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April 10, 2019

Note from the Managing Editor:

In her "Like Mother Like Daughter" blog, Leila Lawler recently linked to an article buried deep in the CERC archives.  About that article Leila writes:

"I love this correspondence between H. Lyman Stebbins and C. S. Lewis, to whom one can only imagine writing a letter, and not dare to imagine receiving one in return."

After the fact, Mr. Stebbins had this to say about the letter he received from C. S. Lewis:

"That letter of Lewis practically put me into the Church, because that man for whose intellect I had boundless admiration very carefully wrote a stupid letter, the stupidest thing he ever wrote.  He summoned all that he could dream up to say as an argument against my becoming a Roman Catholic and there was no substance in any of it."

You can read the "Correspondence between C.S. Lewis and H. Lyman Stebbins" below. 

Of course we're still in Lent, which means... I'm still asking. 

Please send us a donation during this great holy season if you haven't already done so.  God bless you. - J. Fraser Field

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"Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two makes four. If that is granted, all else follows." - George Orwell



New Resources


 
The Prodigal Future of the Prodigal Son - Fr. Donald Haggerty - from Conversion: Spiritual Insights into an Essential Encounter with God

Of its very nature, a conversion is an experience of divine mercy.


 
What Kind of Son? - Father Paul Scalia - The Catholic Thing

Lent is all about sonship, and what kind we will choose.


 
Correspondence between C.S. Lewis and H. Lyman Stebbins - Madeleine Stebbins - Lay Witness

I wrote to C.S. Lewis and got a fascinating and interesting reply.


 
Blaise Pascal - John Janaro - Magnificat

Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), French theologian, physicist, and mathematician, authored the iconic Pensées (Thoughts), originally entitled Defense of the Christian Religion.


 
Dear Father Rutler - Father George W. Rutler - Catholic Herald

My children like to play "Mass", complete with consecration ... often using potato chips. What should I do?


 
The Small Crucifixion - Gem Sullivan - Magnificat

As the canvas bends outward this sacred scene moves into our space.


 
In Their Own Words: Parents of Kids Who Think They Are Trans Speak Out - Five anonymous moms - Public Discourse

Parents like us must remain anonymous to maintain our children's privacy, and because we face legal repercussions if our names are revealed.


 
Civility and the world - Father George W. Rutler - From the Pastor

As a schoolboy, George Washington copied out in elegant script the 110 Rules of Civility & Decent Behaviour in Company and Conversation.

Editorials of Interest:

They Had It Coming - The Atlantic
Copyright and Moral Right - Dappled Things
The Common Cross Of Anxiety - Spiritual Direction

Editorials of Interest


What about all those kids? - Fortitudine

This is the one gift they act better because of, order their lives toward, sacrifice for, seek the happiness of. The day their baby brother was born, they were able to love more than they were able the day before.


The Power of Story: The Pivotal Purge - Faith and Culture

As has been proclaimed elsewhere: the culture wars were lost because the other side told better stories than we did.


Requirements of Conjugal Love - HPR

Blueprinting for a lasting marriage in Christ.


Be a Divorce First-Responder - Catholic.com

In the past few years of diving into the devastation that visits divorcing couples and their children, we are convicted that every one of us has to be prepared to say something.


Balancing Beauty and Utility - Helena Daily

Has our world become utterly obsessed with the utility of things, actions, people that if something is not "useful," then it is not worthwhile?


Catholicism in a Time of Dissolution - Crisis Magazine

However gloomy the outlook may seem at times, hope is eternal and even well-founded. Not everything falls apart.


How old was Mary when she was pregnant with Jesus? - Aleteia

Jewish traditions at the time give us some insight and provide an approximate age range.


On Conscience and Refraining from Communion - Catholic Stand

What does it mean to receive the Body and Blood of our Lord worthily?


Passiontide and the veiling of images in churches - Fr. Z's Blog

From the first Sunday of the Passion, it is customary to veil images in churches.


Purity in the Digital Age - First Things

In a world of growing surveillance and receding privacy, purity is not just the path to a clean spirit and undefiled heart — it's also prudent.


Jim Caviezel gave a great address - YouTube

The college students were perhaps expecting a speech about Caviezel's new film, but what they got was a phenomenal call to action.


The High-Priced Spread, Revisited - First Things

Your kid does not have to get into Harvard, or Stanford, or Duke — or some other academic version of the high-priced spread — lest his or her life be ruined.


They Had It Coming - The Atlantic

The parents indicted in the college-admissions scandal were responding to a changing America, with rage at being robbed of what they believed was rightfully theirs.


Chinese city offers cash incentives to informants on illegal religious groups - CNA

The Guangzhou Department of Ethnic and Religious Affairs is offering up to 10,000 Chinese yuan (almost $1500) for information on the activities of religious groups and assistance that would lead to the arrest of key leaders.


The ten worst countries in which to be a Christian - Catholic Herald

There are hundreds of thousands of hidden Christians.


God's desire to unleash love through our suffering - Catholic Exchange

God doesn't tell us what good He is going to do. He simply asks us to trust Him.


Copyright and Moral Right - Dappled Things

What moral rights do people hold over the intellectual and artistic works they create?


8 ways to make homeschooling great again - Susie Lloyd

Burnout is not just a mom problem. It affects everyone in the household and threatens the homeschool. That's the bad news. The good news is there is help — your fellow homeschooling moms.


The Common Cross Of Anxiety - Spiritual Direction

Some saints were as prone to worry and anxiety as the rest of us are. But by placing their trust in the Lord's presence and care, they were able to overcome their fears.


7 Surprising Cameos in the Breakout Box Office Hit Unplanned - The Stream

Climbing to fourth place in its opening weekend, the Abby Johnson biopic beat all expectations. Yet Unplanned has other surprises beyond box office results.


Unplanned: A Pro-Life Film That Doesn't "Play It Safe" - Crisis Magazine

Unplanned is a valuable movie if for no other reason than that it does something no other pro-life-related feature film has done: it doesn't hide or sanitize the violence of abortion.


Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman and
St. Justin Martyr, pray for us

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