wffguest
A Footnote
By Guest Author, Edmund Miller Soon we will witness again the Holy Thursday Mass and its traditional washing of the feet. Maybe after I am dead and gone, someone may glance at this posting…and maybe, maybe, someone somewhere might one day offer a homily that gets to the core of what’s going on with this…
Seeing and Teaching
by Guest Author, Edmund Miller The Gospel of John tells the story of Nicodemus, a Pharisee, who goes out at night to find and to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he says, “we know you are a teacher come from God, for no one can work the signs that you work unless God is with him”(3:2)….
“It’s A Wonderful Life”: Capracorn?
As is my Christmas tradition, I watched Frank Capra’s “It’s A Wonderful Life” once again last night. Watching the accompanying featurettes, I was surprised to learn that the film was somewhat of a box-office failure when it was released. Critics described Capra’s vision just as Old Potter described George Bailey’s idealism: “sentimental hogwash.” The director’s…
The Legacy of Junípero Serra
Guest Patrick Laurence presents a realistic examination of Serra’s contribution to the Native Americans versus what the secular State might have done and did.
The Problem with the Prevenient: Low Expectations are Killing the Faith
by Guest Author, Fr. Anthony C. Neusch “The most important lesson that you can learn in this class is this: ‘Children will succeed at the level of your expectations, if you are willing to help them attain success.’” It was the most important thing I have ever learned, and it wasn’t said in any of the…
The Evident and the Transfigured
by Dr. Rebecca Oas As we celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration, it’s worth reflecting on the fact that Our Lord was not transformed on Mount Thabor [Tabor], but transfigured. That is, it was His appearance that was changed before the eyes of the Apostles. I observe that Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary defines transfigure as “to…
The De Smet Statuary at SLU: An Alternative Approach
by Fr. Claude Pavur, S.J. Editor’s Note: This guest commentary is by Fr. Claude Pavur, S.J. on the recent controversy surrounding the Fr. De Smet statue at St. Louis University. Fr. Pavur is a well-respected Jesuit priest and scholar–formerly of St. Louis University, now at Boston College–and the Bellarmine Forum is honored to have his contribution here. The two…
“A Steady and Invigorating Catholic Light”
by Guest Author, Daniel J. Kelly The Catholic Thing: Five Years of a Singular Website Robert Royal, Editor St. Augustine’s Press Paperback, $20 The blogging age has unwittingly renewed an old thing: book writing by serial installments. The website known as The Catholic Thing has raised the bar in both blogging and books by publishing…
The Value of Preaching to the Choir
By Dale Ahlquist I went to a very secular liberal arts college. Like most secular liberal arts colleges, it had been founded by a church. Its church affiliation had long since ended, but it still had a beautiful, Gothic-style chapel in the center of campus. The other remnant of its religious past was that there…
Maximilian Kolbe, Saint For Our Times
A Vignette of stories about St. Maximilian Kolbe, whose total consecration to Mary paves the way we can follow and become superheroes like him! by Brother Francis Mary FI