No villain ruins Leontes but himself—no wicked daughters deceive him with flattery, no Iago drips poison in his ear. In an instant he becomes convinced, despite the lack of evidence, that his wife Hermione has become the lover of King Polixenes of Bohemia, his dear friend. As he spirals into self-sustaining despair, Leontes becomes a… Read More
Talking BenOp in Pittsburgh
I'm headed to Pittsburgh this weekend to give two talks. On Friday, April 27th, I'll be a guest at SENT, a young adult gathering with live music, free food and drinks. I'll be speaking about my upcoming book, Building the Benedict Option: A Guide to Gathering Two or Three Together in His Name and leading a… Read More
A mix of poetry and prurience in Priestdaddy
I can't figure out whether I want to recommend Patricia Lockwood's Priestdaddy. Lockwood's memoir reminds me of David Sedaris: she tells stories about her surreal family with writing that's so good (she's a poet) but sometimes so bodily specific that you can't decide whether to read it aloud or not. Lockwood's father is a Catholic priest… Read More
Summer in the Forest: “The Weak Lead Us To Reality”
Summer in the Forest, Randall Wright’s documentary on Jean Vanier and his L’Arche communities for the disabled, contains a number of indelible moments. In one, an elderly man sits, docilely, for a haircut. As a younger worker clips his hair, he holds out his knobbled hand and receives the milkweed-silk trimmings in his palm. The… Read More
Victoria Sweet on Servant Leadership
I've loved both of Victoria Sweet's books so much, that I ordered a copy to keep while the library book was still in my house. (I had to transfer all my dog-ears). I read God's Hotel first, and I've just finished Slow Medicine. One of her stories about being a temporary doctor (filling a gap in a relatively… Read More
Mother Maria, On Startling Glimpses of God in Others
I'm just a few essays into The Essential Writings of Mother Maria Skobtsova, and I already heartily recommend it. It's on my reading list for 2018, because everything I'd heard about the life of Mother Maria from friends was terrifying and wonderful (one of my friends was chrismated in the Orthodox church with Maria as… Read More
I Was A Nine Year Old Stoic…
I reviewed several books of New Stoicism for Fare Forward, and discussed my own Stoic-influenced childhood. Here's an excerpt: I loved Stoicism for two reasons, one petty and one profound. I liked that Stoicism seemed to make me stronger (and, thus, to my thinking then, better) than other people. While the other kids were upset, I… Read More
Death and Dappled Hope: Meditations on Biden’s Memoir
Sustained by his family’s love and his love for them, Biden can carry the weight of tragedy and offer it as a gift to others. At the beginning of the book, he describes visiting the family of Wenjian Liu, a police officer murdered on duty, and offering the widow his personal phone number. He tells… Read More
Fr. Thomas Joseph White on Substitutionary Atonement
I've finished the first book on my list of intended reading for 2018! The honor goes to Fr. Thomas Joseph White, O.P.'s The Light of Christ: An Introduction to Catholicism. I've also made a start on Middlemarch, but I'm reading it with friends, and we're not scheduled to finish till May. The next one I finish will… Read More
Speaking on my Conversion in Chicago
On February 8th, I'll have the pleasure of visiting Loyola University Chicago to deliver their annual Newman Lecture. The Lecture, presented by the Joan And Bill Hank Center For The Catholic Intellectual Heritage. The Cardinal Newman Lecture Series is named after the great 19th century English prelate who wrote very movingly about his intellectual journey toward Roman… Read More