Catholicism

Advent with St. John of the Cross

Though he is now celebrated as a major reformer, mystical poet, and Doctor of the Church, what John had to endure to reach those heights is almost unimaginable. Continue Reading »

What Makes a Great Parish?

In Great Catholic Parishes, William E. Simon, Jr. has undertaken to set forth what makes for dynamic parishes. Continue Reading »

While We’re at It

♦ An exchange of emails by Clintonistas, available courtesy of WikiLeaks, has provoked a great deal of commentary. The chain starts with a message from John Halpin, a fellow at the Center for American Progress. He’s writing to John Podesta, chairman of the Clinton campaign, and Jennifer . . . . Continue Reading »

A (Liturgical) New Year’s Resolution

Permit me to suggest a Real New Year’s resolution to those who think it necessary to support Pope Francis by rewriting recent Church history: Stop it. Continue Reading »

Solidarity and Dynamism

Solidarity showed the world the link between the Polish nation and Catholicism. However, few outside Poland know the history of this bond. Continue Reading »

Wanting to Love the Pope

Catholics love the pope, want to love the pope, and Francis deserves their love and fidelity.

But to the degree Catholics also really know their faith, love the Church, and seek to live her teachings, many are also increasingly uneasy. Continue Reading »

Poetry and Popery

The First Things Podcast, Episode 17. Also featuring: Thanksgiving wishes from the First Things staff. Continue Reading »

The Ecumenical Gospel

Is the gospel identical with the Protestant doctrine of salvation? Or is the gospel a message about God's Son that Protestants and Catholics affirm together? Continue Reading »

Catholic Scholars Commend the Witness of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC)

The historic Black church and the Catholic Church in America, though allies in many struggles, have been too much like strangers to each other for too long. It should not have taken the unprecedented moral challenges we now face, or the abject failures of our political elites, to bring us closer together. Continue Reading »

Willa Cather’s Answer to Exile

For Cather, human life is an experience of exile and homesickness. We are all separated from our true homeland—from that place where we are entirely in our element. We live outside the gates of Paradise, at odds with God, our neighbor, and the natural world. Continue Reading »