Note from the Assistant Managing Editor:
Do you remember the parable of the talents? I have always interpreted these gifts as skills to be used — like my skill of writing, to be used in this newsletter. In our reflection this week, Father Tadeusz Dajczer gives us a new idea. "If you could see all the countless talents that God is continuously giving you, then you would never be sad. Talents such as poor health or situations filled with conflicts and failures would then bring joy to your heart — joy because God bestows something invaluable on you and shows you exceptional trust. He trusts that you will not bury or reject his gifts."
We reprint the Foreword and the Preface to Ryan Topping's new book, The Gift of the Church: How the Catholic Church Transformed the History and Soul of the West. "This book is not a doctrinal introduction to Catholicism, nor is it a work of apologetics, though I have kept both ambitions in mind. The Gift of the Church is, rather, an episodic account of the Church's past and ongoing transformation of the culture, the habits of thought and action, the institutions and the art, of the West."
We also reprint memorials of two great men. First, Christopher Tolkien who, I was surprised to learn, "was even an Inkling himself, reading aloud passages of J.R.R Tolkien's work at the group's get-togethers because, as the story goes, C. S. Lewis and the others preferred his delivery to his father's."
Then Sir Roger Scruton, whose "prolific academic and literary work promoted many of the same truths and beliefs we hold dear as Catholics." Requiescat in pace.
Finally, Father George Rutler tells us to "Be still." The entire town of Cremona, Italy, did it in 2019 — keeping silence eight hours a day, six days a week for five straight weeks.
God bless you all this week! - Meaghen Gonzalez |
Web version of this CERC Weekly Update here
Previous CERC Weekly Update here
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"[The Eucharist] is the center of existence for me; all the rest of life is expendable." - Flannery O'Conner
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New Resources
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The Gift of the Church - Anthony Esolen - Forward
What wonders the Church has to show us, to give us, to nourish our hearts and minds and souls, so we can be fully human again — or for the first time ever!
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Preface - Ryan N.S. Topping - The Gift of the Church: How the Catholic Church Transformed the History and Soul of the West
"It is high time that Catholics remembered the greatness of what Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit have done in and through the Church, for the good of the whole world. Topping is the perfect guide." - Matthew Levering, James N. and Mar D. Perry Jr. Chair of Theology, Mundelein Seminary
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Sir Roger, Good and Faithful - Casey Chalk - Crisis
The Catholic Church lost a great ally on January 12 when conservative philosopher Sir Roger Scruton died at the age of 75 from cancer.
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Rome's Shame in China - Robert Royal - The Catholic Thing
"Observers have described religious persecution in China over the last year to be of an intensity not seen since the Cultural Revolution."
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Be still - Father George W. Rutler - From the Pastor
Precisely one year ago in the Italian town of Cremona, there was an imposed silence by order of the local government for eight hours a day, six days of the week for five straight weeks.
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Editorials of Interest:
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Editorials of Interest
The Limits of Papal Infallibility - Clarifying Catholicism
As the U.S. president defends the Constitution for the sake of all Americans, the pope defends true Christian teaching for the sake of all Catholics.
RESTORED: Stories of Encounter - Ep1: Connie McEldowney - YouTube
Connie was praying outside of an abortion clinic when she realized something about the women going inside. "I realized they weren't evil. They were really scared. I felt for them." On her drive home, she prayed to God that he would "make her a better option than abortion for those girls." God answered.
These Catholic Colleges Are Pro-Life, Pro-Woman - Crisis Magazine
Belmont Abbey College is home a residence named MiraVia which not only provides free room and board but also all the help that expectant moms may need to continue pursuing their educational goals, such as childcare, life skills classes, and material assistance
All This Useless Beauty - Church Life Journal
Of the three Transcendentals (truth, goodness, beauty), beauty is the first to become suspect, the first to get called out as useless, the first to be subjectivized.
Dennis Prager: Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl - YouTube
What is mankind's greatest pursuit? In the world premiere of The Book Club, Michael Knowles and Dennis Prager take you through psychiatrist Viktor Frankl's moving memoir of life in a Nazi death camp, and how this experience shaped his thinking.
The Billionaires Behind the LGBT Movement - First Things
Although activists present the LGBT movement as a weak, powerless group suffering oppression and discrimination, in truth it wields enormous power and influence — power it increasingly uses to remake our laws, schools, and society.
Will the Blaine Amendments Fall at Last? - Crisis Magazine
The Blaine Amendments are named after the 1870s Speaker of the House, James G. Blaine who sought to ride the anti-Catholic vote to presidential victory.
Following the Winding Path: The Surrender Novena - Ignitum Today
We often desire the low demand option. A quick Ave or Lord's Prayer, and then we are off to the business (busyness) of life. Yet, we feel neglected when God takes His time to answer. We want results. Now.
Saint John Henry Cardinal Newman and St. Justin Martyr, pray for us |
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