07 December 2025
Where Economics & Philosophy Meet | E F Schumacher
Dr Graham Blackbourn speaks about Schumacher's life and work. Schumacher was a 20th century economist and philosopher. Born in Germany in 1911, he studied at Oxford and as a Rhodes scholar. He moved to England during the war; he was interned and worked on a farm. Keynes had Schumacher released to help with the economic mobilisation for war.
Around 1951, Schumacher suffered a period of disillusionment. But he found his health and happiness began to improve as he practised relaxation exercises; he began to discover his inner being.
Schumacher writes:
Happily, the modest practice of allowing some degree of inner stillness to establish itself – if only for fifteen minutes a day, to start with – led to these unsuspected discoveries: like a Geiger counter, the inward parts started to react and in fact to burn as soon as my mind found itself in contact with the real thing – what shall I call it? – with ‘Truth’, the Truth referred to when we are told: Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free… I had not previously known of the existence of such Truth.
He attached himself to a Buddhist monastery and developed 'buddhist economics'. Proper development depended on the availability of good work. His economic thinking was increasing underpinned by his philosophical understanding.
In 1973 Schumacher published Small is Beautiful. He was an early advocate of organic farming, president of the Soil Association, a pioneer of sustainable development. Four years later, he published 'A Guide for the Perplexed', arguing for the truth of ancient knowledge, waking up to higher levels of spiritual being.
Without philosophy he would have been outstanding as an economist. But it was his discovery of philosophy and the inner life which transformed his economic understanding into a truly human subject, the prime focus of which was one’s physical, emotional and spiritual development.
State of Monarchism in Brazil
The debate over monarchism in Brazil is a complex and nuanced one, and it requires careful consideration and discussion.
While there are arguments in favor of the restoration of the monarchy, there are also significant challenges and concerns that must be addressed.
At present, the restoration of the monarchy remains a long shot, but the issue is likely to remain a topic of debate and discussion in Brazilian politics for years to come.
In our view – the next step is to glue together fragmented monarchism and solve the issue who would be the Emperor.
Twentieth Century Ethics: 1. Introduction and 19th Century Ethics
With David Solomon (R+I+P), PhD, Professor, Notre Dame University & Founder of the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture.
Why St Ambrose's Feast Day Is Celebrated on December 7
Dom Prosper Guéranger says, "This illustrious Pontiff was deservedly placed in the Calendar of the Church side by side with the glorious Bishop of Myra."
From Aleteia
By Philip Kosloski
St. Ambrose died on Good Friday, April 4, but the Church honors him on December 7.In most cases, when a saint is recognized in the Catholic Church, their feast day is assigned to the day of their death. This day would technically be the anniversary of their entrance into Heaven.
It would be their "heavenly birthday."
In the case of St. Ambrose, he died on Good Friday, April 4, 397, but the Church does not honor him on April 4.
Why is that?
As with St. John Paul II, who died on April 2, the Church decided to move both saints outside of the Lenten season, as it would impede a proper celebration of their life.
April 4 is frequently during Holy Week and a feast for St. Ambrose would be superseded.
What's unique is that the Church decided to move St. Ambrose's feast to December 7, which is the anniversary of his consecration as bishop.
He was popularly elected to be a bishop and had to be baptized before the ordination, as the Catholic Encyclopedia details:
Proceeding to the basilica in which the disunited clergy and people were assembled, [St. Ambrose] began a conciliatory discourse in the interest of peace and moderation, but was interrupted by a voice (according to Paulinus, the voice of an infant) crying, "Ambrose, Bishop." The cry was instantly repeated by the entire assembly, and Ambrose, to his surprise and dismay, was unanimously pronounced elected. The saint finally acquiesced, received baptism at the hands of a Catholic bishop, and eight days later, December 7, 374, the day on which East and West annually honor his memory, after the necessary preliminary degrees was consecrated bishop.
St. Ambrose's feast day is unique in this regard and recalls his remarkable episcopal ministry.
Bishop Strickland To The Faithful: Hold The Line!
Bishop Marion Eleganti speaks a hard truth at a Catholic Conference that could get him excommunicated from the Nu Synodal Church.
Let's Remember Pearl Harbor!
Today is the 84th anniversary of the Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, the Philippines, and the British and Dutch colonies in SE Asia on December 7, 1941.
Shortly after the Japanese attack, Sammy Kaye wrote the music and Don Reid wrote the words to "Remember Pearl Harbor", the tune of which was actually borrowed from Ohio University's "Alma Mater". On December 17, 1941, RCA Victor recorded the song, with Sammy Kaye's Swing and Sway Band and The Glee Club.
Here it is, with the lyrics.
History in ev’ry century records an act that lives forevermore
We’ll recall, as into line we fall, the thing that happened on Hawaii’s shore
Let’s remember Pearl Harbor
As we go to meet the foe
Let’s remember Pearl Harbor
As we did the Alamo
We will always remember how they died for liberty
Let’s remember Pearl Harbor
And go on to victory!
Let’s remember Pearl Harbor
As we go to meet the foe
Let’s remember Pearl Harbor
As we did the Alamo
We will always remember how they died for liberty
Let’s remember Pearl Harbor
And go on to victory!
Shortly after the Japanese attack, Sammy Kaye wrote the music and Don Reid wrote the words to "Remember Pearl Harbor", the tune of which was actually borrowed from Ohio University's "Alma Mater". On December 17, 1941, RCA Victor recorded the song, with Sammy Kaye's Swing and Sway Band and The Glee Club.
Here it is, with the lyrics.
History in ev’ry century records an act that lives forevermore
We’ll recall, as into line we fall, the thing that happened on Hawaii’s shore
Let’s remember Pearl Harbor
As we go to meet the foe
Let’s remember Pearl Harbor
As we did the Alamo
We will always remember how they died for liberty
Let’s remember Pearl Harbor
And go on to victory!
Let’s remember Pearl Harbor
As we go to meet the foe
Let’s remember Pearl Harbor
As we did the Alamo
We will always remember how they died for liberty
Let’s remember Pearl Harbor
And go on to victory!
Pearl Harbor Day
Years ago, I was a tobacconist. The shop I worked in carried collectable Zippo cigarette lighters, and we had several reference books designed to help us date and grade Zippos that belonged to customers.
One day, a young man came into the shop and said he'd like to show me something. He handed me the familiar small cardboard box that Zippos came in before the Age of Plastic. I opened it to find an original Zippo purchased in the ship stores of the USS Arizona (BB-39)! He said his great-uncle had gone down with the ship on 7 December 1941, but he had sent the lighter home after buying it, so he would have it when he came back.
We did some rough maths. The USS Arizona had a complement of just over 1,000 men. Since most men of military age were smokers at the time, we assumed that 80% of them might have bought a lighter as a memento of their time on her. Of those, how many would have sent it home? We figured only 5-10% of them since most would have used them when the smoking lamp was on. So, 80% of 1,000 is 800, and 5-10% of 800 is 40-80. The rest would have gone to the bottom with their owners.
I told him there was no way I could put a value on it. He said that he wasn't worried about that because if it ever left the family's possession, it would be donated to a museum.
It was a moving experience, holding that artefact of the Day That Will Live in Infamy.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
Lest we forget!
One day, a young man came into the shop and said he'd like to show me something. He handed me the familiar small cardboard box that Zippos came in before the Age of Plastic. I opened it to find an original Zippo purchased in the ship stores of the USS Arizona (BB-39)! He said his great-uncle had gone down with the ship on 7 December 1941, but he had sent the lighter home after buying it, so he would have it when he came back.
We did some rough maths. The USS Arizona had a complement of just over 1,000 men. Since most men of military age were smokers at the time, we assumed that 80% of them might have bought a lighter as a memento of their time on her. Of those, how many would have sent it home? We figured only 5-10% of them since most would have used them when the smoking lamp was on. So, 80% of 1,000 is 800, and 5-10% of 800 is 40-80. The rest would have gone to the bottom with their owners.
I told him there was no way I could put a value on it. He said that he wasn't worried about that because if it ever left the family's possession, it would be donated to a museum.
It was a moving experience, holding that artefact of the Day That Will Live in Infamy.
 |
| The USS Arizona in her glory |
 |
| The USS Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii |
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
Lest we forget!
Traditional Catholic Morning Prayers in English | Advent
Inside the "Orthobro" Boom: Is Faith Turning Extremist?
From Totus Catholica
"Orthobros" EXPOSED: The Dark Side of Orthodox Social Media
Have you seen young men converting to Eastern Orthodoxy while using their newfound faith to promote far-right ideologies, misogyny, and even white supremacy? This phenomenon has been dubbed the "Orthobro" crisis, alarming Orthodox leaders and Catholic observers alike. These converts, often radicalized through social media platforms, claim to embrace traditional Christianity while rejecting "Western degeneracy." But their version of Orthodoxy sometimes bears little resemblance to historic apostolic faith.
📌 The problem is not Eastern Orthodoxy itself, which shares apostolic succession and valid sacraments with the Catholic Church, but rather the distortion of Orthodox teaching by extremists who cherry-pick elements to justify hatred. Today we examine this crisis through a Catholic lens: exploring what drives these conversions, what the Church teaches about our Orthodox brothers and sisters, and how to respond with both truth and charity.
✨ What You’ll Discover
📖 The Orthobro Phenomenon: Young men radicalized online, mixing ancient liturgy with modern ethno-nationalism
✝️ The "Dunking" Culture: Why some converts treat ancient Christian divisions as opportunities for online mockery rather than prayer
🕊️ Catholic Teaching on Orthodoxy: Apostolic succession, valid sacraments, and the "sister churches" (CCC 818, Unitatis Redintegratio)
📜 The Real Divide: Filioque, Papal Primacy, and Immaculate Conception vs. online culture wars
🔥 Vatican II & Nostra Aetate: How to balance ecumenical respect with opposing extremism
🛡️ Pastoral Response: How to stand against racism and misogyny without attacking authentic Orthodox tradition
⏳ Chapters
0:00 – The "Orthobro" Crisis Explained
0:54 – Why Young Men Are Radicalizing via Orthodoxy
2:25 – What the Catholic Church Actually Teaches About Orthodoxy
3:56 – The Danger of Ideological Christianity
5:30 – How Catholics Should Respond (Truth & Charity)
6:22 – Distinguishing Authentic Orthodoxy from Online Extremism
7:30 – The Call to Authentic Holiness vs. Online Performance
🌐 Stay Connected:
📿 Daily Holy Hour – https://totuscatholica.org/rosary
🌍 Website – https://totuscatholica.org
✉️ Contact me – https://totuscatholica.org/contact
📖 Key Teaching & References
CCC 818: Eastern Churches possess true sacraments, especially the priesthood and Eucharist
Unitatis Redintegratio: Vatican II decree encouraging respect for Eastern spiritual riches
John 17;21: Christ’s prayer “that they may all be one”
Galatians 3;28: “There is neither Jew nor Greek… for you are all one in Christ Jesus”
1 John 4;20: “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar”
Titus 2;2: Instructions on Christian manhood (temperate, worthy of respect) vs. online aggression
Archbishop Elpidophoros: Greek Orthodox leader warning about improper catechesis and extremism
Ut Unum Sint: Pope John Paul II’s encyclical on the commitment to ecumenism
💬 Reflection Question
If "Orthobro" extremism distorts apostolic faith into a political ideology, how can we ensure our own Catholic faith remains rooted in the Gospel of love rather than online culture wars?
St Ambrose Challenges Us To Think About Death Every Day
Death is one of the Four Last Things, Death, Judgment, Hell, and Heaven, upon which we should meditate often, if not daily. St Ambrose agreed.
From Aleteia
By Philip Kosloski
Instead of avoiding the topic, St. Ambrose believed Christians should embrace death and think about it daily.
Why do we so often avoid the topic of death, especially our own death? It is a question we should honestly ask ourselves, especially if we have a difficulty accepting death as our fate.
St. Ambrose, far from avoiding the topic, embraces death and encourages Christians to think about it daily. He writes about it in a letter featured for the Memorial of All Souls in the Office of Readings.
What does “Christ” mean but to die in the body, and receive the breath of life? Let us then die with Christ, to live with Christ. We should have a daily familiarity with death, a daily desire for death.
This may seem strange, but he is not talking about a reckless, unhealthy desire to end our life on earth. It is instead a desire for total union with Christ, which can only be achieved through death.
St. Ambrose continues and explains why death should be a source of joy.
Death is then no cause for mourning, for it is the cause of mankind’s salvation. Death is not something to be avoided, for the Son of God did not think it beneath his dignity, nor did he seek to escape it. Death was not part of nature; it became part of nature. God did not decree death from the beginning; he prescribed it as a remedy.<
Thus [Jesus’] death is life for all. We are sealed with the sign of his death; when we pray we preach his death; when we offer sacrifice we proclaim his death. His death is victory; his death is a sacred sign; each year his death is celebrated with solemnity by the whole world.
It was through Jesus’ death that we are born into new life, and it is through our own physical death that we are brought into eternal life.
St. Ambrose’ letter concludes with a reflection from King David about how he desires to enter to courts of God, something we should all desire on a daily basis.
Above all else, holy David prayed that he might see and gaze on this: One thing I have asked of the Lord, this I shall pray for: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, and to see how gracious is the Lord.
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