THE penitential season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday next week.

I’d like to draw your attention briefly to a certain widespread misconception: Lent is often mistaken for a grim season.

Recalling personal sins for forty days, practicing penance, giving up food and fun, meditating upon the most gruesome death — to the world these are punitive and morbid practices. Daily life presents enough problems without indulging in what appears to be an extended guilt trip. And even if Jesus Christ existed, isn’t his death over already?

These views are commonly held by those who have experienced Lent superficially or have seen it from the outside. The truth about Lent is that, when observed well, it is not only the happiest time of year, but leads to a generally happier life.

That’s because Lent partakes of the happiest philosophy of life that has ever existed. In that world view, true happiness is not found in ephemeral satisfactions, even very noble ones, but in spiritual elevation.

True happiness is not incompatible with suffering — that’s at the heart of the philosophy of Jesus Christ. Happiness consists in possessing meaning — the answers to life’s deepest questions — and pursuing that which is most exalted.

Many people practice Buddhist-style meditation or “mindfulness” today. In these practices, practitioners seek to empty themselves and draw closer to an ambient, all-surrounding, mindless force.

Lenten meditation, by contrast, is the practice of filling oneself.

It consists in putting oneself in the place of God come to earth, hated and tortured by men. The pains experienced by Jesus Christ (described vividly by Dr. Pierre Barbet in his book A Doctor at Calvary), were the most excruciating ever encountered. No one was more sensitive and his sufferings were both mental and physical. In Lenten meditation, the practitioner seeks to unite himself with the mystical depths of Christ’s suffering. Therein he seeks not to glory in suffering, but to feed on supernatural food.

According to Aristotle, Read More »

“It is rare to find a heretic that loves chastity.”

— St. Jerome

VICTORIAN England is often romanticized in movies and mini-series. Americans relish scenes of English manors, butlers in livery and rolling countryside.

But for the poor, it was a hellish and callous society. With many small farmers forced off the land and into cities, industrial England was a place of squalor, disease, Malthusian disdain for the poor and inhumanity, all famously depicted by Charles Dickens in the 19th century.

It is not surprising that Karl Marx found refuge in London and published his famous Das Kapital there in 1867. The horrors of 19th-century capitalism were largely responsible for the popularity of his views. To call industrial England of that time a “Christian society” takes quite a stretch of the imagination.

“NOT every one who saith to me Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven; but he that doth the will of my Father who is in heaven, he shall enter the kingdom of heaven.”

— (Matt. vii. 21.)

“DR. Frank Garlock, in his book, The Big Beat, describes rock as ‘characterized primarily by repetition; strong, driving beat; and intense, loud volume.’

“It is actually a type of noise which has no moral or cultural value. The dictionary describes ‘noise’ as ‘a din.’ The word, ‘din,’ is defined as ‘Noise: particularly loud, confused sound that is continued.’ The verb form of ‘din’ is defined in this way: “to assail with loud noise, to press with constant repetition.”

“In those two definitions of ‘din’ we have two of the basic and most fundamental components of rock: intense, loud volume and constant repetition!

“In his book, How to Sing for Money, Charles Henderson tells some of the secrets of captivating audiences with modern music, with the help of instruments which scoop and slide, using unresolved dissonances (6ths, 7ths, and 9ths) and repetitive use of the same few chords. Never-changing, throbbing syncopation occurs. Often two or three syncopated rhythms are played simultaneously. There is a heavy beat, with dissonances and rhythms which keep the nervous system keyed up and tense. Heavy emphasis on rhythm instruments: drums and bass guitar.

“Add to this the ‘mike in mouth’ syndrome, producing the intimate sensual sounds.

“Finally, combine all these into a ‘total sound,’ then amplify it to a screaming extreme—and you have rock.”

FROM Inside Rock Music

“AS has been said, Christianity cannot be accused of failure: it is European man that can, with strict justice, be accused of failure, because, on the whole, he has failed to respond to the appeal of Christianity. It is more than doubtful if it can be maintained with any truth that, at any time, since the beginning of the Christian era, any body politic whole-heartedly accepted and applied the full Christian programme in the organisation and regulation of its life. Doubtless such an application has been made partially and, on occasions, even to some considerable extent. But the Christian philosophy of life, in its political and social aspects, was never given full and unhampered play in moulding the public life of the nations of Europe.”

— Why the Cross?, Edward Leen (Sheed and Ward, 1938)

Alexis de Tocqueville

FROM Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville:

I think then that the species of oppression by which democratic nations are menaced is unlike anything which ever before existed in the world: our contemporaries will find no prototype of it in their memories. I am trying myself to choose an expression which will accurately convey the whole of the idea I have formed of it, but in vain; the old words “despotism” and “tyranny” are inappropriate: the thing itself is new; and since I cannot name it, I must attempt to define it.

I seek to trace the novel features under which despotism may appear in the world. The first thing that strikes the observation is an innumerable multitude of men all equal and alike, incessantly endeavoring to procure the petty and paltry pleasures with which they glut their lives. Each of them, living apart, is as a stranger to the fate of all the rest—his children and his private friends constitute to him the whole of mankind; as for the rest of his fellow-citizens, he is close to them, but he sees them not—he touches them, but he feels them not; he exists but in himself and for himself alone; and if his kindred still remain to him, he may be said at any rate to have lost his country.

Above this race of men stands an immense and tutelary power, which takes upon itself alone to secure their gratifications, and to watch over their fate. That power is absolute, minute, regular, provident, and mild. It would be like the authority of a parent, if, like that authority, its object was to prepare men for manhood; but it seeks on the contrary to keep them in perpetual childhood: it is well content that the people should rejoice, provided they think of nothing but rejoicing. For their happiness such a government willingly labors, but it chooses to be the sole agent and the only arbiter of that happiness: it provides for their security, foresees and supplies their necessities, facilitates their pleasures, manages their principal concerns, directs their industry, regulates the descent of property, and subdivides their inheritances—what remains, but to spare them all the care of thinking and all the trouble of living? Read More »

“POLITICAL correctness is communist propaganda writ small. In my study of communist societies, I came to the conclusion that the purpose of communist propaganda was not to persuade or convince, not to inform, but to humiliate; and therefore, the less it corresponded to reality the better. When people are forced to remain silent when they are being told the most obvious lies, or even worse when they are forced to repeat the lies themselves, they lose once and for all their sense of probity. To assent to obvious lies is in some small way to become evil oneself. One’s standing to resist anything is thus eroded, and even destroyed. A society of emasculated liars is easy to control. I think if you examine political correctness, it has the same effect and is intended to.”

— Theodore Dalrymple

“MONARCHY is when your rulers do what they want and you blame them when things don’t work.

“Democracy is when your rulers do what they want and voters blame each other when things don’t work.”

— Mark Taylor

GOVERNMENT forces threaten Irish civilians protesting radical transformation of their nation through mass immigration, funded by NGO’s and the government.

Ireland is for the Irish. Yet, these protestors are denounced as bigots by many of their countrymen.

SECRETARY of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas responds to criticism for his refusal to protect the southern border.

Below, from 2015, Biden envisions “an unrelenting stream of immigration” and says “people of European descent will be in the absolute minority.” Mayorkas sits next to him.

[H/t Arminius News] Read More »

The Incredulity of Thomas, Caravaggio

SO many great books are available for free online. We are truly spoiled. Below is my list of reading possibilities for Lent, including revered classics and lesser known works. With one exception, you will not have to spend a penny for any of these if you don’t mind reading them on a screen (or listening to audio versions).

Perhaps this list will help you plan for the season, which begins on February 14th this year. I hope you find food for meditation and study here. My suggestion is to pick two possibilities and then go back for more if and when you are ready. Many of these books were not written only for Lent, of course, and are of immense value all year.

Tremendous thanks are due to the Internet Archive, Traditional Catholic Books and others who make these treasures available at no cost.

LENTEN READING

Perfect Contrition: The Golden Key to Paradise, Fr. J. de Driesch
The Passion and the Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ, St. Alphonsus de Liguori
Of Prayer and Meditation, Venerable Louis of Granada
The Fewness of the Saved, Fr. Francis Xavier Godts
Meditations for Lent, St. Thomas Aquinas
Lenten Sermons, Fr. Augustine Wirth
Pope St. Leo the Great’s Sermons on Lent
The Mystery of the Crown of Thorns, A Passionist
What Jesus Saw from the Cross, Fr. A.G. Sertillanges
A Doctor at Calvary: the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ as described by a surgeon, Dr. Pierre Barbet
The Sacred Passion of Jesus Christ, Rev. Clarke
The Sufferings of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Fr. Thomas Jesus
Contemplations and Meditations on the Passion and Death… according to the Method of St. Ignatius (W. Eyre)
The Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Fr. A. Goodier
The Passion and Glory of Christ, Msgr. F.X. Poelz; kindle format here
History of the Passion, Fr. Arthur Devine
The History of the Sacred Passion, Fr. Luis de la Palma
The History of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Fr. J. Groenings
History of the Passion, Death, and Glorification of Our Saviour, Jesus Christ; Fr. J.E. Belser
The Passion of Our Lord; Cardinal de Lai
The Seven Words Spoken on the Cross; St. Robert Bellarmine; audiobook here
The Seven Words; Msgr. R.H. Benson
The Passion; Fr. M.J. Olliver
The Hours of the Passion, Fr. J. Mead
The Last Hours of Jesus, Fr. R. Gorman
Christ’s Darkest Hour, Fr. Clement H. Crock
Why the Cross?, Edward Leen
The lives of the Fathers of the Eastern Deserts, or, The wonders of God in the wilderness,
Richard Challoner Read More »

A MOTHER, in an interview at Children’s Health Defense, describes the sudden personality changes in her son at the age of two.

Years later, after continuing problems, a brain scan revealed heavy metals. The only source of these, she concluded after much research, was the childhood vaccines he had received.

WOULD the great composer have been inspired by …. groundhogs?

HAVE you ever seen a groundhog? Up close?

I have. And I will never forget it. He was just a few inches away. I had seen them many times from afar. But never so close.

I can assure you, they are the most hideous animals — all waddling, distended stomach and long, sharp, threatening claws. Shockingly ugly and destructive, that’s a groundhog for you. They are so unpopular there is no record at all of human affection for them. No one keeps a groundhog for a pet, even in this age of fanaticism. Many amateur methods of killing these creatures have been devised. Some peaceful souls learn to use a gun for the sole purpose of killing groundhogs.

Groundhog Day is an obscene joke. It makes about as much sense as “Vulture Day” or “Black Widow Spider Day.” When life is stripped of meaningful ritual and festivity, people come up with some truly sick ideas. Anyone who gathers in a group with excitement, waiting to see a disgusting, ravenous groundhog emerge from a hole, is, well, in serious need of better things to do. Read More »

Anna the Prophetess, Rembrandt

“WHILE Dunstan’s mother was pregnant with her holy unborn child, the feast of the Purification of the blessed ever-virgin Mary shone forth. People from all the surrounding area flocked to the church dedicated to the Virgin in Glastonbury, to render the service of devotion at this great festival to Christ, the King of Kings. The boy’s father Heorstan went with his wife, Cynethryth, to be present with their lighted candles at the Mass. During the service, it began to be read how the child Jesus was brought by his parents to the temple. And suddenly the glory of the Lord appeared in the temple: all the lights were extinguished, and the whole building was plunged into darkness by a thick mist. A cold fear crept through the congregation, their hair stood on end, their knees knocked together; they stood paralysed and stupefied by fear. But – so that all that the Lord intended should be made clear – suddenly a light from heaven blazed forth in the temple, and lit the candle which the pregnant woman bore in her hand. If they had marvelled at the loss of light, now they marvelled still more at its appearance!”

The Clerk of Oxford tells more about these strange events on Candlemas in tenth century England.