‘Pride is not the opposite of shame, but its source—true humility is the only anecdote to shame.’ This quote comes from the Iroh in the TV show Avatar: The Last Airbender, and I think it aptly describes the central theme of shame in Kenzaburo Oe’s novel, A Personal Matter. More accurately, the novel presents theContinue reading “Truth Answers Shame: A Brief Analysis of the Novel ‘A Personal Matter’”
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Dog Sledding and the Soul: Faith, Hope, and Love in the Spiritual Journey
I want to write a little on how the theological virtues of faith, hope, and love elevate the soul’s human nature as she journeys homeward toward Heaven. To do this, I shall use the example of dog sledding.
To the Depressed
Dear soul, Six years ago today marks the anniversary of the first, and the last, time I self-harmed. Five years ago today marks the time I came closest to killing myself. I’m writing this because I no longer hate myself, I no longer consider life as not worth living, and I want to share someContinue reading “To the Depressed”
True Rest and the Destiny of Man
Foreword Here follows a revision of a talk I gave on the Sabbath rest and the proper understanding of leisure. Holy Leisure and the Sabbath The Sabbath and holy leisure is one of my favourite topics, because it’s one of the most apparent ways God has helped me in my life. The Sabbath is aContinue reading “True Rest and the Destiny of Man”
And You Will Be Hated
Foreword Here follows an academic paper I wrote in answer to the question of why Catholic Polish priests were singled out for persecution in the Holocaust. The vast majority of my research comes from The Priest Barracks, and this is almost a summary of the book, especially since for this blog post I veered somewhatContinue reading “And You Will Be Hated”
The Anchor of the Soul: Hope and Abiding in God
In St. John’s gospel, Jesus repeats and emphasises that He must abide in us, and we in Him. In John 15, He leads us deep into this mystery of abiding in Him as branches on a vine, so that we may bring forth fruit—that is, love—and that we may be filled with joy. I encourageContinue reading “The Anchor of the Soul: Hope and Abiding in God”
Three Lessons from Saint Peter
Glory to Jesus Christ! Today, Saturday the 22nd, is the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, first of the Apostles. To honour this day, and that the Spirit may transfigure us more quickly into Christ, I want to share three short lessons that St. Peter teaches us.
Finding Happiness in Dystopia: Classical Notions of Freedom & Happiness in Zamyatin’s ‘We’
In his novel We, Zamyatin presents among his key themes the pursuit for happiness two opposing ideas of freedom. I intend to show the linkage between the concepts of happiness and freedom within We, arguing that Zamyatin presents something similar to the classical notions of these two things: That happiness is the personal experience oneContinue reading “Finding Happiness in Dystopia: Classical Notions of Freedom & Happiness in Zamyatin’s ‘We’”
And Most of All, Love
Once a friend and I were praying together out loud, and after a lengthy prayer on my part, she said a short prayer, and though I don’t remember the exact words, she said something like this: ‘I pray what I pray every day: God, please give me courage, and please give me strength, and pleaseContinue reading “And Most of All, Love”
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