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Last Things: October 2021

David Mills

Catholic social teaching doesn’t map well on any of the usual political positions. It also leaves a lot to wisdom and prudence.

Last Things: September 2021

David Mills

Who knows what experiences help make people one kind of person or another, and what little change might have made the villain a hero or the hero a villain.

Last Things: July-August 2021

David Mills

“Don’t you fear dying?” a young woman asked me. I said I feared not dying. For her, death is the end of a life of pleasure. For me, it's the end of decline.

Last Things: May 2021

David Mills

Catholicism offers so many material things that convey God's grace: holy water, candles, relics. What's eating a little holy dirt when you've found God through all those things?

Last Things

David Mills

I enjoy what might be called “confessional tourism.” I’m fascinated by what confessors tell me, and so I tend to go to confession when I’m away from home.

Last Things: March 2021

David Mills

Politics gives us a lovely way to externalize our virtue. Or so we feel. The world encourages us to see our votes as acts in defense of light and against darkness.

Last Things

David Mills

A scholar wrote to me that she fears for “the next generation of writers who grew up texting.” I think she's right, but only to a limited extent.

Last Things

David Mills

It baffles me that self-consciously orthodox Catholics so blithely accuse Pope Francis of heresy. Catholic claims about the papacy, however qualified, are a high-wire act.

Last Things

David Mills

Last Things

David Mills

Last Things

David Mills

Writing directly about what one knows, without trying to impress anyone, produces the most interesting and enjoyable writing.

Last Things

David Mills

The passion for not masking has led to some Christians making ridiculous claims about Providence to justify not wearing one.

Last Things

David Mills

The world does not like seriously religious people, like conservative rural white American Christians and like the Ultra-Orthodox Jews.

Last Things

David Mills

As I write, the local bishop has removed all the sacraments from the people and closed all the churches...

Last Things

David Mills

Last Things

David Mills

Most Americans assume some people in power must be the good guys, people who can do something to fix things.

Last Things

David Mills

Last Things

David Mills

Last Things

David Mills

Last Things

David Mills

Last Things

David Mills

Last Things

David Mills

Last Things

David Mills

Last Things

David Mills

Last Things

David Mills

Last Things: November 2021

David Mills

I make no claims to be someone who would kneel before the lions in the Colosseum. I pray I would, but no one knows how he’ll meet the test till he’s tested.