Dr. Fleming Reads the Funny Papers
Too busy to find out what’s in the news. Find out everything you need to know in this five minute podcast.
Category: Fleming
Escape to Pisa, I: Getting Ready
have been traveling and taking small groups to Europe for 25 years, and, mistake by painful mistake, I have learned a few practical lessons on how and what to pack, how to plan itineraries and pick hotels, how to choose restaurants and have an enjoyable experience, how to allocate your time.
Messages Received
Ken Rosenburger has sent me the unhappy news that Fred Chappell has died at the age of 87.
Journalists and Other Liars, II
The dishonesty of journalists is not only a modern, much less postmodern phenomenon. From the days of Daniel Defoe, spy, propagandist, journalist, British (and later American) journalists have been a breed distinguished by their low character and inveterate dishonesty.
Jeremy Rides Again
My friend Jeremy Chiaroscuro, political consultant, has changed his mind. He has been saying that nothing could keep him from voting for any Republican presidential candidate against Biden or Harris…..
Journalists and Other Liars, Part I
Why do journalists lie? I do not ask this question as a joke with a punchline waiting in the wings or even as an illustration of mankind’s general propensity to lie, cheat, and steal. My question is intended to go to the heart of what journalism is, fundamentally: a “profession” in which men and women, without any particular skills or qualifications, spend their time at work making and repeating statements that they either know are untrue or, if they are so obtuse as not to know they are telling lies, they should be required to keep silent.
The Latin of the Latin Mass: Conclusion
The Holy Mass, as I have been trying to make clear, is one of the greatest and most carefully composed artistic constructions in the history of human civilization. However, the object of this great art is not entertainment or even instruction, but the praise of God and the salvation of the participants.
The Conspiracy to Overthrow the Government of the United States
The attornery-general of Maine has joined the Colorado Supreme Court in ruling that the name of Donald Trump may not be put on the ballot. The justification is article three of the Fourteenth Amendment:
The Latin of the Latin Mass: The Pater Noster
The Pater Noster is the greatest and most familiar prayer of the Church, taught to us by our Lord himself. Incessant repetition of a prayer is a very good and necessary thing, but if we are not careful, we may cease to ponder on it. There are many fine commentaries by St. John Chrysostom, St. Thomas, et alii, which bring out the spiritual riches. I am only a philologist, a student of languages, and will confine myself to elucidating the words. Some of what I have to say—and more—can be found in the podcasts we did on the subject.
Why Four Gospels?
Why does the Church authorize four Gospels? Of course there were many other versions, and some of them, surely, contained useful details. And, on the other hand, if we could not be permitted to read a dozen, why not one comprehensive story, which would avoid confusion and discourage the sneers of skeptics who search the texts for discrepancies?
