Fatherhood and Redemption in “Pirates of the Caribbean 5”
[Caution: spoilers ahead] Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is a moving paean to fatherhood. The entire movie centers around Henry Turner’s quest to release his father Will from a curse damning him to eternal servitude on The Flying Dutchman. The movie opens with 12-year-old Henry locating the sunken ship which holds […]
A Vicarious Grief Observed
On the recent Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord, my priest-uncle-spiritual-director, Father Jim, suddenly lost his brother Allan. Father Jim was abroad teaching a short course in Canon Law when Uncle Allan had a massive myocardiac infarction. I have never met Uncle Allan, since he lived far from Metro Manila. But Father Jim said […]
‘Apologetics and the Christian Imagination’ — A Richer, Deeper approach in connecting Souls With The Faith.
Are stories important for humanity? Is telling a story through books, movies, or the extemporaneous tales of mom and dad delivered to the children at bedtime simply an insignificant means of mere entertainment? In her book Apologetics and the Christian Imagination, Dr. Holly Ordway shows us that in truth stories are powerful tools of conveying […]
Review of “Christian Dating Simplified”
Aaron K. Torch’s Christian Dating Simplified: A Short, Practical Guide to the only Four Questions You Need to Ask is an enjoyable read, weaving scriptural exegesis and personal experience into a compelling analysis of how to date in a holy and healthy manner. As a Catholic who has studied scriptural theology, I have quibbles with […]
The Vocation of Motherhood
One of the most insidious and harmful ideas that mothers labor under is the idea that we can raise flawless children. Rationally we know this isn’t true, but emotionally we throw ourselves into this impossible task. It is honorable and understandable to try to always do best by and for your children. But this can […]
The Stranger Who Saved My Life
By guest writer T.E.W. with Jean Elizabeth Seah. Five years ago, my entire world had collapsed. My mother was dying of cancer, I was unemployed and battling drug addiction, and my first long-term girlfriend, the light of my life, had left me. I was an atheist, and it felt like everything that made my life […]
Give Thanks At All Times
You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing and grace before I dip the pen in the ink. – G. K. […]
Moana: the Ocean & the Holy Spirit
Guest post by Magdalyn Fiore. A lengthy comparison between the Ocean and the Holy Ghost? What can I say except you’re welcome! I recently saw the Disney film Moana for the first time. As you might know by now, the movie has some encouraging themes, such as stepping up to responsibility, discerning one’s calling, and […]
Confessions of an Ex-Drug Addict
By guest writer T.E.W., with Jean Elizabeth Seah. I have been all things unholy. If God can work through me, He can work through anyone. – attributed to St. Francis of Assisi My life thus far might seem a waste, even something loathsome, to many people, but now I know it has been redeemed, and […]
The Joy and Dignity of Work
No man is born into the world whose work is not born with him. – James Russell Lowell, poet Ultimately, we all have to decide for ourselves what constitutes failure. But the world is quite eager to give you a set of criteria if you let it. [F]ailure means a stripping away of the inessential. […]
Prison Societies
By guest writer Steve Kellmeyer. It is usually said that Western democracies are the most free societies on earth. But is that true? This video provides a rather different way of deciding what societies constitute prison societies. If the information presented above is accurate, and there is no reason to think it is not, then […]
A Prophetic Trilogy of Real-Life Catholicism
Have you ever encountered a story – whether in the form of a book, film, television – that seemed written especially for you? As I immersed myself in the fictional town of Narbrook, PA, page after page left me marveling at the magnificence and relevance of “The American Tragedy” trilogy – Fatherless, Motherless, Childless – […]
The Seven Deadly Sins in “The Jungle Book”
The Jungle Book (2016) is a masterful adaptation of Kipling’s book, paying due homage to the classic Disney film with its meshing of the familiar soundtrack with exquisitely-rendered new visuals. It is also a tale of growing up in a dangerous world, of fulfilling one’s telos or true end, and of choosing to practice virtue […]
The Falling Away of Humanity from Experiencing God Through Nature
The beauty and complexity of the world is meant to continuously point humanity to our Creator. We are surrounded by trees, mountains, oceans, rivers, lakes, and clouds, and within these things much vibrant life is found, full of color and intricacies that are meant to leave us in awe and wonder. With its incredible and […]
How do we love our neighbors?
When I was young, my siblings and I would often play with a soccer ball in our backyard. Inevitably, someone would powerfully kick the ball and it would go sailing over the privacy fence and into someone else’s yard. While we wanted our ball back, it was a rare occasion that any of us actually […]
