Four Corners Feast

It is a truth universally acknowledged by any people in possession of sound reason, that the human heart naturally inclines toward the tangible and material. If we are, as Natural Law teaches, to order our lives according to logic, tradition, and the common good, then visible, inherited forms of worship that are rooted in our sacred heritage, are not only permissible but essential. Consider the ancient Israelites, so often misrepresented by modern moralists for their adoption of the worship practices of their neighbors. Seen through the lens of Natural Law, they were not rebels but guardians of patrimony, protectors of the faith of their fathers, and heirs of the Great Tradition. Many of their so-called “foreign” neighbors (Edomites, Moabites, Ammonites) were not outsiders at all but kin, bound by blood and soil, and by the natural affections that arise from shared ancestry. What could be more in keeping with reason and nature than honoring the household gods of one’s extended family?...

A School of Fish: A Parable. Once upon a time, there was a large tank filled with water, where many different types of fish swam. All were brightly colored and shiny, some were big, others were small. They all spent their days swimming in circles and admiring each other's unique colorations. Their life was simple, but they were provided food, clean water and company, so they didn't complain. The one exception was the oldest fish in the tank. He was much darker in color than the rest of the fish and he didn’t swim in circles or dash up to get food. He always lurked in the shadows of the bottom of the tank and waited until the leftover food sunk down to him. The only thing that broke the joy of their daily life was when the net came. Every so often, a black circle would be lowered into the tank, and a seemingly invisible force would scoop up a fish, and drag them to the surface. This would terrify the rest of the fish and the tank would explode with activity, but with nowhere to ...

    The Pledge Of Allegiance: a Nation under God? (My original paper on this subject can be found in the here . This updated version includes more information and I believe, makes a better case) The times are uproarious, we are divided as a nation and have turned into fighting factions. Gay vs. straight. Democrat vs. Rebublican. Christian vs. Atheist. Pro-Choice vs. Pro-life vs. Abolitionist. We are far from being one nation, and far from being “under God.”  How did we get here? How long did it take? Of course there have been many steps on the path to our destruction as a Nation and it would probably fill a book. Maybe a series of books.  One small piece of the puzzle may very well be the ubiquitous Pledge Of Allegiance. From early in their formative years, children are taught to say these “timeless” and simple words:  “I pledge allegiance, to the flag of the United States of America;  and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God,  ...