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September 4, 2019

Note from the Assistant Managing Editor:

"I do not say one ought to believe the Catholic Faith without grounds and motives; but I say that when once one believes in God the great obstacle to faith has been taken away — a proud self-sufficient spirit."  Ven. John Henry Cardinal Newman meditates on belief in the "Church of the Apostles."

"Sam Guzman has given us something we desperately need: a valuable, readable book to help make young men into gentlemen."  Read Dale Ahlquist's foreword and buy the book here.

If you don't want your thinking to "remain stuck in our current social funk," check out Aquinas 101 — "a series of free video courses from the Thomistic Institute that help you to engage life's most urgent philosophical and theological questions with the wisdom of St. Thomas Aquinas."  Robert Royal discusses the program in "It Matters What You Think."

In "Giving Up Darwin," David Gelernter gives an in-depth summary of the solid arguments disproving Darwin's theory of the origin of species.  "This is one of the most important intellectual issues of modern times, and every thinking person has the right and duty to judge for himself."

I've spent the last few weeks designing a grammar course, so I especially loved "Jacob Rees-Mogg's brief guide to grammar, punctuation and inviting media mockery."

And one last thing — Ann Widdecombe has granted us permission to transcribe and publish to CERC her unblinking address in defence of free speech given at the Oxford Union on July 10.  If you have the time and inclination to help with the transcription, please contact our managing editor, Fraser Field, here.

Welcome back! - Meaghen Gonzalez



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"The world offers you comfort, but you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness!" - Pope Benedict XVI



New Resources


 
Church of the Apostles - Venerable John Henry Newman - from Discourses, Addressed to Mixed Congregations, Volume I

Belief in God and belief in his Church stand on the same kind of foundation.


 
Foreword - Sam Guzman - from The Catholic Gentleman: Living Authentic Manhood Today

"Sam Guzman has given us something we desperately need: a valuable, readable guide to help make our young men into true men." - Dale Ahlquist


 
A Warm and Loving Plenitude - Anthony Esolen - Magnificat

Three men and a boy were sitting round a fire.


 
It Matters What You Think - Robert Royal - The Catholic Thing

Click below, and prepare yourself for a bracing experience.


 
Giving Up Darwin - David Gelernter - Claremont Review of Books

There are many reasons to doubt whether Darwin can answer the hard questions and explain the big picture.


 
Servant of God Takashi Nagai - John Janaro - Magnificat

The whole life of Takashi Nagai was one of continual conversion and growth in wisdom and knowledge.


 
Jacob Rees-Mogg's brief guide to grammar, punctuation and inviting media mockery - Michael Cook - Mercatornet

Is a concern with commas really a sign of an authoritarian personality?


 
Fr. Rutler's Guide to Virtue-Signalling - Father George W. Rutler - Crisis

Truths become truisms by being true.


 
Our Father - 10 Principles of Prayer - Father George Elsebett, LC - Zentrum Johannes Paul II

From Vienna Austria Father Elsebett

Editorials of Interest:

The Australian Disgrace - First Things
Giving the Devil His Due - Crisis Magazine
A Lesson in Abandonment - The Young Catholic Woman
A Traditional Catholic Wife? - The Catholic Thing
Redemption Revisited - Public Discourse
A New Feminism - First Things
How Revolutions End - First Things
City or Farm - Adoremus

Editorials of Interest


The Australian Disgrace - First Things

The rejection of Cardinal George Pell's appeal of his conviction for "historic sexual abuse" calls into the gravest doubt the quality of justice in Australia — and the possibility of any Catholic cleric charged with sexual abuse to receive a fair trial or a fair consideration of the probity of his trial.


Our world has serious problems. Having more babies is one way to help solve them. - Boston Globe

One of the saddest phenomena of our time is the way childlessness is being promoted as a virtue.


The most dangerous countries to be a Christian - Acton Institute

One in every nine Christians in the world lives in an area, or in a culture, in which Christianity is illegal, forbidden, or punished, a 14% increase since 2018.


Gilroy, El Paso, Dayton — and Columbine - Catholic Philly

Treating the symptoms in a culture of violence doesn't work. We need to look deeper. Until we're willing to do that, nothing fundamental will change.


Giving the Devil His Due - Crisis Magazine

Is there a crucial commonality among the mass shooters in El Paso and Dayton? Yes, and it's an uncomfortable one that our culture prefers not to talk about: evil. This is about the presence of evil.


What the Church does — and does not — teach about gun control - CWR

Two moral theologians discuss what principles of Church teaching Catholics should consider when voting or advocating for gun control laws.


20 things you can do for those who are grieving - Regina Doman

What can we do now?


A Lesson in Abandonment - The Young Catholic Woman

There is a misconception that abandonment to the will of God means wiping out all of our desires.


A Traditional Catholic Wife? - The Catholic Thing

It would be foolish to define "traditional" by one particular arrangement at a narrowly circumscribed point in time.


In Her Shoes: Getting married later than you expected - Verily

Jacqueline married her husband Greg at the age of 44 — much later than she expected.


Redemption Revisited - Public Discourse

I had done This Thing for the simple reason that I felt I couldn't be a single mother — because I was desperately scared of being ostracized by my community, judged for my irresponsible fornication.


A New Feminism - First Things

Until feminists approach matters of personhood with a healthy sense of realism, they will never be able to transcend the oppressive systems they are trying to escape.


"Love is love" is a lie. Here's why. - The Caldron Pool

"Love is love" is a slogan that assuages all sexual sin.


Transgenderism is a Gateway to Pedophilia - NC Register

If children are considered to be capable of making the decision about what sex they want to be, then the Left's objection to pedophilia — that children are not mature enough to make such decisions about their sexuality — falls dead flat.


How Revolutions End - First Things

It may seem ridiculous to wonder about the end of the sexual revolution at a time when that revolution appears triumphant, but...


The Rot in Our Ruling Class - First Things

The social dissolution of our nation is a direct consequence of the mentalities, policies, and actions of our ruling class.


Assisted Suicide a White Privilege Policy - National Review

In California, 88% of those killing themselves through assisted suicide have been white. People of color, on the other hand, are not exactly standing in line for lethal prescriptions, which has the 'experts' searching for reasons.


Flannery O'Connor short stories on film - CCD

The Catholic Alliance for Film Arts announces its first major collaboration, Five by Flannery, a movie based on the writings of Flannery O'Connor that will be produced by Good Country Pictures.


City or Farm - Adoremus

The questions is first of all one of decentralization of the present artificial city congestions, of bringing people back closer to nature, regardless of their professions in life.


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

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