To be like Our Lord Jesus Christ was the ideal that inspired the Middle Ages. Medieval man desired to be linked to Him in the most complete way possible; to lose himself in Him. These sentiments were not only loving movements of admiration and awe. Medieval man took them to their final consequences, reasoning that … Read more
Wherever there is private property, there also one will find a strong family system. The two institutions are intertwined. The family household as an economic unit has always been much more important to the development of a nation than the isolated individual. Indeed, we can say that modern economy was built upon the firm foundation … Read more
Frantz Funck-Brentano, a member of the Institute of France, describes the role of the family in the constitution of feudal society in his celebrated work L’Ancien Régime: The Ancien Régime grew out of feudal society. Nothing contradicts this. As for the feudal system, it was produced, in that astonishing period which ran from the middle … Read more
A true student of history learns from the lessons of the past, to understand the present and chart a course for the future. To grasp the present crisis inside the Church, a look at past episodes in history is essential. There are many lessons to be found in the timely appearance of a 1954 book … Read more
At a recent talk, I compared our days to the times of the barbarian invasions and the fall of the Roman Empire. It is a fairly common comparison that applies to decadent societies like our own. In the end, I highlighted the need to continue to fight the Culture War and thus oppose the neo-barbarians … Read more
Sociologist Robert Nisbet once said that the quest for community cannot be suppressed. It is one of the most powerful needs of human nature. Through community, a clear sense of purpose and belonging is established. People feel they belong to institutions that help put them in order. Many think social media can supply part of … Read more
As I prepared for a rally for traditional marriage, I wondered how people would react to a public display on this issue that many have declared settled. Perhaps the public would be hostile and see us as divisive. Perhaps others would become furious and seek to curtail our right to free speech. I am sure … Read more
It has become trendy to call everything fake. This is helped by the fact that so many things are fake. The world is awash in “fake news.” So much of what is reported is dominated by hype, hyperbole and hysteria. Thus, what passes for news is often just theater. Every nomination becomes an intense drama. … Read more
Many conservatives are facing the brutal reality of a culture that undermines their Faith and destroys their values. Not a few have made the logical comparison to the Christians facing both the Roman Empire’s decadent “establishment” and the ruthlessly aggressive ways of the barbarians who threatened to destroy what remained of civilization. And so, the … Read more
It is no secret that America is polarized. This is a fact that is manifested in so many different ways. Traveling down the highway to Chicago, for example, I came upon two successive billboards that I thought were striking examples of our divided culture. The first billboard caught me by surprise: it consisted of an … Read more
