There are some who claim that the Divine Commandment to love one’s neighbor as oneself means to treat all with equal charity. Such a misconception can have disastrous effects upon an economy or society, since it is not possible to give everything to everyone. Saint Thomas Aquinas, commenting on Saint Augustine’s observations, claims that in … Read more
We gather to celebrate the beautiful feast of Christmas, a lovable tradition, established and handed down to us through the centuries. As the year comes to a close, we look back to find that last year ended in similar circumstances: generalized chaos and confusion as risks increase. Presently our situation is similar to last year’s … Read more
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 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
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
It is has become a custom for practically every newspaper in America to reprint, during the Christmas season, the marvelous editorial, “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.” Since it first appeared in 1897, it has become an indelible part of Christmas tradition in our country. It is no secret why. Virginia’s Letter: A Priceless … Read more
The typical American lifestyle is an illustration of what has been called frenetic intemperance – a frenzy of economic activity to attain as much as possible as quickly as possible. This need for immediacy in all things has had dire consequences on multiple levels in society, a fact that is well documented in John Horvat’s … Read more
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
Far beyond the ocean, in a valley in the Austrian Alps, lies the age-old village of Oberndorf, looking now much as it did one, two, or three hundred years ago. In the center of the village, near a swift-flowing stream, stands a whitewashed church with a tall red-topped steeple. The low houses, their slanting roofs … Read more
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
