Dr. Alice von Hildebrand

Treason, or Infiltration from the Very Beginning? Lucifer’s Unceasing Attacks on the Church

The devil is portrayed in this stained-glass church window (CNS photo from Crosiers) “He knows that he is running out of time” From its very beginning, the holy Bride of Christ has been the butt of devilish attacks. In fact, Lucifer is paying her a compliment: he knows that to direct his poisonous arrows [...]

The Mystery of Man

Benozzo Gozzoli, "The Triumph of St. Thomas Aquinas over Averroes, the Most Influential Muslim Philosopher of the Middle Ages, with Aristotle and Plato," The Louvre in Paris, from 1471 Human beings are a composite of mortal body and immortal soul. At the moment of death, that composite is torn asunder… and yet we remain [...]

The Mystery of Man

"The Casting Out of Eden of Adam and Eve," by Giusto De' Menabuoi, in the Baptistry of Padua, Italy Our immortal souls are joined to mortal bodies. How can this be? A thought-provoking philosophical reflection on human nature by the great Belgian philosopher Dr. Alice von Hildebrand At age eleven, I was privileged to [...]

The Tears of This World (“Lacrimae rerum”— Virgil, Aenaeid)

Cain about to kill his brother Abel. He is an example of man's incapacity to create, which leads to destruction Recognizing how we hurt other people can be the first step in becoming more charitable to our neighbor One of the sad facts of human existence, as mentioned by St. Augustine, is that, wittingly [...]

Suffering, A Crushing Burden…

"The Compassion," by William-Adolphe Bouguereau, 1897 ...except when it is an expression of love. Then it can sanctify, not destroy us If there is one thing we all dread, it is suffering. A newborn baby will already respond with screams to any discomfort. Many human beings spend much of their lives trying not only [...]

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