The Insights eNewsletter
Insights provides critical perspective on the issues that affect your life as a Catholic today. Delivered twice weekly.
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The Expectation
After what felt like a very short Advent, Christmas is around the corner. Our latest commentary focuses on preparation: Phil Lawler on the Expectation of the Virgin Mary Jeff Mirus on the O Antiphons and Advent hymns We've also got a new YouTube clip, in which Timothy Flanders and...
One more week to prepare!
I was pleased to see how Phil Lawler has commented on the reopening of Notre Dame in Paris—the thoughts that should be going through our own heads in response to such a potentially great occasion: What the re-dedication of Notre Dame (should have) taught us. The restoration of a great...
Our thanks to you
I must begin this email by offering my profound thanks to everyone who donated to Catholic Culture's fall fundraising campaign, which successfully concluded last night. I also thank those who prayed for us. The best way we can thank you, aside from our prayers in return, is to run this site...
A penitential theme for Advent
At the Catholic Imagination Conference a few weeks ago, Thomas Mirus gave a talk on the Vatican Film List. You can enjoy that, along with his entire conference session, here: My panel on Catholic cinema at Notre Dame’s Fall Conference. Also in video, we have an excerpt from the...
It is Advent, not Christmas!
This week Phil Lawler reminds us that we Christians should not jump into Christmas prematurely. See: Wishing you a restless Advent. And, again, for ideas on how to live Advent, visit our Advent Workshop. Phil also comments on a crucial matter for prayer in our Supreme Court, which further...
The blood of Campion was a seed for the Church
In 1581, a young Englishman named Henry Walpole attended the execution of the Jesuit Edmund Campion. As Campion was hung, drawn and quartered, Walpole stood close enough to be spattered with his holy blood. Walpole wrote a poem about the martyrdom of St. Edmund which became enormously...
Spiritual highlights and an urgent need
Even over this extended Thanksgiving weekend in the United States, our writers and podcasters have some new items to keep you spiritually focused. For example, in his latest inspiring episode of Way of the Fathers Dr. James Papandrea asks Who Was Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite? He was a huge...
Lost pro-life history
It's a precarious moment for the pro-life movement. The outcome of the recent election carries with it both opportunities and risks. One of those risks is that in the push by non-religious conservatives for a "moderate" position, committed pro-lifers will become even more...
Two new saints for the young
Jeff Mirus comments on some great news from the Vatican this week - Halos for two: Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis. Phil Lawler discusses the more vexing side of Vatican policy in two new articles: Here’s why the ‘zero tolerance’ policy is going nowhere...
Blessed Charles, the last Emperor
Thomas Mirus recently spent some time in Austria. While there he read about Blessed Charles of Austria, the last Emperor, who saw the Austrian Empire dissolved during World War I, and who died in 1922 at the age of 35. As a moving reflection on the meaning of Catholic politics, Thomas offers...
The greatest movie ever made?
I’m pulling executive privilege to feature a podcast at the top of today’s newsletter, because it’s about one of my favorite movies: Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life. I think every Catholic should watch it because of its combination of themes from the book of Job and from...
Post-Synodal, post-election reflections
This week Phil Lawler has already posted two new commentaries: Who’s behind the violent attacks on the Church? And a very thoughtful discussion of Synodality and the perversion of conscience On Saturday, Peter Wolfgang offered some excellent advice in the aftermath of the...
Taking a post-election breath
I suspect that even many Catholics who chose to vote for, say, the American Solidarity Party rather than for Trump, were relieved at this week's electoral defeat of pro-abortion, pro-gender-ideology radicalism. Yet given the Republican party's abandonment of their former pro-life...
Making America Good
As the American Presidential election balloting continues, Fr. Jerry Pokorsky has no doubt about our own mission: Make America Good Again. Meanwhile, looking back over the history of “Catholic” magazines in the United States, Peter Wolfgang asks: What Hath Commonweal Wrought? Catholic...
Persistence for good!
In rich commentary this week I want to call your attention to the following: Phil Lawler: What the NY Times missed in the latest encyclical: the whole point Peter Wolfgang: It’s not 2004 anymore: The stale Catholic debate over voting ignores new threats Fr. Jerry Pokorsky: Reckless...
Encyclical on the Sacred Heart!
You may already know that Pope Francis released his new encyclical on the Sacred Heart on Thursday. It is well worth reading. Here is our coverage: News story: New papal encyclical urges devotion to Sacred Heart My guide to the encyclical: The new Sacred Heart encyclical:...
Synodal wrap-up and other news
Fr. Jerry Pokorsky leads off this week with the oddly-titled Chicken Man, which is really a tale of the unflagging energy Fr. Joseph Fessio, SJ has expended to revive an authentic Catholicism. Meanwhile, I have reflected on the story about gender-change procedures in Catholic hospitals, and...
Synod proceeds despite confusion
I had mentioned Cardinal-designate Fr. Timothy Radcliffe’s faulty remarks on African opposition to homosexuality in my last commentary, but Phil Lawler addresses it directly in: Father Radcliffe blames the Russians—not the Bible. Meanwhile, another Cardinal-designate, Carlos...
Are you welcome in the Church?
There has been too much in the news recently about Catholics “in good standing” who use their positions to subvert what the Church teaches. Usually this is a matter of trying to make the Church accept what “everybody knows” to be true. Consider my latest: What it means to...
On Columbus Day and the Synod
Even very fine historical developments have their bad points, often owing to the typical admixture of human sin. This could be said of synodality, I suppose, but since we are due to celebrate Columbus Day in the United States on Monday, I am first thinking of the angst and the outcry over that....
Deviations from the truth
Pope Francis has announced that he will create 21 new cardinals on December 8th; some of the picks are more controversial than others. Phil Lawler breaks down the list in a news analysis. In particular, Fr. Timothy Radcliffe, O.P., while not outright dissenting from Church doctrine on...
Praying for peace with the two Francises
During the Fifth Crusade, St. Francis of Assisi famously traveled to the Middle East with the desire of bringing about peace (specifically, he hoped to convert the Sultan of Egypt or be martyred trying). It's appropriate that we celebrate his feast just before the first anniversary of the...
Synod retreat underway
In light of the news that the Catholic University of Louvain has sharply criticized Pope Francis and the Pope had to defend his statements on abortion, on women, and on war in his flight interview, in my commentary today I consider Francis, false hopes, and the Church’s Divine...
Only chastity can stop abortion
Over the past few days, our commentaries have centered in various ways on the extraordinary selfishness and lack of self-control which characterizes Western culture today: Peter Wolfgang reminds us that Abortion is about sex. Duh. I see sad trends that give rise to a question: Do Catholic...
Evil ambition against the Church
Fr. Jerry Pokorsky's latest homiletic essay, Ambition, deals with this human trait in its good and evil manifestations, including with reference to abortion. This sets the stage for our latest current events commentary, which features dissenters within the Church and enemies outside it, both...
Faith in a time of socio-political disintegration
If this year’s election is reminding you of the futility of seeking salvation in politics, you’re not alone. Dr. Jeff Mirus argues for why we have to focus on real spiritual solutions: Faith in a time of socio-political disintegration. Meanwhile, Peter Wolfgang brings up a troubling...
Hot buttons of faith
Fr. Jerry Pokorsky has written a new homiletic essay entitled Hot Buttons of the Faith. It is a very good reminder of the truths so many nominal Catholics today do not like to mention. We should make sure we are not among them. Turning to a very different topic, Phil Lawler has commented...
"Vocation shortage" or failure to respond?
Happy feast of St. John Chrysostom! In our latest commentary, Phil Lawler discusses Church affairs in two areas: Vocation shortage? There’s no such thing. The threat of a runaway Synod Our new columnist, Peter Wolfgang, asks: Did Trump really lose the debate? Jenn...
Planned Parenthood Hacked
Planned Parenthood was hacked last week, and 93 gigabytes of data were spirited away under the threat of disclosure if a ransom is not paid. The time-limit is set to expire this week. This was not any sort of Christian operation, and I am not ready to recommend cyber-attacks as a fruitful...
Our new columnist
I'm sorry that this email was delayed due to technical issues on the website last night - but I'm happy to announce that Peter Wolfgang will be writing a weekly column for Catholic Culture! Peter is a veteran of pro-life and pro-family advocacy in the state of Connecticut and a shrewd...
Angel Studios: Analysis
In a brand new analysis which is fascinating, thorough, spiritually-tuned, and artistically important, Thomas V. Mirus takes a close look at Angel Studios—which used to be responsible for presenting the widely-viewed and generally well-received chronicle of Christ called The Chosen. Must...
