Atlanta, GA

April 5, 2026

What is Truth?

It can be hard to know.

Not because it doesn’t exist, but because it’s usually too distant, vast, and complicated to comprehend. Or… like an ocean to a fish or a forest to a tree… it’s too close, and all-encompassing. As Chesterton said, it’s easy to be blind to a thing, so long as it’s big enough.

What we think we see is often a consoling mirage, a portrayal we create to validate our assumptions. It’s tempting (and often reasonable) to base unequivocal conclusions on preconceived notions.

And why not? In some sense, that’s what preconceived notions are for: handy guides to keep us from wandering in the desert. But we tend to rend our garments whenever they’re refuted.

We all have biases that beg to be affirmed. Most are harmless, some are helpful, many are dangerous.

To keep from being singed, we sometimes hide our candle under a bushel, to curtail controversial opinions so that we keep receiving our pieces of silver. When suspected of holding unapproved perspectives, it’s easiest to deny three times we ever deviated.

It’s convenient to follow the crowd and go with the flow. To preserve professional status or personal clout, we’d best join the chorus… and choose Barabbas over Christ.

That’s human nature. When given a choice, most of us opt not to carry a cross. I’m no different.

Their Own Reward

I’ve spent most of my life on the prescribed path. College… graduate school… corporate career… leafy suburbs. For most of that time, aside from intimate family and close friends, I’d kept my opinions private.

For two decades, my writing was mostly personal diaries, family stories, and travel journals. Only in recent years did more controversial topics enter these essays, tenuously transported on the ignorance of an ass.

Regarding religion and politics… which converge on Good Friday as on no other day… my opinions are occasionally welcomed with waving palms. But they’re usually met with rhetorical scourging.

That’s fine, and to be expected. These are acrimonious subjects we’re not supposed to discuss, except to repeat approved pronouncements from our appointed priests.

It’s understandable that “respectable” society avoids contentious themes. We don’t want relationships ruined over political disputes that are often irrelevant, and typically beyond our control.

Regardless the intensity of our concern for some distant war, domestic policy, or religious dogma, there’s usually little we can do about it.

But deliberation and discussion can be their own reward. Philosophical topics would be less interesting if they weren’t controversial. And they’re engaging because they matter, whether for the wisdom they instill, the damage they do…

or the hope they provide.

Spreading the Word

On the holiest day of the year, we dispense with Good Friday gloom, and exult in Easter optimism. Let’s wash our hands of rancor, to focus inward on family and upward to God.

From the Resurrection to the Ascension, the followers of Christ were reacquainted with the Redeemer, humbling themselves before the Conqueror of death. Having been confined to the Chosen People for two thousand years, it was time for the Word of God to be transmitted to the world.

When Christ was crucified, the Roman Empire was nascent. Like the US after the Second World War, it was energetic, expansive, and unrivaled. Its money was good, its military strong, its competitors subdued. For another century it continued to expand, till decadence and hubris slowly withered it away.

It’s said that with God there are no coincidences. In the time of Christ, Rome approached its apogee. Maybe He came when he did because His path had been paved.

Literally.

Roman roads and the Augustinian peace permitted Word to spread. Never before had the known world been so seamlessly connected. After the Resurrection, Christ’s disciples could multiply adherents by traveling vast distances with (relatively) few internal hindrances or foreign threats.

And they did. From Jerusalem, they scattered far afield.

We know Peter and Paul ultimately went to Rome. Andrew evangelized what’s now the Ukraine, and probably Greece. James went west to Spain. Thomas traveled east, to Parthia and India. Bartholomew may also have gone to India, but almost certainly arrived in Arabia.

A Church established, the message was magnified. After a couple centuries of periodic persecution, it seeped into the crannies and crevices of the declining empire. In the 4th century, Constantine adopted and adapted Christianity to Rome.

Net and Sieve

In large measure, Gibbon ascribed the fall of Rome to the rise of Christianity. Perhaps.

But many factors precipitate an imperial collapse. Sometimes, as Nietzsche said, that which is bound to fall deserves a push. If the Church gave Rome a shove, it also served as a net, and a sieve… retaining seeds of revival as it let degraded soil wash away.

Regeneration was tedious. It began when the Church embedded belief in the sanctity of all human life. This was based on a worldview rooted in reason, that acknowledged an orderly universe created by God, with each person crafted in His image.

Unlike some random creation subject to arbitrary whims, such a rational system was susceptible to observation, experiment, and study. This formed the basis for modern science, of which Church scholars were at the forefront.

Their efforts laid the foundations of Canon Law, from which emerged Western notions of human rights and the rule of law. Five centuries before Adam Smith, Catholic priests developed precepts of free-market economics. To facilitate scientific exploration and philosophic inquiry, the Church invented the university.

Today these achievements are mostly forgotten, attributed elsewhere, or overtly denigrated. The Catholic Church (and Christianity itself) is routinely ridiculed as anachronistic and oppressive. It hasn’t helped that since the Second Vatican Council, the Church has engaged in what seem to be concerted efforts to undermine itself.

Ostensibly “opening its windows” to welcome the world, the Church instead stooped to its level. Sacramental reverence and ecclesiastical credibility have collapsed as earthly concerns superseded the salvation of souls.

But even with the Church in shambles or consigned to catacombs, we’re certain it’ll survive. Christ affirmed the Gates of Hell wouldn’t prevail against it, and that He’d be with us till the end of time, as the Way and the Life.

And the Truth.

Happy Easter.

JD

Atlanta, GA

November 1, 2025

With the passing of All Hallows’ Eve, the goblins, demons, and ghouls are gone. Today we make way for the saints.

We approach the conclusion of the Catholic calendar. The Church coordinates its year around the life, death, and Resurrection of Christ. It anticipates the coming of the Kingdom and the salvation of souls.

By this annual cycle The Church renews her youth. She sees her divine Spouse each year lying in a manger, fasting in the desert, hanging from the Cross, rising from the grave, founding His Church, instituting the Sacraments, ascending to Heaven, and sending the Holy Ghost to disciples on earth.

The Liturgical Year

It begins with Advent, in preparation and repentance, seasoned with joy and sprinkled with hope. Then, amid the darkness, we receive the Light. In the Nativity, we glorify the Incarnation of Christ for the Redemption of man.

Thru the shepherds, by the Magi, and with His mission, Word spreads during the Christmas Cycle and after Epiphany. Christ asserts His Divine doctrine thru His piercing parables, and His Holy works by the power of miracles. Throughout His ministry, the apostles gather, and the authorities gird.

Ash Wednesday launches the season of Lent, when penance prepares us for the Passion of Christ. The Triduum commemorates the Last Supper, salvific Crucifixion, and glorious Resurrection of Our Lord.

The Easter Vigil opens a season of joyous feasts celebrating the Resurrection, the Ascension, and Descent of the Holy Ghost on the eleven Apostles.

The Octave of Pentecost begins on Whitsunday, and introduces the longest phase of the ecclesiastical year. The Season After Pentecost continues the work of Redemption, facilitated by several feasts of considerable significance.

After the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the Solemnity of the Blessed Trinity honors the one God in three forms. Thereafter that of Corpus Christi glorifies the Real Presence of the Body and Blood in the sacrament of the Eucharist.

On the Third Friday after Pentecost The Church honors the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ, which induced Him to suffer and die for the redemption of man, and to institute the sacrament of the Eucharist to commemorate His death.

By the Tridentine Rite of the Catholic Church, the Feast of Christ the King fell last weekend, on the final Sunday in October, acknowledging Christ’s Dominion in Heaven, and His Majesty over the Universe. The Infant Christ born under the world presides eternally from His throne atop the Cosmos.

Saints and Souls

Aside from Sundays, six Holy Days of Obligation punctuate the respective seasons of the liturgical year: the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, the Feast of the Nativity, The Solemnity of Mary, the Ascension of Our Lord, the Assumption of Our Lady…

…and today, the Solemnity of All Saints.

From the ninth century promulgation of Pope Gregory IV, this feast has been commemorated on this day. It honors all saints of the Church, who possess the beatific vision in Heaven. Today in their name we offer to God the Blood of Christ, honoring those who are unknown in the liturgy, yet humble in their reward.

The Church has long recognized the bond between Saints and Souls, between The Church Militant on earth and The Church Triumphant in Heaven. The feast of souls tomorrow follows that of saints today. These two days are the knot by which these worlds are bound.

By beseeching mercy to God for the souls of the departed, we hope to mitigate the pains they suffer, and pray He may soon bring them to Heavenly glory.

On the Feast of All Souls, we recommend to Christ and His Mother all the souls in Purgatory, and particularly those of our relatives, benefactors, friends, and enemies. And for their relief we offer the Mass of the day for the beneficence of God.

Lord knows it’ll be welcome, particularly for us sinful souls who’ve never been saints.

JD

Atlanta, GA

August 15, 2025

Anyone with eyes to see or ears to hear has sensed for a while that the world is going to Hell. In recent years, the handcart has picked up speed. Many drivers have hands on the wheel, and feet on the accelerator.

Regardless who’s at the controls, it seems to get hotter, with flames rising everywhere. But I think we can finger an arsonist. On this day fifty-four years ago, a match was struck, and the fire continues to burn.

That night, President Nixon interrupted Bonanza to tell the world he was severing the dollar’s link to gold. This ushered in the era of funny money and floating exchange rates, which devalued the dollar, suppressed savings, raised time preferences, and spurred spending. Gratification was in. Delaying it was out.

History shows that the quality of morals correlates with caliber of currency. Like synchronized dance partners, they tend to waltz or wobble in tandem, regardless which one leads.

The last half century of wars, boondoggles, bailouts, stimulus, subsidies, lockdowns, the Designated Hitter…and their accompanying litany of social ills…could’ve been curtailed or cauterized had gold remained a taut tether anchoring the ship of state.

Sacred Speakeasy

But enough of that. We’ve had plenty of anxiety the last few years. Tensions are high, fear is up, and tempers are on the rise. Let’s stop shoveling coal into the boiler, and turn down the heat.

For one day…as the bow rises and the stern sinks…we’re hopping off the Titanic, grabbing a lifeboat, and sailing toward the sky. For serenity and salvation, we’re seeking solace beyond the stars.

Today is not merely the day the dollar was sent adrift. It is also the Feast of the Assumption, a Catholic Holy Day of Obligation. On this occasion, we celebrate the Blessed Virgin who, at the conclusion of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.

As I often do, I rose early, and attended the Tridentine Mass at St Francis de Sales in nearby Mableton. That’s the only parish in Atlanta that offers this beautiful, solemn, reverential rite. The only one. But for our recently departed pope, it was apparently one too many.

For 14 years, the Latin Mass had a reprieve, and a renaissance. In 2007, after four decades in the wilderness, it was welcomed back by Pope Benedict XVI, who instructed parishes to offer the rite whenever it was requested. But as it began to take root, his successor entered the garden, and sprayed the Round-Up.

Four years ago, Pope Francis decreed that the Tridentine Mass, the venerable and sacred rite of the Church, would once again be severely limited and reluctantly offered…like an embarrassing relative no one likes, but who we feel compelled to invite to dinner once in a while. What Mother Church for centuries considered the source and summit of the Faith, was once again consigned to the kids’ table.

To dispense with the Tridentine Mass is akin to dismantling the cathedrals of Europe. It feels worse than a travesty. It seems like a sin. Indeed, those cathedrals were built to celebrate that rite. It’d be like retaining grand pianos, but banishing Mozart’s music.

One need not be Catholic, or even religious, to recognize the value of such an immortal treasure, and the immensity of its loss. To a great degree, we’ve already seen the results.

Parishes that offer the Tridentine Rite can (for the time being) continue to do so, at the discretion of their bishop. But none can begin providing it without permission from His Eminence. So, while I still can, I sneak off to my sacred speakeasy, and savor sips from this undiluted wine.

To me, this is the true Mass. For centuries, until the late 1960s, it was the Mass…what Father Frederick Faber called “the most beautiful thing this side of heaven.” I prefer it always, and need it often.

Today I arrived early. Confession precedes every Mass. It’d been a while since I’d been in the booth, so I had a lot to say. Having been purified, I sought some peace.

From the confessional, I found a pew, and joined the Rosary that was being said aloud, in hushed, reverential unison. I knelt down, closed my eyes, and let the prayer soothe my soul, like a gentle breath simmering a seething cup of tea.

Liturgical Poetry

The building is nothing special, but they’ve made the most of it. It was once a Baptist church, to which stained glass, high altar, and communion rails were added when the Archdiocese bought it…and the Priestly Society of St. Peter took control…a couple decades ago.

As I continued basking in the serenity of the Mysteries, families filtered in. Veils covered women’s heads as they held their children’s hands. Men carried some of the younger kids, armed with assorted books and toys to keep them calm during the lengthy Mass.

Despite the misplaced perception that the Tridentine Rite attracts only antediluvian troglodytes clinging to an erstwhile Church of a bygone age, most attendees are young. I assume they speak the vernacular on a daily basis. But they love Latin on the ones that matter most.

This is the language of the Church…the universal Church, which is what “catholic” means. It is not a product of time or place, so the Holy Mass shouldn’t vary based on where we are or who we’re with.

That Latin is a “dead” secular language makes it a vibrant spiritual one. It isn’t mundane. It’s ethereal, and belongs to no nation. It is the lingua franca of a Higher Authority.

Even the non-Catholic (if not anti-Catholic) HL Mencken conceded respect for the venerable rite. “The Latin Church”, he said in 1923, “has always kept before it the fact that religion is not a syllogism, but a poem….Rome has not only preserved the original poetry of Christianity; it has also made capital additions to that poetry – for example, the poetry…of the liturgy itself.”

Mencken then warned of a day “when some extra-bombastic deacon will astound humanity and insult God by proposing to translate the liturgy into [the vernacular], that all the faithful may be convinced by it.”

Four decades later, a Council convened that effected the insult and diminished the Mass. But not in this church, and not on this day.

Within several minutes, the Rosary wound down, and we reached the last of the beads. Bells chimed, prompting incense and the congregation to rise. Gregorian chants filled the air as four altar boys led a deacon, the priest, and steady dispensation of Holy Water up the aisle.

As the procession ascended the steps and approached the altar, the priest exchanged his vestments, gave his blessings, and continued the Mass. For an hour, the church was transported and transformed. We were taken to another time and another place, which was refreshing…particularly for those of us who feel more and more estranged from the ones we live in.

Pride of Place

After the Introit, we made our communal confession, begged mercy from the Father and His Son, and proclaimed their Glory. We sat for the Epistle, prayed the Gradual, then rose for the Gospel.

The scripture, like the rest of the Mass, is said in Latin. But afterward, at the beginning of his homily, the priest always re-reads the day’s Epistle and Gospel in English. Having done so, he gave his homily, concluded with the Sign of the Cross, and…like a conductor tapping his easel…intoned the opening words of the Nicene Creed.

As the priest continued silently, we joined the choir, followed its cadence, and professed our Faith. The Church asserts that Gregorian Chant holds “pride of place” in the Roman Liturgy. When we hear it sung as it was today, we understand why.

Among the many travesties of the Second Vatican Council was the relaxation (or de facto rejection) of this noble standard. As with the liturgy itself, it started with misguided “exceptions”, which soon became intractable rules of a banal rite.

Out went the a cappella and the organs. In came the guitars, drums, and cymbals. With them came the intrusive prominence of the “music director”, who at many modern Masses will post-up beside the “altar” and, like Doc Severinsen to Johnny Carson, yuck it up with the presiding priest.

But not here. The choir is dignified and discreet, positioned behind the last pew. Their voices are heard but their faces unseen. Their role is important, but they know what it is, and they confine themselves to it.

They offer the humble score, without intruding on the sacred script. Theirs is the soundtrack, not the plot. But they are as inspiring as they are unobtrusive. From the rafters and the rear they sing with the sound of angels, lifting all hearts, and drawing an occasional tear from the most stoic eyes.

The aura persists when the sound stops. One of the beautiful aspects of this supernatural service is the interspersion of silence. The priest says much of the Mass in a low voice, barely audible to the people in the pews. This forces concentration of the congregant, compelling him to focus on the liturgical actions on the altar, while praying the Mass in the silence of his heart.

Notwithstanding the chummy rituals of the new Mass, the most active and effective “participation” is often internal and contemplative, unhindered by the distractions of contrived “engagement”.

Queen of Heaven

At its essence, the Mass is a re-presentation of Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary. In an unbloody manner, His offering is made manifest on the altar when bread and wine are consecrated into the Body and Blood of Christ.

In the still of the nave…with the people on their knees, facing east with the priest in the prescribed manner of the ancient Rite…that is what happened next. The solemnity and sacredness of this Holy event places in perspective the transient turmoil and passing problems of our contemporary time.

The faithful followed as the priest recited his silent prayers. The Transubstantiation complete, we implored the Lamb to remove our sins and grant us peace. We then followed His instructions, proceeded to the rail, and knelt in humility to receive the Host.

I returned to the pew infused with Grace, without the angst, stress, and anxiety I’d carried into the church. After several minutes of silent prayer, the priest ended the Mass, as he always does, by reading the uplifting overture to the Gospel of John. Then, he replaced his vestments, genuflected toward the tabernacle, and slowly proceeded out.

After he left, as the last wisps of smoke wafted from snuffed candles, the parishioners returned to their knees, resumed their prayers, and requested continued intercession from the Mother of God.

With her Assumption, Our Lady takes her rightful role as Regina Caeli, Queen of Heaven. As she looks down, she lifts us up, carrying us from the tumult of this world to glimpse the tranquility of the next.

We’re often too busy or blinded to see it. But all we have to do is ask, and to look. This morning, I’m glad I did. The Mass was as beautiful as Father Faber described. In its otherworldly way, it expressed the joy of faith, and of life, which most of us could use right now.

On this side of Heaven, it’s good to know the other side is still there.

JD

Reynolds Plantation, GA

May 9, 2025

Well (as one meme announced this morning), I guess that’s one way for the Vatican to avoid Trump’s tariffs!

On Thursday the cardinals selected a pope who was “made in the USA.”

All else equal, I wish he weren’t. This is a personal preference, but I’d rather the pope seem more mysterious, ethereal, and distant.

I don’t want him to be my drinking buddy. Thinking of the pope as a Bears fan eating deep-dish at Ditka’s makes him easier to relate to, yet harder to respect.

Many might argue that, like Jesus, the Vicar of Christ should be accessible. I can understand that, and agree intellectually. But I resist viscerally.

I admit this is my problem, not the new pope’s fault. Italians might’ve felt for centuries the way I do today, even if most of them wanted to.

The Pope’s Purpose

But regardless the ancestral origins of any pontiff, patriotism has no place in the universal Church, an institution that should strive to be above this world… not of it.

She should be a heavenly beacon toward which the temporal should aspire. That’s one reason (among many since the Second Vatican Council) the vernacular Mass was such a mistake. But it wasn’t necessarily the biggest.

Except in his ability to clearly convey Catholic doctrine, the Bishop of Rome needn’t be “relatable” to select constituencies. He should be somewhat other-worldly, unconcerned with fickle fashion or passing fads.

I admit to not knowing much about the former Cardinal Robert Prevost. But the initial endorsements are disconcerting. Most unsettling is that they occur at all.

A true successor of St. Peter is chosen under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. That should be sufficient acclamation. Labeling him as “liberal” or “conservative”, “traditional” or “progressive”, is a category mistake… another example of how politics ruins everything.

The pope isn’t a president, congressman, or Supreme Court justice. To speak of his “position” on “issues” is absurd. To the true Vicar of Christ, doctrine is divinely prescribed. St. Peter’s successor has no choice in the matter.

The pope’s purpose is the salvation of souls. As custodian of the Church, his job is to clearly and consistently defend and promote Catholic dogma, discipline, and Tradition.

In this regard, initial indications about Pope Leo XIV aren’t encouraging.

The New York Times reports that “The Rev. Michele Falcone, 46, a priest in the Order of St. Augustine previously led by Cardinal Prevost, described his mentor and friend as the ‘dignified middle of the road.’”

Almost sounds like a compliment, doesn’t it? Praise from Nancy Pelosi and Father James Martin (the “Rainbow Jesuit”) are more disconcerting.

Obviously, none of this is conclusive proof we’re entering an apostatic “papacy”. We’ll need to see whether the Vatican will keep wandering the expanding wilderness it seems determined to plant. But even if Leo begins clearing some brush, I doubt he’ll be another Pius V or Innocent III.

Two Great Popes

On the throne at the turn of the thirteenth century, Innocent’s pontificate was the peak of Catholic power. At 37, he was the youngest pope in 150 years. He’d studied at Paris and Bologna, was a cardinal and canon at St. Peters, and won the papacy on the first ballot.

His consecration address emphasized the relation between spiritual and temporal power. While the temporal was autonomous within its realm, the spiritual was superior, and the pope could intervene when the situation demanded.

Innocent made liberal use of interdicts, presided over the Fourth Lateran Council, and made royal rulers succumb to his ecclesial decrees. No pope has done more to congeal the authority of the Church. A few centuries later, another pontiff made an attempt.

Best known for excommunicating Queen Elizabeth, creating the Holy League that won Lepanto, convening the Council of Trent, and formalizing the Tridentine Rite, St. Pius V saved the Church.

He started tossing lifelines prior to his papacy, when he prosecuted bishops for heresy and rebuked his predecessor for nepotism. As pope, he made St Thomas Aquinas a Doctor of the Church.

More than anyone, St. Pius V restored some semblance of morality to decadent Rome by eliminating many extravagant luxuries that adorned his court. He earned the enmity of Italy by forbidding horse racing in St Peters Square, and imposing sanctions on sodomy, blasphemy, and adultery (that this was necessary is telling). During a famine in Latium, he used his own funds to import food from Sicily and France.

The Spirit of Francis

Will Leo XIV have similar impact?

Pope Francis made Prevost a cardinal less than two years ago. A few months earlier, he’d appointed him to the lead the office that vets potential bishops.

He wouldn’t have done so if his pick were unwilling to perpetuate the Bergoglian agenda. Prevost’s extensive service in Peru and affinity with the Latin American “social gospel” is another red flag that we should expect more bull.

Yet yesterday the new pope sprinkled this spiritual desert with a few drops of hope. Unlike his predecessor, he dressed appropriately, took a pre-conciliar name, and introduced himself with the words of Christ when he appeared to the Apostles.

Superficialities and aesthetics are nice, and symbolically important. But they aren’t essential, or sufficient. As we’ve seen before, they can be distractions from doctrinal abuse.

As with most pronouncements from modern popes, Leo’s Urbi et Orbi was a collection of insipid banalities that seemed designed not to offend. He commended “inclusivity” and “unity”, as if indiscriminate acceptance and unanimous agreement were inherently beneficial.

In the spirit of Francis, the new pope praised “synodality”. Like many “innovations” of the Vatican II church, this consultative approach is incompatible with Catholic tradition. It’s more protestant than papal.

As if this were an inaugural address, he talked of “building bridges”, expanding “dialogue”, and extending “open arms.” But Catholics don’t seek “open dialogue” with the pope. They want clear pronouncements on divine doctrine. They only want to “build bridges” that are one-way, with adherents of other religions coming to the Faith. This was affirmed by every pope thru Pius XII.

Signs of Hope

Like too many modern prelates, Prevost’s most daring denouncements have been criticisms of free market capitalism, and of immigration enforcement by any sovereignty other than the Vatican.

Cardinal Prevost upbraided JD Vance for repeating (previously uncontroversial) Catholic teaching that demands we prioritize family over neighbor, neighbor over community, community over country, and country over the world.

These concentric circles of concern were obvious to everyone till Vance repeated them… including to St Thomas Aquinas, who also elaborated this intrinsic idea.

Like Francis, Prevost promotes the climate cult and was a proponent of the covid lunacy. Needless to say, none of that is the role of the pope… or of any priest.

Plenty of kleptocratic organizations and corrupt NGOs push “climate change”, “social justice”, biomedical surveillance, and other destructive secular scams. We don’t need a Catholic Church to foist these fetishes on the Faithful.

Naturally, Prevost’s condemnation of abortion and its advocates has been much more restrained. He’s said little to defend priestly celibacy, women priests, and same-sex “marriage”. To give him the benefit of the doubt, perhaps this is because each is as possible as male motherhood. We’ll see.

Later yesterday afternoon, Leo’s Sistine Chapel Mass with his cardinals was a Novus Ordo “celebration” at the table, not a holy sacrifice at the High Altar. This isn’t a surprise.

Hungry traditionalists search in vain for signs of hope. One day, I’m sure they’ll receive it. But because something is inevitable doesn’t mean it’s imminent.

We’re likely to receive more of the ecumenism and confusion we’ve endured since the Second Vatican Council. Whatever Pope Leo has in store, I wouldn’t bet on a counter-reformation.

JD

Atlanta, GA

April 21, 2025

"...the great error of this age [is] that a regard for religion should be held as an indifferent matter, and that all religions are alike. This manner of reasoning is calculated to bring about the ruin of all forms of religion, and especially of the Catholic religion, which, as it is the only one that is true, cannot, without gr…

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Atlanta, GA

April 20, 2025

What is Truth?

It can be hard to know.

Not because it doesn’t exist, but because it’s usually too distant, vast, and complicated to comprehend. Or…like an ocean to a fish or a forest to a tree…it’s too close, and all-encompassing. As Chesterton said, it’s easy to be blind to a thing, so long as it’s big enough.

What we think we see…

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Atlanta, GA

February 1, 2025

As noted in my recent “inaugural address”, there isn’t much a president is authorized to do. In a nutshell, he must execute the few constitutional laws Congress passes, and veto the rest.

Repelling and expelling invaders is obviously among the permitted functions of his restricted role. Not only should a president deport anyone who illegally enters American territory; to honor his oath, he has no choice.

If citizens don’t like the laws, they should convince Congress to change them. But if statutes are constitutional (as those ousting illegals obviously are), the president is obligated to execute them. To do otherwise is an impeachable offense.

Misunderstood Amendment

Eliciting recent uproar was Trump’s executive order rescinding “birthright citizenship”. Critics claim this directive violates of the first clause of the 14th Amendment.

But it doesn’t. At least not according to the man who wrote it. Let’s review the relevant language:

"All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."

Senator Jacob Howard, who authored these words, elaborated on what “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” meant, and to which people it didn’t apply:

"This will not, of course, include persons born in the United States who are foreigners, aliens, [or] who belong to the families of ambassadors or foreign ministers accredited to the Government of the United States, but will include every other class of persons." [emphasis added]

In other words, Trump is right about this. At the very least, it’s not obvious he’s wrong.

The jurisdiction clause has long been misunderstood, misrepresented, or ignored. It was meant for postwar freedmen, not foreign intruders.

According to the author of the 14th Amendment, any non-citizens with allegiance to another country are not subject to the “jurisdiction” of the United States, so their offspring who happen to be born here would not automatically become Americans.

This was the accepted understanding till the turn of the last century, when the current nonsensical interpretation began to take root.

Not that modern judges will agree. They almost certainly won’t. Unsurprisingly, one has already blocked the order. We’ll see where this goes, tho’ it seems destined to reach the Supreme Court.

“Un-Christian?”

So much for Caesar. What about Christ?

We know that “constitutional” and “Christian” aren’t synonymous. As with the 16th Amendment, they’re occasionally at odds.

A decade ago, Pope Francis denounced Donald Trump as “not Christian” for proposing a wall on the border and desiring to deport anyone who illegally crossed it.

There are as many reasons to assume Donald Trump isn’t Christian as to affirm Joe Biden isn’t Catholic (tho’ the Bishop of Rome was always strangely silent on the latter litany).

But is it “un-Christian” to want to build barriers and deport criminals? Isn’t that what locked doors, local police, and private security are all about? I was unaware trespassing was a noble virtue, or that inhibiting and punishing it were Christian vices.

So, apparently, was St Thomas Aquinas.

Aquinas on Immigration

St Thomas was smart enough to notice that not all foreigners are alike. Among other distinctions, some are hostile and others peaceful.

As such, Aquinas recognized every nation’s right (and responsibility) to discern which potential immigrants would be beneficial or baleful, rather than blindly letting all of them in.

Rules of entry and repulsion should be adopted and enforced based on what’s best for those living legally within the territory being protected.

Obviously migrants think they’ll be better off in their desired destination. Otherwise, they wouldn’t try to go there. But the criteria for entry should be whether these arrivals will help the hosts, not if access benefits outsiders wishing to cross the border.

Aquinas affirms the rule of national law in dealing with both peaceful and pernicious immigration. He continues by insisting migrants wanting to remain in a new land must express a sincere desire to integrate fully into the culture of that country.

Newcomers need to adapt to their adopted nation, and becoming a citizen takes some time. Aristotle suggested it could require as much as three generations. Aquinas offered no timeframe for acclimation, but did explain why a lengthy interim was warranted:

“The reason for this was that if foreigners were allowed to meddle with the affairs of a nation as soon as they settled down in its midst, many dangers might occur, since the foreigners not yet having the common good firmly at heart might attempt something hurtful to the people.”

Aquinas recalled that ancient Israelis didn’t treat all immigrants equally since those from nations nearer to them more easily assimilated than those from more remote realms. Hostile peoples were to be excluded entirely due to their enmity toward the Jews.

This common sense was once an integral component of US policy. Till the 1960s, new arrivals were carefully curated to not disrupt national unity. They were selected based on the likelihood they’d seek assimilation, not engender disruption.

Immigrants were expected to learn English, appreciate Western culture, and adopt American traditions. This is why applicants from European Christendom were given priority.

But this is no longer the case.

Strictest in the World

Pope Francis condemns anyone (well… Westerners, at least) who resist unrestricted immigration, going so far as to accuse those turning migrants away of committing “grave sin.” No word whether this censure applies to places like Israel, Korea, Iran, Japan, … or the Holy See itself.

Denouncing a desire to dispel intruders is particularly ironic from a man ensconced in a fortified city behind a series of walls. If random “migrants” can’t just venture thru the Vatican, why should a smorgasbord of interlopers from scores of countries be able to wantonly wade, walk, or ride into America?

Francis added that “We can all agree on one thing: Migrants should not be in those seas and in those lethal deserts.” Well, yes. We can all agree on that.

But it doesn’t logically follow that these nomads therefore have a right to reside wherever they want, or that every nation is obliged to let them in. The Argentine Jesuit should understand that better than anyone.

Vatican immigration policy (which Francis tightened in 2023 and toughened again just a couple weeks ago) is among the strictest in the world. The Leonine Wall essentially circumscribes the city, which is protected by 104 armed soldiers of the Swiss Guard. Only citizens (of whom there are fewer than 800) can reside in the Vatican. Penalties for illegal entry include fines, imprisonment, and permanent bans.

Protecting Refugees

But let’s be fair. Just because some who insist illegal aliens shouldn’t be resisted or returned are hypocrites doesn’t mean they’re wrong. Catholics acknowledge that travelers and strangers (assuming they possess humility and gratitude) should be met with charity and goodwill.

Pope Pius XII agreed that each nation is the proprietor of its territory, but that it mustn’t too eagerly seal its borders to those who reasonably ask to enter. His Holiness insisted that persecuted refugees be given special consideration.

During the Second World War, Pius gave it to them. He opened the Castel Gandolfo to anyone wishing to enter. Risking the wrath of the Nazis (who’d repeatedly threatened to arrest or kill him), the pope welcomed 12,000 refugees displaced by fierce fighting in Italy.

Granted, these weren’t illegal immigrants. But they were desperate people in need. Pius opened his gates and asked no questions. No baptismal certificates were requested, nor any particular political affiliation required. Under the pope’s protection came many Roman Jews.

Pius provided additional sanctuary at the cloistered Roman monasteries of Santi Quattro and Santa Susanna, which the pope ordered “to hide all people wanted by the Nazis, especially Jews.” Similar papal decrees were issued to all parishes and religious houses in Rome.

This is how legitimate refugees should be accommodated. But unfortunately, persistent abuse of the US system by migrants (or their advocates) who fraudulently claim to be seeking “asylum” undermines access for those who genuinely need it.

Rights and Privileges

Pius XII recognized a “right to migrate.” So do I. But that doesn’t imply a “right to enter.”

Emigration is a right. Immigration is a privilege. My right to leave my house doesn’t entail a prerogative to enter someone else’s.

Open-border Catholics often equate illegal aliens entering the US with the Holy Family fleeing Herod. But that analogy is absurd.

Joseph and Mary violated no Egyptian laws. They never left the Roman Empire. They were more akin to Californians escaping to Arizona than to Salvadoran gangs travelling to Texas.

And the Holy Family wasn’t planning to remain in Egypt. When their peril passed, they returned home.

The comparison of Jesus, Joseph, and Mary to illegal aliens in the US is silly. Not because the Holy Family weren’t refugees. They were (Pius XII called them “the archetype of every refugee family”). But because our “undocumented migrants” aren’t.

Political refugees aren’t the object of deportation orders. Yet this false equivalence is one many Catholics…including cardinals, bishops, priests, and the pope… love to indulge. But they’re selective about how they do so.

And where.

As we noted, Vatican immigration laws are among the most stringent in the world. They’re justified as being necessary to “protect [the Vatican’s] small population and the sanctity of its grounds.”

Exactly. The purpose of any law should be to improve conditions for the citizens inhabiting the region where it’s applied. So why is America guilty of “grave sin” when it does the same?

Mopping the Mess

A cornerstone of Catholic teaching demands we prioritize family over neighbor, community over country, and nation over the rest of the world.

That being the case, what’s wrong with the US emulating immigration laws the Vatican has adopted? That’s all it’s trying to do.

Actually, it’s not even going that far. It’s simply reviving policy that pertained before the previous administration opened the floodgates.

No one is suggesting legal residents be removed. Unlike in the Vatican, non-citizens living legally in America are welcome to stay. Only illegal intruders are forced to go.

This isn’t novel. The Obama Administration booted 5M illegals. George Bush bounced twice that many, and Bill Clinton kicked out twenty percent more than that:

Recent deportations reached their lowest ebb during Trump’s first term. They edged higher as Biden’s progressed and the last election loomed.

By then so many illegals had been intentionally imported that the numbers expelled hardly made a mark. It was like using a thimble to empty Lake Ontario while doing nothing to plug Niagara Falls:

As a recession is the necessary cure for a fake boom induced by phony credit, mass deportations are the inevitable consequence of permitting millions of unassimilable aliens into a country.

It’s a shame that certain migrants who never should’ve been here are going to be hurt. And some legitimate refugees are being denied entry under new orders. That’s terrible.

But fault lies with those who encouraged or assisted so many to enter illegally. Blame rests with people who made the mess, not the ones trying to mop it up.

Fed Up

For years, Americans have been implored to care for the plight of poor migrants. And they have. But what of concern for poor Americans? Why must their land and lucre be endlessly allocated to the rest of the world?

Crime is rampant. Debt is unbridled. Infrastructure crumbles. Purchasing power plummets. Chronic ailment is endemic. Fentanyl infests vast swaths of the country. Many rural regions and urban cores resemble Third-World hell-holes.

Yet the unappreciated victims are told to welcome floods of foreigners who flout the law. Americans have had enough, and are fed up.

They should be.

JD

April 15, 2019

Beware the Ides of April.

Today we rendered unto Caesar what Caesar says are the things that belong to Caesar.

In Paris, a much greater treasure has been lost. As Holy Week begins and Lent ends, we grieve for the things that belong to God.

During the reign of Louis VII and Bishop Maurice de Sully, on an island in the Seine atop the…

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December 8, 2024

The Lord possessed me in the beginning of His ways, before He made anything, from the beginning. I was set up from eternity, and of old, before the earth was made. The depths were not as yet, and I was already conceived….He that shall find me shall find life, and shal…

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December 1, 2024

O Come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.

- Traditional Advent hymn

I'm a Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech, and a hell of an engineer—
A helluva, helluva, helluva, helluva, hell of an engineer.
Like all the jolly good fellows, I drink my whiskey clear.
I'm a Ramb…

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Atlanta, GA

With the passing of All Hallows’ Eve, the goblins, demons, and ghouls are gone. Today we make way for the saints.

We approach the conclusion of the Catholic calendar. The Church coordinates its year around the life, death, and Resurrection of Christ. It anticipate…

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March 31, 2024

What is Truth?

It can be hard to know.

Not because it doesn’t exist, but because it usually too distant, vast, and complicated to comprehend. Or…like an ocean to a fish or a forest to a tree…it’…

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December 8, 2023

The Lord possessed me in the beginning of His ways, before He made anything, from the beginning. I was set up from eternity, and of old, before the earth was made. The depths were not as yet…

Read more

Atlanta, GA

With the passing of All Hallows’ Eve, the goblins, demons, and ghouls are gone. Today we make way for the saints.

We are approaching the conclusion of the Catholic calendar. The Church coordi…

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December 18, 2022

The “vicar of Christ” is at war with His Church. 

OK…that might overstate the case. Not because “his holiness” isn’t at war; but because this putative “vicar” can’t possibly be the pope. If he were, it would be impossible for him to promulgate the apostasy that’s defined his “papacy”. 

Jorge Bergoglio can’t open his mouth withou…

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May 10, 2022

For those who believe in God, no explanation is necessary. For those who don’t believe in God, no explanation is possible.

– From The Song of Bernadette

Jefferson speculated that were we to ask any well-traveled person in which country he’d prefer to live, he’d likely say his own…where he’d find his friends, relations, and earliest …

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January 23, 2022

I think I understand how Christians felt when in 1303 the French king imprisoned a beleaguered pope, hand-picked an obsequious successor, and precipitated a seven-decade papal encampment in Avignon on the Rhône. 

A subsequent schism created rival “popes” based in Rome and Avignon, with a third claimant coming from Pisa thirty y…

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December 8, 2021

The Lord possessed me in the beginning of His ways, before He made anything, from the beginning. I was set up from eternity, and of old, before the earth was made. The depths were not as yet, and I was already conceived….He that shall find me shall find life, and shall have salvation from the Lord.

– Proverbs 8: 22-35

A few days…

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Atlanta, GA

With the passing of All Hallows’ Eve, the goblins, demons, and ghouls are gone. Today we make way for the saints.

We are approaching the conclusion of the Catholic calendar. The Church coordinates its year around the life, death, and Resurrection of Christ. It anticipates the coming of the Kingdom and the salvation of souls.

By …

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August 15, 2021

Anyone with eyes to see or ears to hear has sensed for a while that the world is going to Hell. In recent years, the handcart has picked up speed. Many drivers have hands on the wheel, and feet on the accelerator.

Regardless whose at the controls, it seems to get hotter, with flames rising everywhere. But I think we can finger a…

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