A GOOD DEATH, said St. Robert Bellarmine, depends upon a good life. But a good life depends on dying to the world, “a business of the greatest difficulty and importance.”

Bellarmine (1542-1621), wrote The Art of Dying Well (De arte bene moriendi) in 1620 and it contains profound reflections on the world’s most neglected and most significant subject. In his second chapter, the Italian Jesuit and theologian responded to the objection that “dying to the world” is impossible. Detachment from life’s pleasures is too difficult. He wrote:

But perhaps the lovers of the world may reply, “It is very difficult to die to the world, whilst we are living in it; and to despise those good things which God has created for our enjoyment.” To these words I answer, that God does not wish us entirely and absolutely to neglect or despise the riches and honours of this world. (more…)

  ALSO known as the Allendale Nativity, this Adoration of the Shepherds is now commonly attributed to the Renaissance painter Giorgione, circa 1500. The dark grotto, the lush trees and distant mountains create a daytime scene of unusual drama. The history of the painting and the debate over its authorship are explored in a post by Hasan Niyazi at his blog Three Pipe Problem.  

THE LATE Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira wrote of the psychological experience of giving birth to Christ in this essay posted at Tradition in Action. He posed a very simple and obvious question: What were her thoughts? He wrote:

Before the Incarnation, Our Lady had a great union of soul with God and, therefore, a union with the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. But after the Incarnation, she began to have a different kind of union – the union of the God-Man with His Mother. Knowing this, we cannot think that Our Lady had no knowledge whatsoever of her Son until His birth and only entered into contact with Him then for the first time. She already had a very intimate and ardent union of soul with Him. (more…)

DANIEL S. writes:

I came across some interesting and illuminating lines from the traditionalist Catholic philosopher Rev. James Schall in his article about Christmas:

Modern culture has made great efforts to obfuscate our understanding of Christmas. It has evaporated the heart of the event while pretending to keep its trappings. The White House has decided to call its decorative pines “Holiday” not “Christmas” trees. Why? we might wonder. It is because “Christmas” means something definite. Of course, even the word “holiday” means “holy day.” Still, it is a form of blasphemy to celebrate Christmas when nothing transcendent is acknowledged to celebrate. Christmas still reveals souls, even in high places. (more…)

  KIDIST PAULOS ASRAT writes about the busy married life of Chelsea Clinton here and here.

IN THIS 1971 BBC interview, Muhammad Ali passionately defends racial identity and explains why he objects to interracial marriage. It’s well worth watching for his unapologetic and commonsense arguments. Sir Michael Parkinson, his interviewer, is a typical liberal sap. He insists that the races are all the same and only “society has made us different.” To which Ali instantly responds, “No, God made us different.”

Ali is applauded by the audience. “It’s nature to just want to be with your own,” he says. “I want to be with my own…. You a hater of your people if you don’t want to stay who you are. Are you ashamed of what God made you? God didn’t make no mistake when he made us all as we are.”

“I think that’s a philosophy of despair,” Parkinson says. (more…)

  A READER shared this card from his own personal mailbag:

  THE BOYS CHOIR is one of the few artistic endeavours in which a masculine esprit de corps still survives. In a boys choir, a boy can sing like a girl and yet not be a girl. See this lovely 2008 version of O, Holy Night  from the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral with James Orrell as soloist.

 JAMES N. writes:

We just put it together. Six hours. Solid wood.

Should I be worried about stereotyping or setting patriarchal expectations?

(more…)

LAST MONTH, I wrote very briefly about Kevin Neary, a 29-year-old graduate of the University of Pennsylvania whose life changed irrevocably in November. His story, as familiar as it seems, is haunting. Neary was walking home in the Northern Liberties neighborhood on Nov. 15 when he was approached by a black thug. The man asked Neary for money. He then fired a bullet into Neary’s neck, shattering his spine, and ran away.  (more…)

AT VFR, a reader argues that it was wrong for a New Zealand Catholic to destroy a billboard that portrayed Mary disrespectfully. After giving some thought to it, I am inclined to agree with him. The reader, Pentheus, writes:

This billboard is like a mousetrap into which these protesters hastened thoughtlessly. They are of their own volition completing the set-up for this propaganda exercise. This brute response is in no way helpful, and is rather in every way detrimental, to all of us who in any way share or sympathize with their views. It is also something of a confession of intellectual impotence, like Billy Budd. (more…)

   AS reported by the Associated Press: Petty Officer 2nd Class Marissa Gaeta, left, kisses her girlfriend of two years, Petty Officer 3rd Class Citlalic Snell at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek in Virginia Beach, Va., Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2011 after Gaeta's ship returned from 80 days at sea. It ís a time-honored tradition at Navy homecomings - one lucky sailor is chosen to be first off the ship for the long-awaited kiss with a loved one. On Wednesday, for the first time, the happily reunited couple was gay. Notice the way this couple is imitating a man and woman, with the one on the left playing the dominant male and the other the submissive female. They are playing roles. This is theater. So why not be real women instead? Wouldn't it make life simpler? The answer to this question is that it is no longer fully acceptable to be a real man or a real woman. But it is acceptable to play a real man or a real woman.

DIANA writes:

I rarely watch the evening news due to the rampant bias, but tonight I tuned in. One of the channels (I forget which, they are so interchangeable, and I switch between the three), had a report on the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and its effects on the troops in Afghanistan.

It was a puff piece. Everything peachy keen. No problems – none. Everyone gets along, mutual respect, yessir. As if soldiers in the field would ever confide dissenting opinions on camera. (more…)

A READER writes:

I thought you might be interested in the “My Abortion, My Life” campaign, which is trying to end the “silence” and “shame” of abortion by normalizing it. Their mission statement is quite disturbing:

“[W]e will: Help women who have had abortions to not feel so alone. Begin to end the shame and secrecy that surrounds abortion in this country. Help people see abortion for what it is: a normal and necessary part of women’s reproductive lives and health. My Abortion, My Life will end the silence surrounding abortion one story at a time. Read more about it. Think about it. And join us in this effort to create a new and positive conversation about abortion.” (more…)

BRUCE writes:

The thread on Hitchens made me reflect on several things – one of them is the matter of what we pray for in public prayers. 

In my Church, there is an unfortunate tendency to use the phrase ‘pray for’ in a non-specific fashion in the guided prayers – and indeed most of these prayers may be directed at anti-Christian groups, including enemy nations. (This is almost certain to happen when the subject matter is drawn from whatever is being covered prominently by the BBC that day – the BBC being one of the most powerful forces for political correctness and all its evils.) (more…)

FITZGERALD writes:

This quote from Lawrence Auster on Christopher Hitchens is worth rereading:

The way these Christians talk about Hitchens is the way conservatives justify our trade relations with China: we have trade relations with China, they say, because such relations will convert the Chinese to be like us. (more…)