The Narthex
Fr. Martin's Shell Game
He uses 'respect' to smuggle in not respect for persons but for actions and lifestyles
By John M. Grondelski | June 6th 2025 6:26 PMA “shell game” is a sleight-of-hand where, ostensibly, something is put under one of three shells that are then rapidly rotated, the player having to guess under which shell that thing is now located. This game is akin to the real-world confidence game named by the idiom “bait-and-switch.” Which brings…
READ FULL BLOG POSTMarital Lessons from Clotilde and Clovis
Learning to love each other in marriage takes a lifetime, not simply a moment
By John M. Grondelski | June 4th 2025 12:09 PMJune third is observed in France as the feast of St. Clotilde. She was the 5th-century wife of Clovis, pagan king of the Franks. Clotilde was a Catholic, an orthodox one at a time Arianism still had some following in what we now call France. The Franks were a Germanic…
READ FULL BLOG POSTBabies & Politicians
Is it normal to decide about parenthood based on who's in the White House?
By John M. Grondelski | May 29th 2025 11:23 AMCan we have a discussion that prescinds from party identifications, a discussion that involves normal people talking to each other? TikTok showed a 32-year-old teacher sharing with the world her previous evening’s pillow talk with her “fiancé” -- they “won’t be having kids” if Donald Trump’s in the White House.…
READ FULL BLOG POSTThe Resurrection and Truth
Catholic faith is like a tapestry, the threads of which all tie to the Resurrection
By John M. Grondelski | May 28th 2025 12:17 PMFrenchman Xavier Léon-Dufour and Australian Gerald O’Collins were two giants of contemporary theology on the Resurrection. Both emphasized the need to make the Resurrection central to Catholic theology. O’Collins specifically called for recognizing how the Resurrection shapes every branch of Catholic theology. (O’Collins died just last August, making this Easter…
READ FULL BLOG POST'Eternal Father, Strong to Save'
God’s solicitude for man comes not from any merit of ours but from His Love
By John M. Grondelski | May 26th 2025 1:03 PMThe recessional for Sunday Mass at my parish this week was “Eternal Father, Strong to Save,” popularly called the “Navy Hymn” (linked below). It was written by English Protestant William Whiting, although Catholics should find no issue with its theology. It was initially adopted by the British Royal Navy, at…
READ FULL BLOG POSTUnequal Women
Kowtowing to gender ideologues makes no sense in feminism's own terms
By John M. Grondelski | May 23rd 2025 11:32 AMThe U.S. Supreme Court May 20 granted emergency relief to Laurel Libby. Who? Laurel Libby is a member of Maine’s House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Pine Tree State’s Legislature, a Republican representing the 90th district around Auburn. She’s an opponent of gender ideology who got into trouble…
READ FULL BLOG POSTThree American Catholics
JFK's 1960s solution to U.S. Church-state relations was deeply flawed and destructive
By John M. Grondelski | May 21st 2025 1:30 PMSocial media carried a photo of Pope Leo XIV in the papal office with Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Do we realize how revolutionary that picture is? It’s not just that the Pope is American. It’s that the Vice President is a Catholic, as is…
READ FULL BLOG POSTThe Peace of Order
The tranquility of order is a defining feature of Augustinian spirituality, Pope Leo's thought
By John M. Grondelski | May 19th 2025 6:30 PMYesterday Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass to formally inaugurate his Petrine ministry, which began May 8. Cardinals of various theological and ideological preferences in many ways seem to have coalesced around the election of Robert Prevost at least in part because his "record" is more his priestly and episcopal service…
READ FULL BLOG POSTPapal Reforms & Judicial Nominees
Conclave Reforms... Bring Back the Devil’s Advocate... Judicial Paternity... and more
By John M. Grondelski | May 16th 2025 2:24 AMThe New York Times reported (May 11) that, being his first conclave, the future Leo XIV approached Cardinal Luis Tagle for advice because the Filipino had previously participated in one. After Prevost’s election, Tagle supposedly told him: “If there’s anything you want to change about the conclave rules — it’s…
READ FULL BLOG POSTThe State of Motherhood
The oxymoronic logic of murderous motherhood has taken cultural root
By John M. Grondelski | May 12th 2025 12:00 PMMother’s Day should be one of those celebrations that elicits only happy feelings: you know, “motherhood, baseball, and apple pie.” But the reality is we need to think a little more deeply about the state of motherhood in the developed world. I’ve regularly written about the parcelization of motherhood. Modern…
READ FULL BLOG POSTRandom Ruminations #25
Historical Amnesia... The Dangers of the Abortion Pill... Confessional Confidentiality... and more
By John M. Grondelski | May 8th 2025 11:45 AMHistorical Amnesia May 8, 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of V-E Day. Four score years ago, Allied troops entered Berlin and the Thousand Year Reich ended after 13 years. Last month marked the 250th anniversary of Lexington and Concord, the battles that began the American Revolution (after the "midnight ride…
READ FULL BLOG POSTThe Conclave and the Reception of Vatican II
Will 'synodality' be a permanent structure to question settled doctrine, morality, and discipline?
By John M. Grondelski | May 7th 2025 11:46 AMThe Church faces a pivotal moment as the papal conclave begins -- a moment that sets course for how we continue to receive the Second Vatican Council. Let me say up front that I take reception of the Council as a necessary fact for a Catholic. It is part of the…
READ FULL BLOG POSTAhead of the Conclave
What I Want and Don't Want in a Pope... The Interregnum... Future Reforms... and more
By John M. Grondelski | May 6th 2025 3:21 AMWhat I Want in a Pope The Catholic press and blogosphere is filled with writers pontificating on what they want in a new pontiff. Coupled with the musings of conclave observers and (pseudo) whisperers, one often hears about “a man of the Gospel,” “a man of God,” “a man of…
READ FULL BLOG POSTIn the IVF Era, Is Age Just a 'State of Mind'?
IVF doesn't just separate the human from reproduction. It separates the human from time
By John M. Grondelski | May 5th 2025 11:08 AMThere has been an active campaign to promote a positive image for in vitro fertilization (IVF). Pro-abortionists (i.e., Congressional Democrats) have glommed on to the issue as part of a “reproductive rights” agenda, whose real intention is to advance abortion. Since unrestricted abortion for any reason whatsoever still encounters resistance,…
READ FULL BLOG POSTIs Thomas's Doubt Bad?
We sometimes jump to conclusions about others’ motivations
By John M. Grondelski | April 30th 2025 11:17 AMThe Gospel of the Second Sunday of Easter (Jn 20:19-31) incorporates two appearances by Jesus to His Apostles. His first, on Easter Sunday evening, is the institution of the sacrament of Penance, entrusting the ministry of forgiveness to His Apostles. The second, a week later, is when he confronts “doubting…
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