The Editors

Matthew Walther on Orwell’s deathbed misreading of Evelyn Waugh : Of the reissuing of classic British fiction, there seems to be no end—at least not this year.  Lucky Jim  and  The Old Devils  are finally back in print.  A Dance to the Music   of Time . . . . Continue Reading »

William Doino Jr. on rediscovering Paul VI : When the Vatican recently announced its new candidates for sainthood, there was a remarkable name on its list: Pope Paul VI. On December 20, 2012, Pope Benedict declared Paul a Christian of “heroic virtue,” granting him the title, . . . . Continue Reading »

Wesley J. Smith on how Mark O’Brien’s triumph had nothing to do with sex : Mark’s true yearning was not for regular access to sexual release but for full inclusion in a society too often indifferent to the common humanity of its disabled members. Indeed, his personal   calling . . . . Continue Reading »

Patrick J. Deneen on the destructive life of George Bailey : One sees a dark side represented by George Bailey himself: the optimist, the adventurer, the builder, the man who persistently hates the town that gives him sustenance, who craves nothing else but to get out of Bedford Falls and remake . . . . Continue Reading »

George Weigel on a lost pastoral opportunity : At their annual November meeting, the U.S. bishops failed to approve a pastoral message on the economy. “The Hope of the Gospel in Difficult Economic Times” was approved by a clear majority of the bishops voting, but objections raised in . . . . Continue Reading »

R.R. Reno on the Christmas conspiracy : God does not call out sin and death to meet them on a grand battlefield. He undertakes a covert action, as it were, entering into human history by stealth as the child of a humble young woman who gives birth in a stable. Undercover, the lord of all foments a . . . . Continue Reading »

Peter J. Leithart on Christmas as heavenly economy : Since the early centuries of the Church, Christians have thought of giving and receiving gifts as a fitting way to celebrate the Incarnation. The logic is simple: God so loved the world that he gave; so should we. But this simple practice . . . . Continue Reading »

Russell E. Saltzman on the calamity of death : I remember Melisa’s mother grappling with her daughter’s death. There isn’t anyone who doesn’t try to make sense of death. We try to make sense of everything. We do not like not knowing, as if motivations, circumstances, some little . . . . Continue Reading »

George Weigel on Christmas as a cure for cynicism and irony : There is neither cynicism nor irony in Mary’s reception of the angel Gabriel and her acceptance of the divine invitation to become the  Theotokos , the “God-bearer” or “Mother of God.” There was a . . . . Continue Reading »

Elizabeth Scalia on doing better with the hard questions : In fact, Benedict XVI—who goes by the handle @Pontifex on Twitter—had answered a “hard” question, because the life of faith turns all questions into “hard” ones. The answers become hard, too, mostly because on . . . . Continue Reading »