The Full Armor of God

By Charlie Johnston Two months ago I had a mystical experience. It concerns present times. It came upon me suddenly, with no forewarning. But it was mystical, so take it with whatever grain of salt you will. For most such things, I just tell my Priests so there is a contemporaneous record. Usually, I am […]

Read More The Full Armor of God

The Curtain Rises

By Charlie Johnston Well, for the last couple of weeks I have had sporadic bouts with that cyclospora outbreak around the country. I haven’t been eating lettuce, but I do eat a lot of fresh fruit. I think maybe God has been jesting with me a bit, saying, “Hey Charlie, when did I ever tell […]

Read More The Curtain Rises

One Bread, One Body

By Charlie Johnston One of the devil’s most brilliant successes has been to embed the pharisaical instinct deeply into the human psyche. Few want the mundane honor of being God’s good servant, preferring the romantic drama of being God’s enforcer. The latter is the wide gate that leads to destruction while, as Christ said, the […]

Read More One Bread, One Body

Do Whatever He Tells You

By Charlie Johnston I think I gave the wrong impression when I wrote passionately about Pope Leo’s formulaic statement opposing American action on Iran, where he said that negotiation is the only answer and that violence never solved anything. Both were trite, nice-sounding platitudes that are easily and quickly disproven. But it did not signal […]

Read More Do Whatever He Tells You

The Beginning of Redemption

By Charlie Johnston (It is Christmas…the Advent Season is over, yet I think it begins the second “week” of the New Advent. I wrote this story 29 years ago. It had an unexpected effect that has been very useful to me over the years. People of deep and ardent faith seem to always love the […]

Read More The Beginning of Redemption

Almost There

By Charlie Johnston (I think a lot, these days, of looking back to the manger with the hopeful anticipation that Israel looked forward to the manger. We are almost there for this great celebration this year. What a joy it is! I can’t help but think of it as prelude to 2026, the Year of […]

Read More Almost There

Cast Out Into the Deep

By Charlie Johnston It is a peculiarity of modern life that a lot of people have a very superficial knowledge about many things, but no depth of knowledge on anything. Then we have cohorts who have extreme depth of knowledge on certain niche subjects (usually technology) but little general knowledge beyond that. Weirdly, this combination […]

Read More Cast Out Into the Deep

Prepare For a Great Blessing

By Charlie Johnston Long ago I saw that, at a decisive moment, our technology would fail. I’m no Luddite. I do not regard technology as either intrinsically evil or intrinsically good. It is just a tool which, like any other tool, can be wielded by its user for either good or evil. But we withhold […]

Read More Prepare For a Great Blessing

The Vine and the Branches

By Charlie Johnston I have written obliquely before of how disturbed I am at the rise of antisemitism in some quarters of the right and the traditionalist Catholic community. I’m going to be more blunt now. If you are afflicted with this, you have welcomed a demon into your counsels. Keep nurturing it and the […]

Read More The Vine and the Branches