Communio Circle of the Diocese of Hamilton

The Ideas program featuring Jonathan Haidt (on which I commented in a previous post, and to which Haidt has responded) has attracted some attention at work. An administrator has distanced himself from Haidt with an article with the headline, “When your next college free speech controversy erupts, don’t blame liberals.” The piece, which appears in the Washington Post, positions liberalism between conservatism and the “radical left.” Like Haidt’s, this position (or rhetorical strategy) also needs to be understood. It too is problematic: it would deflect attention away from liberalism’s own shortcomings. Continue reading →

This reflection is meant as a companion piece to one I wrote earlier on the Canticle of Zechariah. Reflection on the Canticle of Mary actually ought to precede that on the Canticle of Zechariah. The day, after all, begins with the vigil of the night before. Fair enough, but I’m glad I began as I did. I didn’t really worry that I was treading on well-known terrain. But who can say the words “Magnificat anima mea Dominum,” or even simply “Magnificat…,” without a sense of trespassing where countless others, not only with words, but also with images and music, have trod? It’s too late for such trepidations now! As with the Canticle of Zechariah, the meditation is conditioned by the process of memorizing the song in the Latin. Continue reading →