federer the greatest player ever to play. If he wins Wimbledon for the 8th time, it will be both a massive triumph, and entirely predictable. Maybe that's...

You could read thirty of these , and it wouldn't be enough. I probably ranked as a casual fan, albeit one who understood something of the context. Sports at its best is a big giant human interest story, and there were few as interesting and as human as Pat Summitt. I hope you get sick of the stories and remembrances, because then you will begin to understand. An icon, right under your nose. I really need Bob Costas to do a piece; some say he's melodramatic. I say he understands why sports matters. I can remember when the Lady Vols blew a 16-point second half lead against Baylor one year, with another trip to the Final Four on the line. Even in the determined jubilation of Baylor, it was in their eyes: We just beat the greatest coach of all time. Kim Mulkey wasn't apologetic for winning, but she wanted to be. And this is the power of the legend: she knew she'd better look that way. The great Peyton Manning released a statement. Two-time Super Bowl champion, and arg...

Left? Right? Who cares? It's the general inability of anyone to speak or think in anything besides tribalistic terms that makes those descriptors pointless. I'd defiantly own "mushy moderate," but, you don't actually know what you mean by "conservative." No one does. We have to do a monumental thing: we have to re-build ethics and re-establish virtue, and then establish the positive good of government as such. There is no point in talking about "limited government" if one doesn't know what government is for. And if someone believes in anarchy, they should just say that. There are precious few actual Communists to make common cause against. Other foolish people think that every solution that begins with government at some level spending money must be offered by people who don't understand "economics." Well, I may not. But it strikes me in the same way as the people who dodge metaphysical questions by saying, "Because, sc...

Right now, Pat Summitt is fighting for her life. I expect to get the sad news any day. She's the greatest coach in college basketball history. Most people don't know, because women's college basketball was a punchline, until she made it relevant to the sports world. Geno Auriemma has 11 national championships, all since 1995, but when he goes down as the greatest ever, it will be noted that he had to eclipse Pat Summitt to do it. I can remember when I started counting each win. I remember when I figured out that the average record of a Lady Vols team in 38 years was 28-6. I remember when I thought I would never see this again. She won't remember, but we should. The greatest teams, players, and coaches don't win on skill; they win on fear. The very best make you think you as the opponent will choke, and then you do. Pat Summitt's stare could melt lead. She's finally facing an opponent who won't crack. Alzheimer's, and his pal, Death. Still, if w...

"A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."--The Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America Many people simply refer to this text, and any discussion of the regulation of firearms simply ends. I'm not going to do that, because 1) a Christian worldview demands more careful reflection; 2) there is nothing sacrosanct about the Constitution itself, that is, it isn't a religious text, or sacred object, no matter how good or correct we think it to be; and 3) we have new challenges that the Founders could not have foreseen.  One of the great strokes of genius in our founding and its documents is the separation of powers. More than this, that the Constitution does not enumerate all the rights individuals may have, but rather limits what the government may licitly do with respect to the individual. The US Constitution limits th...

John 11:35. The shortest verse in the Bible. You may have known that. What you may not have ever pondered is how weird the situation is. Jesus knows Lazarus is ill; he stays where he is. He waits for Lazarus to die, then goes down there. Why? Lots of answers in the grand scheme suggest themselves, but not in the moment. You can understand why Jesus gets questioned about this from even those who know he isn't just some guy from down the street. It's absolutely true that the just will get it all back at the resurrection. What great faith! But Jesus has even bigger plans. He knows exactly what he's going to do. It's in that context that Jesus wept. "He's in a better place" might be true, but it's beside the point. Death, sorrow, and all the rest may be here, but they don't belong. So much so that the Master of life and death cried. If he were not God in the flesh, we might say he "ugly-cried." He couldn't abide it for one secon...

One of the best in the business. My teacher. Everyone from young children to the learned and aged has been benefiting from Dr. Nguyen's good gifts, and this is a good example. For my part, I think that if the sacred pastors want to say, "Catechesis is really poor, and puts people at risk of ending up in some painful situations," that's what they should say. It is undesirable, to say the least, to cast doubt on the efficacy of the sacraments, even unwittingly, in the name of compassion. Lord God, by Your Holy Spirit, help us all to discern truth from error, that we may enter boldly and unstained into the wedding feast of the Lamb. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

I'll continue hammering the Democrats, and anyone else who thinks this is a real argument for killing defenseless human beings in the womb. If you're not able to grasp the basic argument, you might be right about dozens of other affronts to human dignity, but your moral authority over me is exactly zero. Just so we understand one another.

You make my social media feed interesting, that's for sure. I can't decide if you are crazy, or just willfully provocative. Believe it or not, I like that. Holy Mother Church is still waiting for you. I will certainly gloat when we get Russell Moore. And we will. Resistance is futile. In other news, you need someone to your left who is not insane, and not Alan Noble. Excuse me, Dr. Alan Noble. I'm happy to help.

Let me be direct, and brief: you can't settle the question of whether to baptize infants or not from Scripture alone. Strictly speaking, Scripture doesn't "say" anything. All appeals to Scripture are appeals to an interpretation of Scripture. Once you get past all the impressive citations of particular passages, it's an unwinnable argument, from either side. Bad faith and theological-dogmatic relativism are the most obvious results. This is very simply why we have a Magisterium in holy mother Church, and why said Church claims to be the one Christ founded, because it is. It is reasonable to believe such because that which all Christians hold in common despite their divisions cannot be accounted for without the authority of the Catholic Church. And such an authority, so visible, and so constant through these many centuries, must be divine, if we grant that God has spoken at all. There does need to be an acknowledgment that the paedobaptist--despite his efforts ...

I've blogged about this Kenny Loggins album before. But I had a new reason, when Spotify took one of the tracks off the album. I was kind of mad. Anyway, I went to iTunes, and sure enough, if you want the song, "If You Believe," you must buy the whole album. So I did. I'm not given to fideism; that is, to believing without a reason or reasons, so it seems odd to draw insight and titles from pop singers, and angsty Lutheran philosphers. And Kenny won't be everyone's cup of tea. He was always on the sentimental side, and this is the last album he did that was conceptually (and theologically) coherent. He got New Age-y after this, and that won't do anyone any good. Still, this album is pretty great, 25 years later. [Yikes!--ed.] Yeah. Anyway, aside from the insightful greatness of "Conviction Of The Heart," I was struck by a few lines from another song called, "Now Or Never." He sings in part: "And tell him that love is why we...

Act of Contrition: O God my Redeemer, see me here at your feet. From my deepest heart, I am sorry for all my sins, because they have offended you, whom I should love above all things. Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, have mercy on me, a sinner! Amen. First Station: Jesus is Condemned to Death Dearest Jesus, help me to rejoice in suffering unjustly, or when I am reviled, remembering that you suffered likewise. Our Father...Hail, Mary...Glory be. Second Station: Jesus Carries His Cross Lord Jesus, when I suffer, grant me the grace to see that I have a small part in your cross, and thus, that I have cause to rejoice. Our Father...Hail, Mary...Glory Be. Third Station: Jesus Falls the First Time My Jesus, the weight of my sins has thrown you to the ground. May my love and compassion grow along with my pity, ultimately for my good, and your glory. Our Father...Hail, Mary...Glory be. Fourth Station: Jesus Meets His Mother  Lord, it plea...

That was several years ago. Do you remember it? Though some of the organizing energy doubtless smacked of crass opportunism, (this was Mike Huckabee, after all) I did it. And I'm not entirely insensitive to the Christian criticism that it was unnecessarily combative toward the so-called "gay community." But I went, and I felt better about it as it went along. I want to live in a country where, if it must be pluralistic, we can still take the risk to live and believe what we will. We may offend people--and Heaven knows I don't actually enjoy it--but this is America, and it's time for some progressives to put on their big-boy and big-girl pants (and the other identities, if you like) and just deal with it. Especially in light of their willingness to hire homosexuals (and others) while steadfastly maintaining a Christian identity. Firing up the grills on a Sunday, no less, to feed those affected by the Orlando tragedy, and dozens of other things, shows any sensible...

You could find some good here , if you wanted to. Overall, if I may, however, I find it self-indulgent, self-flagellating nonsense. The shooter wasn't even a Christian! What exactly are we supposed to be apologizing for? Here's a few things in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Though I would love to find out what "unjust discrimination" means in this context, I have no problem assenting to these paragraphs. I know one thing for sure: currying favor, and attempting to placate people who don't know what they want is a fool's errand. Christian, you don't need to be "dialoguing" with anyone who thinks "Homosexual practices constitute sin" is functionally equivalent to murder. There is no apology I am required to offer for my existence, and for upholding the traditional Christian teaching on sexuality, and there is nothing good to be gained from saying, "I'm not like those Christians" unless you intend not to hold the...

I don't want to say anything about recent events. This blog is sanctimonious enough. I doubt that I have anything to add. I will say it reminds me of our fragility. We often think there are many days, weeks, months, and years ahead. That may be our most foolish conceit. Get about the business of living the worthiest life you can, as emphatically as you can. We just don't know. God of mercy, hear our pleas, for our own sakes, and for our friends and neighbors. We ask this through Christ the Lord, Amen.

This is an amazing blog. I'm continuing the tradition of linking to people who are smarter and cooler than me. You'll need a dictionary, and a shot of something strong. The Register could use a writer like her. Just a thought.

I can remember back in 2008, when Barack Obama first ran for president, and his ties to Jeremiah Wright became known. I listened to several sermons of Dr. Wright, and one by Fr. Michael Pfleger, (who should not have been there, as a Catholic priest) and I more deeply understood just by listening, what drives black separatism. And I definitely wouldn't say that any of that ideology is beyond criticism. Yet I wanted to understand first, and our political culture does not encourage us to understand. It functions on outrage, both real, and manufactured. Empathy and reflexive outrage are opposites. I know for certain that I don't want any part of an ideology that considers empathy a weakness. One day, Louis Farrakhan will face judgment, as we all will, and he'll have to answer for the murder of Malcolm X. I can also remember the day I heard him speak (on C-SPAN) at the Million Man March. I was about 15. To say that he is rhetorically gifted is an understatement. To deny that...