Commentary by John Zmirak
Bedrooms and Battlefields
Sometimes killing people really is as bad as sleeping with them.
Bastille Day - Baptism by Blood
Explosion onto the world of ideologies that would poison the next two centuries.
Blood in August - On Avoiding World War III
A War about Nothing.
Render Unto Caesar - The Church and Immigration
"If you love your country so much, why did you leave it instead of fixing it?"
The Importance of Borders - Fixing the Immigration Crisis in 9 Steps
The bare minimum required to maintain our national security...
In Case of Rapture, This Executive Office Will Be Vacant
The Palin pick says good things about the balance of power within the GOP.
The Ale-Drinker's Answer to Hegel - Chesterton's The Everlasting Man
The convert nabs this narrative from 2,000 years ago and makes it new.
We Regret to Inform You that Christ Is Risen
It's not like I make a habit of badgering those who don't share the gift of faith.
How to 'Render' without Surrender
Archbishop Charles Chaput's Render Unto Caesar
The Joy of Sloth
The polite term is Inerto-American...
Lust for the Suburbs
...but that's why God made shotguns.
Massive, Disproportionate Retaliation
Hate the sin, love the sinner.
God in the Belly
The sin of gluttony.
It Can Happen Here
Choices matter. In this election, they matter desperately. I wish they didn't.
Kneeling Before the World
We have the bishops we deserve.
Greed Is for the Good
Man was meant to live forever with an unlimited supply of whatever he needs.
Thank You, Lord, May We Have Another?
Tough times will test spoiled souls like mine. We've all got to pray for each other.
Our Age's Reigning Sin - Now on DVD
This vice is misguided compassion.
The Few, the Proud, the Damned
Pride and its many meanings.
Envy - I See You in Hell
The passion that goaded Lucifer, who envied the Glory of God.
Christmas at the Veterinary Hospital
A blessed, beastly Christmas to one and all.
My Non-Binding Resolutions for the New Year
In the same spirit as the brave acts of our legislative branch.
Time for Pre-Canine Counseling
Hope that a loving Father will provide for our children and beagles a livable world.
Accentuate the Purgative
Imagine how history would have turned out differently if man hadn't fallen.
Blood from a Stone
The influence of... the one who "roams the earth seeking the ruin of souls."
The Future of the Legion and the SSPX
What will Pope Benedict do?
The Dark Night of the Civilization
Lent rains down on us now like bitter manna from heaven.
The Prodigals and the Papa
Il Papa makes us positively long to embrace Big Daddy.
Brideshead Redecorated
Lush and musical prose conveys to us the intensity of perfect, lyrical moments.
If You Must Drive Drunk, Please Wear a Seatbelt
Chances are you'll get home in one piece.
A Very Long Lent
...and more to come.
Psychomachia - Qu'est-ce Que C'est?
Introduction to "reflections on each of the Seven Contrary Virtues."
But What about My Toys?
An insight into a spiritual issue I struggle with...
Anybody Need A Used Laetare Medal?
Accepting can only be seen as an endorsement of Notre Dame's decision.
Bless Your Heart, Tramp!
The prevalence of abortion and its root causes in modern sexual behavior.
Smash the Secular State
Catholics serious about the defense of life are responding...in a variety of ways.
President David Duke's Appearance at Howard University
Satirical comments on commencement.
Our Lady on the Highway
The one I have the most trouble with is "turn the other cheek."
Death's Hand on the Tiller
The soul is more significant than the body...
Praying with the Kaisers
A bittersweet love note to the Habsburgs.
Patience, for Christ's Sake!
We can suffer with many indignities if our eyes stay on the prize.
Losing Your Temperance
Our soul will slacken and grow as flabby as a body overfed and underused.
Your Life Is a Gift
There is only one statement in the encyclical that frankly troubles me.
Sneaking Back into Eden
The preternatural gifts Adam lost were pretty impressive.
Magicians Trapped Inside Monkeys
University of Chicago to accommodate "transgender" students.
Put the 'Mag' Back in Your Animus
Perhaps the greatest soul in the history of Great Britain.
Conserve Your Liberality
Distortions to which the virtue of generosity is subject.
Liberality vs. 'Reality'
Doing just <em>a little bit more than the minimum</em>.
Please Allow Me to Humiliate You
Humility isn't a virtue you're meant to boast about.
Chastity - Silk Vestments and Fishnet Stockings
Faithfulness, openness to life, and self-sacrificing love between spouses.
Rescue Me?
I can't decide if my old friend is crazy or a saint.
Blessed Are the Sweaty
Diligence: Of all the virtues, it wears the least perfume.
Shall the Weak Inherit the Smurfs?
This is why we needed a Church in the first place.
Baptism Is Not an Economics Degree
Let's keep in mind that part of loving our neighbor...
A New Patron Saint for Chastity?
Queen Catherine of Aragon
Role Model for Wrath - Josef Stalin
The most appropriate name to illustrate undiluted Wrath.
Solzhenitsyn - Icon of Patience
Wisdom worth emulating.
The Vanity of Ayn Rand
An Olympic-level practitioner of the Deadly Sin.
How Vain Is Your Glory?
A thought experiment that will hone your skill at sniffing out the "vain."
Gluttons for Power
François Mitterrand: Despotism in a modern, democratic setting.
Andy Warhol's Art of Sloth
No man in history could equal Andy Warhol for turning crap into cash.
A Most Diligent Mother - Angelica
The public face of the Church in the United States for the past two decades.
Stalin's Trollop - The Envy of Lillian Hellman
She ordered her conscience straight from Moscow.
'Tis the Season for Temperance
We're each likely to struggle over the next few weeks with many temptations.
Are You Temperate, Insensible, or Insatiable?
In case you're wondering how subject you are to gluttonous thoughts.
The Wrath of Dogs
"The Gospel doesn't read, 'Blessed are the doormats.'"
What's Your Lust Index?
A quiz meant to help you diagnose your soul.
Mao Tse-Tung's Greed for Mayhem
The most successfully evil man in history.
Are You a Tree Sloth?
If you want to keep on being Martha, you'll need to spend some time with Mary.
Lilies that Fester - Spiritualized Envy
A surefire way to steer aspiring saints from holiness back toward hellfire.
Test Your Envy
Pure Envy craves <em>evil for its own sake</em>.
The Generosity of Tolkien
The generosity of artists may yet work our redemption.
The Gordon Gekko Scale of Greed
We're ringed round with paradoxes, and the issues aren't simple.
Sloth in Drag
Day in, day out, the same thing over and over again.
All Your Church Are Belong to Us
Go back to Hell. Our Church belongs to Christ.
Everybody Loves a Secret
We all crave the mysterious, and hope to have its secrets opened to us.
John Zmirak Must Die
"Can't I just pick limbo?"
You May Kiss the Bridey
The "Bridey Effect" is evident in Hoopes's response to my piece on the liturgy.
Bring a Friend In out of the Cold
"I'll mark mid-Lent by being <em>pastoral</em> - in the positive sense."
Pass the Soylent Green
We're combining socialist coercion with corporate greed and price-fixing.
No Morphine on the Cross
Sometimes we must suffer evil rather than commit it.
A Prayer, as We Persecute Ourselves
All roads converge at the cross of Christ, and no one is lost...
Are Patriots Apostates?
Disregard of American sovereignty undermines the principle of public order.
The Rigorist Menace to Faith
The threats to the Church don't always arise where you expect them.
Can the Theological Virtues Eat the Natural Ones?
What are we to make of inexcusable behavior of men we might broadly admire?
Welcome the Stranger
What would it mean to take this biblical mandate seriously?
Fake Virtues Are Worse than Vices
We must relearn the fundamentals of Christian life in the light of justice.
"You May Hope Anytime You Like"
We are never meant to seek out suffering.
Adventures in Double Effect
The secondary implications of this case raise real questions worth debating.
Telling Tales Out of School
"I'm sure that for most of them I was the crown of thorns..."
From Convent to Mosque... on Staten Island
The Reformation is one thing; the Islamic wars of jihad are quite another.
Let's Pretend We're Jesuits in China
Fr. Ricci's mission casts light on preaching the gospel to alien cultures.
Creator Red in Tooth and Claw?
Really outrageous ideas that once threatened the Christian world.
From Europe to Eurabia
Shaping immigration policy for the Church around the world.
In a State of Grace? Thank a Priest
These men are on the front lines of what can seem like a losing war.
Just Say "No" to Brimstone
One thing real priests, with real vocations, are called to do.
A Pink Cloud Hangs Over Britain
Why should the pope wear protective breathing gear?
Let's Admit the Worst about Each Other
Clear away the nonsense that takes up most of the time in political arguments.
Should We Tolerate Intolerance?
"The only good Muslim is a bad Muslim..."
Summer Hedonism
Let's look at the reality of suffering itself.
What's Your Theological Deal-Killer?
Defying direct papal commands and ignoring the bishops he has appointed.
The Miracle of History
A high-wire act performed with no net above the abyss.
Say No to the Ground Zero Victory Mosque
If we let them build it, 9/11 will have been the victory that they think it was.
Of Beauty, and Saying Goodbye
They have forgotten where, and how, to look.
First Thing... Let's Kill All the Housecats
The inevitable outcome of Reason deprived of Faith.
"Man Is a Featherless Biped"
In defense of G. K. Chesterton.
The Real Seamless Garment
"Don't Tread On Me!"
Calling Their Bluff
A ready response to ecological alarmists.
Trojan Horsemeat
The "reasonable" proposals made by "reformers" are really a Trojan horse.
My High Holy Day
The brightest, best moment of the whole liturgical year.
A Thumb in Leviathan's Eye
This week's election gives us some hope.
Is the Only Good Muslim a Bad Muslim?
A debate between two of the best writers on religion.
A Holy Fear of Man
Humanism depends on... revelation?
The Ghetto Is the Future
Groups that reject the childless norms of modern life will populate the world.
A Time to Gloat
We must look for guidance to men who see further and deeper than we.
Stitching in Limbo
Why it's so tough to make today's feast meaningful.
Do You Renounce Kennedy and All His Works?
Treating basic truths of reason as if they were superstitions.
I Don't Make the Natural Law, I Just Enforce It
There's nothing that quite says "Christmas" like <em>schadenfreude</em>.
What If Herod Wins?
What would the Nativity scene look like if it centered on an empty cradle?
Frog-Marching Us into Sodom
My grimmest prediction has already come true. And it's only January 5.
Cain, Where Is Your Brother?
The year 2011 was born with the mark of Cain.
Is It Time to Heckle the Driver?
We have to trust him; what choice do we have?
Satan - A Tapeworm
The devil deserves no awe and should exert no fascination.
From Pat Buchanan to Rand Paul - What Have We Learned?
How can we avoid repeating the same idiocy?
Wire Monkey Mother Nature
Implicit in the attitudes of contemporary Westerners are two fundamental heresies.
Cancel My Mental Reservations
Reaction to the recent expose of Planned Parenthood.
Arrest That Protestant Banker!
No prudent reason for Catholics to publicly question Live Action's tactics.
Up from Literalism
A better philosophical understanding of language would be a "win" for the Church.
The Dachshunds of Lent
A holy Lent to one and all.
Jesus Recycles
The essence of Christianity is its technology for recycling.
Visit the Prisoner
Maybe it isn't the smartest thing to take men and break their spirits.
A Spoonful of Splenda
Humor flavors the rather pungent meat of Catholic metaphysics and morals.
How to Train Your Gargoyle
In the spirit and much the same voice as <em>The Screwtape Letters</em>.
Disappointed by Truth
What about when we feel ourselves disappointed with God?
Holy Day on Ice
How are the rest of us meant to fill this bleak and seemingly endless day?
The Light that Scathes All Shadows
Some deeply sobering books of enduring value.
The Light that Scathes All Shadows
Some deeply sobering books of enduring value.
