Mere Natural Law: Originalism and the Anchoring Truths of the Constitution. By Hadley Arkes. Reviewed by Fr. Stephen Rocker. (skip to review) God Loves The Autistic Mind. By Fr. Matthew Schneider, LC. Reviewed by Fr. Mark Nolette. (skip … [Read more...]
Are AI-Generated Homilies Suitable for the Edification and Flourishing of the Catholic Faithful?
May 24, 2024 by Pedro Vega
Approach to the Subject Of late, many ethicists, computer scientists, and media experts have highlighted the emergence of data processing systems known as Generative Artificial Intelligence (Generative AI) not only because they promise a … [Read more...]
Contemplation and Beauty: Reclaiming Sensuality for the New Evangelization
October 27, 2023 by Michael Gray
“The aesthetic value of creation cannot be overlooked. Our very contact with nature has a deep restorative power; contemplation of its magnificence imparts peace and serenity. The Bible speaks again and again of the goodness and beauty of c … [Read more...]
Give the Young the World of Good Music
October 27, 2023 by Elizabeth Altham
“[W]hen modes of music change, the fundamental mores of the state always change with them.” – Plato, Republic, 400b and 424c A few years ago, as preparation for a course in European history, I assigned the students in our high school di Lam … [Read more...]
The Patterns of Heavenly Things
Sacredness and Beauty in the Liturgy
January 27, 2023 by Kaleb Hammond
The history of the Catholic Church has produced an extensive tradition of sacred art, especially in the fields of painting, music, and architecture. Although this tradition has expanded and diversified over time, with variations across … [Read more...]
Mother Church, Tota Pulchra
A Call for Ecclesial Communities
May 20, 2021 by Samantha Mattheiss
In the Gospel of John, we read “Neque vocem ejus umquam audistis, neque speciem ejus visistis” (John 5:37), or “Neither have you heard His voice, nor seen his ‘speciem.’” “Speciem” is defined as “visual appearance . . . splendour, beauty, vi … [Read more...]
The Emerging Catholic Literary Renaissance
Interview with Poet James Matthew Wilson
February 25, 2021 by Roseanne T. Sullivan
“You know, there is, at the moment, an exciting rebirth of Catholic poetry in the United States and it’s full of talented young writers, but even in this interesting cohort James Matthew Wilson, I think, is one of the leading people that you … [Read more...]
Book Reviews – April 2019
April 20, 2019 by Book Reviews
Reflections on the Sacred Liturgy, Vol. I: Lent & Holy Week By Fr. Thomas Hoisington. Reviewed by Stephanie A. Mann. (skip to review) Off the Hook: God, Love, Dating, and Marriage in a Hookup World By Timothy P. O’Malley. Reviewed b … [Read more...]
The Skirts of the Infinite
Art, Fashion, and the Catholic Imagination
June 14, 2018 by Fr. Timothy Shea Valentine
___________ “[Christianity allows mankind to] grasp at the skirts of the Infinite. Since Christ the dead world has woken up from sleep. Since him we have lived.” — Oscar Wilde ____________ Introduction: Idyll or Idol? Memories of Subur … [Read more...]
When All Else Fails, Begin With Wonder
March 15, 2018 by Ellen Mady
I often admire my young daughter’s capacity for awe. She is able to marvel at just about anything. A few days ago, she was closely examining two bugs she had found. “Look,” she told me excitedly. “This bug has long legs, and this bug has sho … [Read more...]
Heaven on Earth
The Liturgical Theology of Pope Benedict XVI
March 15, 2018 by Marcus Benedict Peter
“In the earthly liturgy we take part in a foretaste of the heavenly liturgy….” —Sacrosanctum Concilium 8 These words form the heart of Pope Benedict XVI’s theology of the liturgy. Pope Benedict XVI professed his understanding of the Sacred … [Read more...]
God’s Beauty Evokes Our Joy
September 14, 2015 by Fr. John Navone, SJ
God’s manifestation of his beauty/glory is both a grace, expressing his self-giving generosity, and a call to his joy. Beauty, a relational aspect of created or uncreated excellence, is always the self-manifestation or communication of e … [Read more...]
The Beauty That Beckons Us
An Introduction to the Theology of Fr. John Navone, S.J. (Part 2)
May 31, 2015 by Dr. Eric Cunningham, PhD
(As HPR’s way of honoring the lifelong work of our brother Jesuit, Fr. John Navone, S.J., we are running an essay in two parts by Gonzaga University’s Dr. Cunningham. See the previous issue for Part One.) Part Two Conversion John Nav … [Read more...]
Spring Reading for March 2015
March 30, 2015 by Book Reviews
Arriving at Amen: Seven Catholic Prayers That Even I Can Offer. Leah Libresco (Notre Dame, Indiana: Ave Maria Press, 2015) 192 pages; $12.12. (Reviewed by Fr. David C. Paternostro, SJ) --------- Master Thomas Aquinas and the Fullness … [Read more...]
Pope Benedict XVI’s Theology of Beauty and the New Evangelization
January 29, 2015 by Dr. Matthew J. Ramage, PhD
“I have often affirmed my conviction that the true apology of Christian faith, the most convincing demonstration of its truth…are the saints and the beauty that the faith has generated.”[1. Joseph Ratzinger, “The Feeling of Things, the Conte … [Read more...]
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