Writings

Musings, Essays,
&  other Pondersome Distractions

short reflections on whatever happens to catch our fancy
longform articles intended to spur on your own reflections
spiritual meditations given throughout the liturgical year

The Holy Angels

Today, September 29th, the Church celebrates the feast of the Archangels, St. Michael, St. Gabriel, and St. Raphael, and on October 2nd celebrates the memorial of the Guardian Angels. In light of these liturgical celebrations, it would be good to have a basic understanding of angels and the role they…

The Argument from Existence: Aquinas’s Philosophical Approach to God

Aquinas’s argument for the existence of God starts from his commonsense theory of existence for particular things. For Aquinas, existence is something things present in reality actually have or participate in. Existence, in other words, is that in virtue of which something is included in reality, or actually is, instead…

30th Anniversary of Veritatis Splendor

St. John Paul II wrote, during his relatively lengthy reign as Supreme Pontiff, many noteworthy and helpful documents. His first encyclical, Redemptor Hominis, reminded the faithful of the efficacy and universal scope of Jesus’s salvific work, setting the stage and tone for his entire pontificate; his last, Ecclesia de Eucharistia,…

St. Irenaeus on the Holy Eucharist

St. Irenaeus of Lyons, a second-century Greek bishop that established churches in what is now the south of France, is a go-to Church Father when it comes to establishing the early Christian belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. His teaching is very clear: “the mixed cup…

Are you Vicious?

Are you a vicious person? The answer to this question depends on whether you have vice. But what is vice? Perhaps it’s best to contrast it with virtue. Where virtue is an enduring disposition, or habit, to perform good human acts—acts that are befitting our nature as human beings, vice…

 

The Alcuin Institute is constantly striving to understand the world in deep ways, and we do our best to spur others on to reflect more deeply on life. However, our individual journeys towards the Truth often go unnoticed. We hope that these “musings” on various issues will give you an insight into the deeply personal nature of our mission, while also giving you an occasion to ponder the same mysterious realities we seek to know and make known everyday.

Stay Connected!

Tulsa March for Life (2020)

Right outside the Sistine Chapel in Rome, there is a fresco of a Medieval woman pointing the direction to Pope Gregory XI as he makes his way back to Rome. Under the influence of France, the popes had abandoned the Eternal City and moved to Avignon. Florence was under pressure…