Christmas: “The Most Audacious Dream Imaginable”

Return to Order The Amazing Origins of the Most Beautiful Christmas Song 7

Adapted from Return to Order If by “dream,” we mean the process by which we idealize our goals in society. This type of dream sustained by grace is what the Church proposed and spread throughout Christendom. It is what Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira called the “most striking, indisputable, and audacious dream imaginable.”1 Free Book: … Read more

The Sexual Harassment Crisis: Is It a Theological Problem?

The Sexual Harassment Crisis: Is It a Theological Problem?

The rash of sexual harassment scandals is sweeping the nation to the point that it seems almost no male is exempt from its terrible fury. Anyone can be denounced by the media. Liberals point to “toxic masculinity” and social structures that must be overthrown. Feminists blame the remnants of patriarchy that manage to survive in … Read more

A Textbook Example of Frenetic Intemperance

Return to Order A Textbook Example of Frenetic Intemperance 3

Frenetic intemperance is a term we coined to describe a restless and reckless spirit inside certain sectors of modern economy that foments a drive to throw off legitimate restraints and gratify all desires. Perhaps the most obvious example of frenetic intemperance is that of the speculative bubble of the 2008 sub-prime mortgage crisis. It is … Read more

Five Guidelines for Gifts That Will Make Christmas Merry Again

Five Guidelines for Gifts That Will Make Christmas Merry Again

In making my list of gift suggestions for Christmas, I could not help but reflect that what we need most are things spiritual, not material. We need things that will not agitate us but which will fill us with peace and order. We don’t need “stuff” to fill our closets but gifts that are enduring … Read more

Seven Sublime Ways to Make Christmas Merry Again

Christmas Tree

Christmas should be a time of great joy, but oftentimes it isn’t. Perhaps the joy is lost in the season’s gaudy and frantic commercialization that has turned a great holy day into a secular holiday. There is also the loud revelry of winter parties present that tends to suffocate the memories of calm Christmases past. … Read more

Why Are We So Sad?

Return to Order The God of Individualism

This “liberating” secular society inevitably leaves a profound void inside the soul of modern man creating a frustration and desolation that many have termed a spiritual wasteland. Such an attitude calls to mind the condition that Saint Thomas Aquinas calls acedia, which he defines as the weariness for holy and spiritual things and a subsequent … Read more

Reflections on Christmases Past and Future

Return to Order Reflections on Christmases Past and Future 1

It is Christmas and we all think back on Christmases past not without a bit of nostalgia for what the feast represents. We think back on Christmas trees, manger scenes and midnight Masses. We recall family dinners, marveling children and Christmas carols. Such memories fill us with joys in a brutal world ever more joyless. … Read more

When People Have No Anchors In Society

Return to Order When People Have No Anchors In Society 3

From our earliest days, we are taught to reject anything that remotely relies upon some kind of religious authority or distant tradition. No such guild posts are allowed since they make judgments, which all must follow. The modern mentality is the belief that all must form their own judgment about absolutely everything. Such a formidable … Read more

Can America’s Schools Be Saved? An Insider Weighs In

Return to Order Always Too Little, Too Late: The Plight of Modern Education 4

The American education system has long been in crisis. It seems every administration seeks to reform the system, but it usually ends up making matters worse. The book, Can America’s Schools Be Saved? How the Ideology of American Education Is Destroying It? helps explain what has gone wrong. Author Edwin Benson has seen it all. … Read more

Christmas Outside the Box

Return to Order Christmas Outside the Box 1

As I was reading an article on an online news site, I chanced upon an advertisement for a beautiful Christmas tree. Indeed, it was an actual Christmas tree, not a holiday, winter or sparkle tree that celebrates some unknown winter solstice festivity. This letter unapologetically used the word Christmas and the tree actually looked inviting … Read more