Archbishop McCarrick, as expected, has been laicized. Unfortunately, most reporters have adopted the infelicitous and somewhat inaccurate verb “to defrock” to describe what happens when the Church, as a penalty, reduces a cleric to the lay state juridically. We may…
Today marks the one year anniversary of the founding of this blog, Scutum et Lorica, from the beloved Psalm 91, which states that God’s faithfulness is “breastplate and shield”, hence the name. I began this blog after an inspiration at…
A society that denies the reality of sin will inevitably deny the reality (and necessity) of repentance. A society that denies the reality of repentance will have no room for redemption. This week’s alignment of issues provides a rare confluence…
Today’s topic appears way too frequently in my daily experience to not be mentioned at least once in an article. Let me make a provocative statement: 90% of the world’s problems are caused by people who either believe that they…
The Gospel of Epiphany Day is simultaneously thrilling and infuriating. We read about the Magi who come mysteriously from the East, seeking the newborn King of the Jews. We read about the response of Herod, and his veiled hostility to…
Care for Persons, Adherence to the Commandments In the past year, I received numerous e-mails from both critics and friends, especially in regard to my articles on Priests, and the topic of clerical morale and the reform of the…
A Year In Review This time of year it is customary for writers to reflect, to the best of their lights, upon the significance of the year which is about to close. This year saw the beginning of this blog,…
Years ago just before Christmas, I heard a beloved Seminary Professor make a provocative and powerful statement. He said, “The Christmas Octave is when the Church decides to pour blood into our egg nog.” That image has stuck in my…
Christmas, even in the neo-pagan anti-culture of the Western World, like a gargantuan, forgotten cenotaph covered in overgrowth, remains the premier annual feast to most post-Christians, for whom the ancient liturgical year has become a distant memory. It is intrinsically…
To assert that celibacy is a discipline praised by both the Lord (Matthew 19:12) and his Apostles (1 Corinthians 7:32-34) is Biblically indisputable. Additionally we have the implication in the Bible that, although some of the Apostles may have been…