Spinning Wheels: Ending the Cycle of Political Dehumanization
Caught in the spinning wheels of political change, I believe it is time for us all to take some inventory on our spiritual state. As a Catholic, I am often dismayed by some…
Category: Miscellaneous Nonfiction
Miraculous Waters: A Troubadour's Link to Lourdes
The Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes is close to the heart of The Traveling Troubadour. His grandmother was originally from the area around Bize and Pau in the Southern Pyrenees region of France,…
Sven Stolpe: The Swedish Waugh
There aren’t very many well-known Swedish Catholics. The most famous is probably St Birgitta (as a Swedish St Birgitta scholar insists we should call her, to distinguish her from St Bridget of Kildare).…
A One of a Kind Lady: A Tribute to My Grandmother Lucy
My Grandma Lucy (Dec. 13, 1923 [Feast of St. Lucy] - Jan. 21, 2013 [Feast of St. Agnes])was a one of a kind lady. There will never be another human being quite like…
Angels Among Us: A Survey of the Heavenly Host
Have you ever had a premonition of something that came true, or mostly true? Have you ever avoided catastrophe just by what you thought was sheer luck? What about that little voice in…
Recovering a Truly Pro-Life Ethic
The phrase “pro-life” has often been solely identified with the abortion debate. But in reality, it should be much more than that. It should be wide-spread, all-encompassing ethic that sees the innate dignity of and…
Like Unto Kings: The Three Magi and the Sacrétemporal Worldview
When Jesus therefore was born in Bethlehem of Judah, in the days of king Herod, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He that is born King of the…
Memoir of a Soldier Boy: Christmas Reflections in the Aftermath of the First World War
In December of 1919, troops were still coming home from the First World War. Some wouldn’t be back for several years. One day, Mom took us to downtown Los Angeles for our annual pilgrimage to…
Tolkien Speaks: The Secret to a Happy Marriage
J.R.R. Tolkien was a romantic. When he met his future wife, Edith, at the age of 16, he was instantly smitten with her and immediately began an informal courtship, taking her to local tea…
From the Fear of Humility: An Open Letter to Donald Trump
Dear Mr. Trump, So it seems that you are now the president of my country. We are split down the middle, it seems, and fear is crawling at the surface, and hatred creeping into our…