January 10, 2017
Painting landscapes in the classical academies was done indoors, to “improve upon nature” the way formal gardens arrange flowers according to geometry. In the nineteenth century, the painters of the Barbizon and Hudson River schools began to paint outdoors (“en plein air”), trying to show nature as it is. The invention of portable easels and oil paint in tubes like...
December 25, 2016
In the days before computer screens, when parchments and wax tablets were costly, the writing on them could be scraped off and replaced with new script. That which replaced the old was a “palimpsest,” and sometimes bits of the old text could still be seen under the new. The Church’s feasts are something of a palimpsest, for under Pentecost, whose...
December 13, 2016
It has been a wonderful year. I can say that now, I could not have before knowing the results of the Presidential election. There is still much unknown about the Trump administration, but thus far he is showing the good judgment in his appointments and other actions to save American workers jobs that we had hoped for. The continued open...
December 6, 2016
It was a privilege years ago to know the English theologian Alec Vidler, a colorful and even eccentric character whose long beard amused the Queen when he was her chaplain and whose religious views irritated many. He was a good friend of C.S. Lewis and, especially, Malcolm Muggeridge, who agreed to disagree with him. Although his interpretation of some of...
November 27, 2016
Special to the Catholic Business Journal, writen by grandson of Chicago Times founder. Much of the mainstream media has disgraced itself in recent years. It has been focused on manipulation by engaging in tactics to "normalize" those who disagree with their points of view by targeting, freezing, personalizing, and polarizing. And most recently, we observed clear evidence that the press...
View Articles Thomas M. Loarie is a popular host of The Mentors Radio Show, the founder and CEO of BryoLogyx Inc. (BryoLogyx.com), and a seasoned corporate...
November 18, 2016
While reading a daily devotional on election day a single sentence caught my attention because of its simple yet profound accuracy, “As Christians we know asking Jesus for help is the best way to fix our problems”. Literally millions of prayers were answered with the defeat of Hillary Clinton for President of the United States and the rejection of the...
November 17, 2016
Experience can be a valuable teacher, but only if one learns the right lessons. Let’s make sure we learn the right lessons from the latest presidential campaign so America can move forward. Far too many people are drawing the wrong conclusions. One such errant interpretation came from Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank who wrote how hard is was to console...
November 13, 2016
The schedule for putting together a parish bulletin requires that I write this before Election Day. But as in all decisive moments, the words of Winston Churchill after the Battle of Egypt in 1942 have generic application: “Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the...
November 6, 2016
Today a long-forgotten crucifix will be placed once again in the Basilica of Saint Peter in Rome. It will hang in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel near Bernini’s great tabernacle. Bernini himself would have admired the work of the anonymous artist, for its medieval style anticipated the spirit of the more exuberant baroque. The crucifix was carved seven hundred years...
November 2, 2016
Exactly eight years ago I wrote a column titled “The One We Were Waiting For” in which I referred to a book by Monsignor Robert Hugh Benson, The Lord of the World. That dystopian novel has been cited by Pope Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis said he has read it several times. The protagonist, if one can apply that term...
October 13, 2016
Mother Teresa said, “We are not called to be successful we are called to be faithful.” That includes bringing our beliefs into the voting booth with us and voting accordingly. On a recent Sunday one of the Bible readings during Mass was from the infrequently quoted Book of Amos from the Old Testament and it was about “complacency." It struck...
View Articles If you’ve met Tim, you know that his life was shaped by good values that were imparted to him by his parents and he...
October 7, 2016
(This is an absolute must-read article—ed.) At Mass on the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, I was captivated by the Gospel and Father Bud’s question to attendees. Luke 12 states: “Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known when the thief was coming he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must...
View Articles If you’ve met Tim, you know that his life was shaped by good values that were imparted to him by his parents and he...
October 4, 2016
Our faith is based, not on abstract speculation, but on historical events. Christ does not hover around us as a philosophical idea, for he “was made flesh and dwelt among us.” The Church’s feasts are acts of thanksgiving for actions of God that have affected the course of human existence. On October 7, the Church celebrates the victory of Christian...
August 8, 2016
It’s been interesting to read the various analyses about why the opening ceremony of the 2016 Olympics in Brazil experienced such a horrendous decline in viewership from previous Olympics. Neilson reported that viewership was down a whopping 35% from London’s opening ceremony in 2012. Although Deadline Hollywood reported the showing as the lowest a Summer Opening has done in overnight...
July 26, 2016
O. Carter Snead, Law professor and Director of the University of Notre Dame’s Center for Ethics and Culture, spoke on the importance of this year’s Presidential Election. "This year’s election will be the most culturally transformative in years,” Snead noted, pointing to issues such as abortion, physician-assisted suicide, the enforcement of the Hyde and Weldon amendments, and human cloning conscience...
July 26, 2016
In a PANEL DISCUSSION with Archbishop Bernadito Ausa (Vatican Observer at the United Nations), Archbishop Alexander Sample (Portland), Bishop Michael Barber (Oakland), Bishop Robert Vasa (Santa Rosa), this year’s Napa Institute BISHOPS PANEL focused on the topic: “Genuine Mercy in the Year of Mercy.” Mercy is at the heart of Pope Francis’pontificate. The Bishops noted that “Mercy can change us...
July 21, 2016
Pat and I have successfully completed a grandson’s high school graduation trip for Colton, with Hunter standing in for Chase who instead entered High Point University in North Carolina for summer school. Pat and I decided after taking granddaughter Morgan to London that seeing the National Parks in America would be our destination for grandchildren after each high school graduation....
July 19, 2016
Exclusive to the Catholic Business Journal by Thomas Loarie, reporting from the Napa Institute. Carly Fiorina, in conversation with Marjorie Dannenfelser of the Susan B Anthony List, stated that she hoped Donald Trump follows through on his vow to “blow things up in Washington D.C.," adding "as nothing ever changes there.” Fiorina went on to talk about her involvement in...
July 19, 2016
Special to the Catholic Business Journal by Thomas Loarie, reporting on the Napa Institute – Princeton Professor of Jurisprudence and Director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions, Dr. Robert George, told a standing room-only crowd at this month’s Napa Institute that a Neo-Gnostic ideology is permeating Christian and Judaism teaching, and our institutions under the guise...
July 12, 2016
More wonderful insider tidbits from the Napa Institute conference which ended Sunday afternoon, thanks to Catholic Business Journal's on-site reporter, columnist and senior editorial advisor, Thomas M. Loarie. These wonderful tidbits involve Mel Gibson, Bishop Barron and more.... Mel Gibson’s “Hacksaw Ridge” Previewed at the Napa Institute Mel Gibson introduced his newest movie, Hacksaw Ridge, Saturday night at the Napa...