By Robert RoyalIt's a good idea, of course, that "personal relationship" with Jesus. It works itself around any number of contemporary roadblocks to the faith. Which is unusual for Christian truths in current conditions. But without some other, very good, ideas, the personal relationship turns into a very bad idea.Because if, as in most of the "rel…

By Grazie ChristieLast night I awoke to the sound of thunder and the pelting of rain against the glass of my bedroom window. It was our first summer storm, the kind in which it seems some great dam in heaven fails and the long-pent-up waters rush down on us all at once.The noise gave me a delicious shiver, for I've been longing for rain. My garden …

By Thomas FarrUntil recently, most Americans and their institutions assumed the principles of Christian and natural law anthropology, reflected in the Bible and our founding documents.Each of us humans, because we are created and loved by God, possess equal dignity and worth. We are endowed by God with inalienable rights, intellect and will, and th…

By David WarrenPhilosophy is a subject by itself, distinct from religion but, more importantly, not subsidiary to one, another, or all of the empirical sciences. It is not "experimental," truth to tell, and thus it fits poorly into our modern schemes of meaning.For philosophy - from the Greek and Latin PHILOSOPHIA - philosophie, filosofia, falsafa;…

By Stephen P. WhiteThere is a cluster of hills, just East of where I live, which in the aftermath of the First Battle of Bull Run (1861), were occupied by Confederate troops as the defeated Union army retreated back toward Washington. From the top of one of these hills - Munson's Hill, it was called - the Confederate troops could look down toward t…

By Brad MinerIn Wildcat, the recent film by Ethan Hawke based on the life and work of Flannery O'Connor, one hopes to see, you know, Flannery O'Connor's life. But Mr. Hawke mostly gives us her writing instead - and only snippets at that - dramatizations from her novels or short stories that come across as scenes students might perform in classes at…

By Robert RoyalIt's worth paying careful attention to the significant gains recently by so-called "hard right" parties in the European elections. They tell us something not only about a whole group of kindred nations at this juncture in history, but also about what may happen this November in the United States as well. On the whole, it's good news …

By Randall Smith. But first a note from Robert Royal: Thanks to all of you who contributed so generously to our mid-year funding campaign. With what we've received and the donations that we expect are still to come, we're well situated to continue our work over the rest of the year. It's not a small matter when a large group of people like the TCT …

By Anthony EsolenOne way to diagnose someone with a bad conscience is to look for a certain form of restlessness. If the conscience is God's umpire within us, impartial, no respecter of what our desires may happen to be, we cannot simply make it go away.It does not belong to us. We may try to drown out its voice by a lot of noise of our own, the ch…

By St. John Henry Newman. But first a note from Robert Royal: Friends: This is it! The last day of our mid-year fundraising campaign. And I'm optimistic, seeing how generous many of you were yesterday as we near the end. Between elections, synods, and projected Vatican documents, the rest of this year promises to be quite a - shall we say - interes…

By David Carlin But first a note from Robert Royal. David Carlin wisely recommends special training for America's bishops to deal with the assaults on the Church and her beliefs that are growing by the day. But it's incumbent on all of us - in some respects, even more than on the bishops - to be prepared for navigating the world in which we find ou…

By Michael Pakaluk. But first a note from Robert Royal: We're in our last three days of our mid-year fundraising campaign. So there's a simple question at this point: Do you want to help or not? It's easy - even tax-deductible. Click the button below. It's on you at this point. AND: Be sure to tune in tonight, Thursday, June 6th at 8 PM Eastern to …

By Francis X. Maier. But first a note from Robert Royal: We're in the final days of our campaign now and I'd really like to wind things up this Saturday for the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Enough said. Over to all of you who still haven't supported our Catholic Thing.And: Be sure to tune in tomorrow, Thursday, June 6th at 8 PM Eastern to…

By John M. Grondelski. But first a note from Robert Royal: We're getting into the final stages of this fundraising campaign - and those last few thousands will make all the difference. If you're tired of these messages there's an easy way to stop them. Click the button. And if you don't like buttons, there are mailing addresses for checks, wire tra…

By Robert Royal. But first a note: We're not shy at The Catholic Thing when it comes to saying: "The Lord made it that way," as today's column explains. Odds are, if you're reading this, you aren't either. So, if you agree and haven't donated yet to our mid-year campaign, what are you waiting for? Our Thing only works thanks to you. So please give.…

By Rev. Jerry J. PokorskyMany things rightly preoccupy us as we go about trying to solve personal and public problems. Other preoccupations are obsessive. The abundance of news, entertainment, and advertising often creates and feeds such obsessions. The Sacred Liturgy on this Feast of Corpus Christi, along with the regular recitation of the Lord's …

By Anthony Esolen. But first a note from Robert Royal: As Professor Esolen explains today, there's a vast difference between our compassion towards sinners - which means, towards all of us since all of us need God's mercy and salvation - and the indulgence of self-destructive attitudes and acts, among bishops and the Vatican itself. A lot of confus…

By David WarrenBut first a note from Robert Royal: We're moving well again in our fundraising. And it would be good if we started to move fast enough that we won't need to spend a lot more time at this necessary campaign. There are serious challenges that call for our full attention - and action. And we need to get back to them. We're getting close…

By Stephen P. White. But first a note from Robert Royal: The Catholic Church is the one truly universal institution in the world. And people who think that we need to be more "inclusive" - in the sense that the world uses that term - are deceiving themselves. As Steve White shows today, the Church can assimilate what's good in any culture, even the…

By Randall Smith. But first a note from Robert Royal: At TCT, we try to maintain a certain serenity rooted in our belief that God is, ultimately, in control. Of everything. But we also still cannot take this mission too casually. We're at the point in our mid-year fundraising that donations are flagging. That's understandable, but something we cann…

By Robert Royal. But first a note. We hope you all had a restful Memorial Day with family and friends. But we're back now and need to do business again. Our mid- year funding campaign resumes with good progress made and more that needs to be made. Soon. We intend to be here for everything that will happen in the Church and the world for the rest of…

By Brad Miner"A good chaplain is as valuable as a good general." - British field marshal Sir Douglas Haig, 1915Growing up in Worthington, Ohio, Memorial Day was always accompanied - as where was it not - by a parade down High Street that included veterans, our high school band, some active-duty servicemen, and lots of spectators.There were many WWI…

By Fr. Paul D. ScaliaMany readers will be familiar with the story of Nicholas of Myra at the Council of Nicaea. It's said that when the saint heard Arius speak heresy, he was so angered that he strode across the Council floor and struck the heresiarch in the face. Now, that behavior is not to be imitated or encouraged. Still, there's something admi…

By Fr. Raymond J. de SouzaThirty years ago, St. John Paul the Great launched two new pontifical academies, the Pontifical Academy for Social Sciences (PASS) and the Pontifical Academy for Life (PAV). It was the heady days of the 1990s, when the papal magisterium offered a bold defense of life and liberty according to Gospel principles.The Cold War …

By David CarlinBut first a note from Robert Royal: We're still doing well in our mid-year fundraising, but we're slowing down. And that just can't happen. Not until we get to where we need to be for the rest of 2024 and beyond. If you need convincing, just look at today's column. David Carlin makes a strong case about not only President Biden but a…