Vespers in Pentecostide

From the Canons Regular of the New Jerusalem. You may follow the Office at Divinum Officium.

Summa Contra Gentiles, Book III: XII That Evil Does Not Entirely Destroy Good

From Contemplating History

Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225 – 7 March 1274), was a Doctor of the Church, Philosopher, Theologian, Jurist, Dominican Friar, and Priest. Known as Doctor Angelicus "Angelic Doctor," and the Doctor Communis "Universal Doctor" his writings serve as a defense and proof of the validity of Christ's authority over all. The Summa contra Gentiles (also known as Liber de veritate catholicae fidei contra errores infidelium, "Book on the truth of the Catholic faith against the errors of the unbelievers"). The Summa contra Gentiles consists of four books. The structure of Saint Thomas's work is designed to proceed from general philosophical arguments for monotheism, to which Muslims and Jews are likely to consent even within their own respective religious traditions, before progressing to the discussion of specifically Christian doctrine.

Book III discusses providence and the human condition, that is good and evil acts, human fate and intellect and the relation of created beings to the creator. Whether you are a history enthusiast, a student of religion, or simply curious about the impact of the Roman Catholic Church on the world, this playlist is designed to provide an informative and engaging journey through its captivating past. Subscribe to the Contemplating History channel for more educational content and immerse yourself in the rich tapestry of history.

The Biggest AI Risks Ahead | Susan Schneider, PhD

From Closer to Truth, a secular source.

Are we underestimating the risks of advanced AI? Susan Schneider reflects on MindFest 2025, discussing autonomous AI agents, transhumanism, mind uploading, AI safety, and why humanity needs global cooperation before AI capabilities outpace our ability to govern them. 0:00 What MindFest 2025 Revealed 2:01 The Biggest Questions About Transhumanism 4:34 Can We Upload the Human Mind? 8:59 The Philosophy Behind Mind Uploading 10:30 What Is Human Identity? 12:40 Why AI Ethics Matters 15:38 The Rise of Autonomous AI Agents 17:41 Preventing an AI Arms Race 20:30 Susan Schneider's AI Predictions Susan Schneider is an American philosopher and artificial intelligence expert. She is the founding director of the Center for the Future of AI, Mind, & Society at Florida Atlantic University where she also holds the William F. Dietrich Distinguished Professorship. She is also Co-Principal Investigator at the Machine Perception and Cognitive Robotics Laboratory (MPCR Lab) in the Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences. Schneider has also held the Baruch S. Blumberg NASA/Library of Congress Chair in Astrobiology, Exploration, and Scientific Innovation at NASA and the Distinguished Scholar Chair at the Library of Congress.

The Holy Rosary

Monday, the Joyful Mysteries, in Latin with Cardinal Burke.

Could a Baby Brother Have Dethroned Elizabeth II?

From Allan Barton – the Antiquary

Allan Barton. PhD. examines the constitutional complexities of British royal succession by analysing historical precedents and legal opinions regarding the potential birth of a male heir after a sovereign's passing. This discussion explores whether such an event would have necessitated a transition of the crown.

In February 1952, Princess Elizabeth became Queen on the death of her father, George VI. But what if her mother had been pregnant at the time, and a baby boy was born later that year? Would Elizabeth II have had to abdicate, or would the Crown have passed automatically to her infant brother? A subscriber, Paul, asked this hypothetical question, and the answer takes in medieval political theory, a forgotten Regency Act, secret legal opinions from the 1930s, and a clause that was recommended but never used. 0:00 Paul's question 1:30 How the Crown is inherited: no interregnum 2:56 The king's two bodies 3:57 Heiress presumptive and heir apparent 4:56 The Change of the rules in 2013 6:15 The 1936 question: could Elizabeth inherit at all? 6:35 Heiress Presumptive or Co-heir 8:00 Sir Granville Ram, Sir Oscar Dowson and the posthumous brother 8:32 The Regency Act of 1830 and Queen Victoria's accession 10:56 The Law Officers' opinion of 1937 and 1938 12:04 The missing saving clause in 1952 12:35 Conclusion

Stephen Barr, PhD: Interview - Science and Catholicism

From For the Life of the World

At the University of St. Thomas Center for Catholic Studies, Dr. Stephen Barr, author and astrophysics professor, talks about various issues within the science and Catholicism conversation. Topics:

• Current issues in science and Catholicism, including the rise of tech and AI
• The philosophy of the Society of Catholic Scientists
• The Science and Religion seminar at the Notre Dame Institute for Church Life
• The role of Catholic school educators
• Helpful resources and books on science and Catholicism

Further, Dr. Barr answers the question, "what do we do about Galileo?"

Jesus the Great Persuader Knew Marketing

He used parables to convince people of the truth of what He said. When I was a marketing director, I wish I could have done the same.

From Aleteia

By Tom Hoopes

It's revealing to look at Jesus' methods through the lens of modern marketing.

Looked at one way, Jesus was radical and demanding -- commanding people to change themselves and spelling out the dire consequences for those who don’t. He didn’t mince words or pull his punches, but we don’t think of him as a severe and strict taskmaster, because he knew the art of persuasion.

In many ways Jesus was the antithesis of modern marketing.

The 1980s book Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind is taught in business schools to this day. Its authors wrote, “Advertising is not a debate. It’s a seduction,” and said, “The basic approach of positioning is not to create something new and different, but to manipulate what’s already up there in the mind, to retie the connections that already exist.”

It brought about a generation of marketers who share the feel of a product instead of its substance.

At first, Jesus’ approach seems to be the very opposite of theirs. He came on the scene preaching, “Repent and believe the Gospel,” and gave his apostles the same unseductive message, adding some terrible positioning: “I am sending you out as sheep among wolves.”

In fact, when Jesus says, “Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the evil one,” he seems to disallow modern marketing altogether.

But if you look at Christ’s technique a little more closely, the picture starts to change. 

Jesus was the master of creative persuasion. He proposed radical change to the woman at the well, confronting her with her sins — but used “positive messaging” about getting a drink in the heat of the day. 

And while his call to action was “Repent!” he positioned repentance as being rescued like a lost sheep, recovered like a lost coin, or feasting like a returning son. He sold his “product,” the Gospel, using pre-existing categories in his audience’s minds — finding a buried treasure, obtaining a costly pearl, or catching a lucrative haul of fish. 

He even made appeals to ridicule like the old Apple vs. PC commercials: If you don’t pray you’re a foolish virgin not a wise one, and if you pray the wrong way you’re a pompous pharisee compared to a repentant publican.

Marketing depends on vivid imagery, and so did Jesus. 

We know what John the Baptist was because Jesus helped us picture what he is not: “a reed swayed in the wind.” We know our close relationship with Jesus, because we could  picture it when Jesus said, “I am the vine and you are the branches.” And we can see his generosity, sharing a “good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, poured into your lap.”

He found many memorable images to teach us to do his will instead of just claiming we love him:  A house built on rock, not sand; a plant producing fruit, not thorns; a servant waiting up for his boss; and a son who does more than promise to help out.

Jesus even used comic images to make sure we learned his lessons.

We can forget that Jesus was funny.

For instance, he described the beam in our own eyes when we are trying to get the speck out of our brother’s, and he told tall tales with outrageous scenarios, like the Shrewd Steward and Unforgiving Servant.

Camels are objectively hilarious creatures, with their strange faces and humped backs, and Jesus employed them to humorous effect, inviting us to imagine them trying to pass through the eye of a needle, or getting swallowed in our soup after we have strained out the gnats.

Finally, Christ’s catch phrases are so memorable that even non-Christians have memorized them.

Jesus says “Seek and you shall find” to keep us curious, and “Judge not lest you be judged” to keep us loving. He said “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” to describe himself; and “I am the light of the world” to recommend himself.

There are so many examples: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you;” “Love your neighbor as yourself,” “Turn the other cheek,” “Go the extra mile,” and “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”

Jesus was truly the Great Persuader.

But the difference between Jesus and modern marketers is that his words don’t manipulate us to want something that is beneath us.

Instead, they gently help us rise to the full vision of our true greatness.

Bishop Cracks Down on Priests Trying To Make the Novus Ordo Trad

This is, of course, totally ultra vires and against Canon Law.

Leo's Amoris Laetitia Conference Endorses Destroying The Traditional Family

A high-profile cardinal calls for the Church to stop defending 'the ideal family,' and to embrace new concepts of the family. This is repeated by Pontifical Academy for Life members.

Haymaking: How Did Medieval Peasants Make Hay? (I Prove I Can’t Use a Scythe!)

From Modern History TV

Modern History TV with Jason Kingsley, CBE, the Modern Knight, explores the physical challenges of medieval haymaking without modern machinery. Techniques for stacking, drying, and calculating acreage based on daily labour are explained while demonstrating the difficult art of using a scythe.

Jason discusses the importance of the medieval hay harvest, what it meant for the medieval peasant and how it was done.

Traditional Catholic Morning Prayers in English | October

Traditional Catholic morning prayers to lay a strong foundation for the rest of your day! The month of October is dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary. I hope these prayers increase your devotion to Our Lady of the Rosary this month, to help us meditate on the events in the life of Christ and draw us closer to her Divine Son, Jesus Christ. Begin each day with morning prayer! This video is a compilation of many traditional evening prayers Catholics say, and should not be considered a replacement for those who have an obligation to pray the Divine Office morning prayers.

The One Bible Verse Literally Rewired My Brain

From Totus Mind

Does a specific Bible verse actually change the human mind? The brain research stopped me cold: Romans 12:2 describes, almost mechanically, how you rewire your brain and renew your mind. Most of us treat a Bible verse like a poster on the wall, something nice to read once and forget. But recent brain research and the neuroscience of change point at the same thing scripture said first: your mental patterns are paths worn into a field of tall grass, and whatever you repeat in the human mind, you carve deeper. Stay to the end and you will know the one shift, and the simple four step practice, your mind has been waiting for. "Renew the whole mind." In this video: • Why willpower fails to break a looping thought, and what it misses at the root • How "neurons that fire together wire together" builds the ruts you keep walking • What brain imaging shows about attention physically reshaping the brain • How Romans 12:2 and the desert fathers described neuroplasticity centuries early • The four Rs of a renewed mind: Recognise, Refuse, Replace, Repeat ⏱ CHAPTERS 0:00 The verse that stopped me cold 1:06 Why willpower keeps failing 1:37 The path worn into your brain 2:20 Watching the brain rebuild itself 4:03 Romans 12:2 and taking thoughts captive 5:29 What John Cassian saw first 5:53 The four Rs of a renewed mind 8:02 Your ordinary week 📖 SCRIPTURE REFERENCED • Romans 12:2: Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. • 2 Corinthians 10:5: Take every thought captive to obey Christ. • Philippians 4:8: Dwell on whatever is true. 🧠 THE SCIENCE • NeuroReport (2005): 20 long-term attention practitioners showed measurably thicker cortex in the region behind the forehead, the part that plans and steadies you. • 2011 study: beginners followed for just 8 weeks of daily practice showed the brain's grey matter actually changed. • Cerebral Cortex (2014): a meta-analysis of 48 brain imaging studies found that changing the meaning you assign to a hard moment is associated with a quieter alarm centre in the brain. • The default mode network: the autopilot channel the mind drifts into, which for many replays the worst thing on a loop. ⛪ FROM THE CHURCH FATHERS • John Cassian (4th-century desert monk): the arrival of a thought is not the sin. Giving your consent to it is. You cannot stop the messenger from knocking; you decide whether you let him in.

Did You Know Mary’s 1st Apparition Was a Bilocation?

Her apparition to St James Matamoros took place years before Her Assumption into Heaven, probably around 40 AD, just years after Pentecost.

From Aleteia

By Larry Peterson

It took place while she was still on earth, prior to her assumption into heaven, in 40 AD.

Only a few years after Jesus' death and resurrection, in the year 40, the very first Marian apparition took place. The Blessed Virgin appeared to one of the apostles, St. James the Great, brother of St. John, in Spain. This apparition is known as Our Lady of the Pillar. Her feast is October 12.

During the very early days of Christianity, James had traveled to the pagan lands of the Roman province of Hispania, today known as Spain. His evangelization efforts encountered great difficulty and it is said that the apostle had fallen into despondency.

One night, James was praying by the banks of the Ebro River near the city that is today known as Zaragoza. Suddenly a great light engulfed him. James knelt, staring into the light, and what he saw was beyond description. In the light was the Virgin Mary, surrounded by thousands of angels. 

She told James that he should persevere, assuring him that ultimately his work for Jesus would have great results and many would turn to the Faith. She asked that a church be built on the place where she appeared and left behind a pillar of jasper to mark the spot where she had been.  The Virgin Mary also left a small statue of herself holding the infant Jesus in her arms. The statue was sitting atop the jasper pillar.

Since the Blessed Virgin was still alive and living in Jerusalem -- this was prior to her assumption into heaven -- her appearance is considered an act of bilocation.

James immediately gathered some of his new followers and began work on a chapel on the designated site. The chapel is the first church ever dedicated to Mary and today, after many renovations, is known as the Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar. It is located in the exact place Our Lady appeared some 2,000 years ago.

James participated in the dedication of the small church and returned to Jerusalem.

Ironically, he was the first apostle to die for the faith. In the year 44, Herod Agrippa had James beheaded. The disciples of James took his body back to Spain for final burial. The pillar left by Our Lady was taken under the protection of the people of Zaragoza.

The many miracles surrounding the relic can attest to its heavenly origin. In 1936, during the Spanish Civil War, the left-leaning Republicans bombed the shrine, but the bombs that hit the church never exploded. No one is allowed to touch the statue except for the four priests assigned to its care and newborn infants, who can be lifted up to touch the image of their heavenly Mom. 

Popes from the earliest times have attested to the authenticity of Our Lady's appearance at the shrine. Pope Calixtus III in 1456 encouraged people to make pilgrimages to Our Lady of the Pillar. The miracle of the shrine's foundation was even acknowledged. 

The most prominent miracle occurred in the 17th century. A beggar named Miguel Pellicer from the town of Calanda could not work due to having an amputated leg. He was constantly praying at the shrine for the Blessed Mother's help and his leg was restored.

Over the centuries many controversial stories arose concerning the authenticity of this shrine. Pope Innocent III, answering an appeal from Spain, had 12 cardinals investigate all the data available. Some centuries later, on August 7, 1723, the Sacred Congregation of Rites affirmed the original. In 1730, Pope Clement XII allowed the feast of Our Lady of the Pillar to be celebrated throughout the Spanish empire. Eventually she was declared Patroness of the Hispanic World.

One final thought. As a young seminarian, Josemaria Escriva made daily visits to the shrine of Our Lady of the Pillar. He always prayed for guidance and eventually founded Opus Dei. The members honor her feast day each year.

Our Lady of the Pillar, please pray for us.

This Bishop Just Said What No One Else Will

From Purely Catholic

In a powerful essay, Dutch Auxiliary Bishop Rob Mutsaerts delivers a sharp critique of modern Vatican strategy, endless bureaucratic synods, and the dangerous push to adapt Catholic teaching to worldly standards. Let’s break down his key arguments on why institutional restructuring will never replace supernatural faith, why parish decline cannot be solved by secular methods, and what the Church must actually do to restore her mission in the modern world.

Converts and Controversy

Melanie McDonagh has published Converts: From Oscar Wilde to Muriel Spark, Why So Many Became Catholic in the 20th Century. Mr Pearce begins a series looking at the book.

From Crisis

By Joseph Pearce

A new series examining the newly-released book by journalist and author Melanie McDonagh titled "Converts."

It is almost 30 years since my book Literary Converts was published by Harper Collins in the United Kingdom and subsequently by Ignatius Press in the United States. It was praised by A.N. Wilson as “an admirable book” and was listed by Conrad Black as one of his favorite books of 1999. It has sold well and has remained in print ever since its initial publication. As the author of such a book, I was pleased to see the publication of a new book on the same topic by the well-known British journalist Melanie McDonagh. Her own book has the briefest of titles, Converts, and a convoluted subtitled: “From Oscar Wilde to Muriel Spark, Why So Many Became Catholic in the 20th Century.”

Upon an initial perusal of Mrs. McDonagh’s book, I was perplexed by the failure to reference my book at all. It seems implausible, if Mrs. McDonagh has been diligent in her research, that she does not know of it. It seems likely, therefore, that she chose to ignore it.

My suspicions aroused, I duly noted that my other books on the converts she covers in her book are also ignored. There is no reference to my biography of Chesterton, published in the United Kingdom by Hodder and Stoughton, nor of my book The Unmasking of Oscar Wilde, published in the United Kingdom by HarperCollins. I am, however, in very good company. Most of the best books written on the converts on whom Mrs. McDonagh focuses are similarly ignored.

On my shelves are biographies of Chesterton by a range of authors, none of whom are mentioned in Converts. Some of these are a little obscure, to be sure, but it’s hard to fathom why good recent biographies by Ian Ker and William Oddie are overlooked. It’s also odd that Fr. Ker’s groundbreaking scholarship on St. John Henry Newman is entirely absent; and similarly and singularly odd is the absence of the many works on Chesterton by Dale Ahlquist, who is indubitably the premier authority on Chesterton over the past two decades or more. As for Evelyn Waugh, it is intriguing that Selina Hastings’ biography of him is referenced but that Douglas Lane Patey’s is not. The former is very well researched but is unsympathetic to Waugh’s religion, ignoring or downplaying its importance, whereas Patey’s excellent biography places Waugh’s faith at the center of his life, which is where Waugh himself placed it.

With these curious omissions in mind, and my suspicions aroused, I began reading Converts with an eye to critiquing its approach. As I turned the pages, I found myself highlighting passage after passage which seemed worthy of comment, either in praise or criticism. There was no way that these observations could be incorporated simply in a book review. I would need to write a series of articles, which would serve as a sort of companion to Mrs. McDonagh’s book for those who desire a clearer understanding of the fascinating conversion stories that she presents. This is, therefore, the first in a series of reflections on Converts in which I plan to comment upon the way that Mrs. McDonagh discusses a host of writers who converted to the Faith, such as St. John Henry Newman, Oscar Wilde, R.H. Benson, G.K. Chesterton, Maurice Baring, Evelyn Waugh, and Graham Greene.

As I embark upon this “companion” to Mrs. McDonagh’s Converts, I can’t help but be reminded of Hilaire Belloc’s writing of a “companion” to H.G. Wells’ bestselling The Outline of History. After Belloc published his “Companion,” Wells responded with a book titled Mr. Belloc Objects, to which Belloc, never one to miss the opportunity to have the last word, responded with a further riposte titled Mr. Belloc Still Objects. The exchange between Wells and Belloc became somewhat vituperative, which is something that I wish to avoid at all costs. I seek, rather, to emulate Chesterton’s own response to Wells’ Outline of History, which came in the form of his writing The Everlasting Man, an alternative outline of history rooted in Christian philosophy and theology. My aim will be to avoid Belloc’s bellicosity and to aspire toward Chestertonian charity.

Indeed, I am reminded of one of my favorite nuggets of Chestertonian wisdom. Writing of his relationship with his brother Cecil, another of the converts whom Mrs. McDonagh discusses, Chesterton said that he and his brother were always arguing but that they never quarreled. This has become something of a personal motto, serving as an unwritten epigraph to all that I write. In the Chestertonian sense, an argument is conducted in charity whereas a quarrel lacks charity.

In the following series of reflections on “Converts and Controversy,” the aim will be the attainment of clarity in charity. In discussing the strengths and weaknesses of Mrs. McDonagh’s Converts, we will come closer to a better and truer understanding of the great Catholic cultural revival of the 20th century, in which many literary giants embraced the timeless truths of the Catholic Faith.