My latest article for Our Sunday Visitor — Scary movies with Catholic themes to watch this Halloween

Here's just a bit. Then go read the whole thing at Our Sunday Visitor.

Catholics are really good at looking unblinkingly at the dark. You don’t get through Lent and Holy Week without a deeper understanding of the struggle between good and evil. The Old Testament has horrors like the demon in Tobit, a plague of killer snakes in Exodus and a concubine hacked to pieces and sent all over Israel in Judges. Jesus spent plenty of time in spiritual combat as he went toe to toe with the devil and cast out demons.

With the arrival of Halloween, we’re given another way to consider good versus evil, the struggle for redemption and the cost of choosing the wrong side. Horror movies seem an unlikely venue for spiritual reflection, but the good ones make the darkness visible, give us a hero to follow and can help us face the battle.

My OSV article — Exploring 6 great Christian authors (and how to start reading them)

I had the opportunity to write an article for Our Sunday Visitor which was a lot of fun to write. It includes a sidebar of Christian authors who wrote about things other than faith — like mysteries — but who managed to slip an overtly Christian book into the mix nonetheless.

Here's the introduction and then you can go read the whole thing for yourself online.

“Well, if it’s a symbol, to hell with it.” — Flannery O’Connor, speaking about the Eucharist

“Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed.” — G.K. Chesterton

“Wherever the Catholic sun doth shine, there’s always laughter and good red wine.” — Hilaire Belloc

Each of these quotes is famous because it pinpoints a truth that is simultaneously reassuring and startling. Yes, the Eucharist is more than a symbol. Yes, children do know about danger. They also need to know it can be overcome. Yes, the Catholic faith is good, delicious and life-affirming.

These quotes are just the tip of the iceberg. We’re going to dive past the quotes and into the work of six great Christian authors of the 20th century to see why they’re so often talked about and cited in the Catholic world. Most people have a superficial sense of these writers and their works. C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien are well-known for tales of Narnia and hobbits. Flannery O’Connor seems disturbing, G.K. Chesterton seems confusing, and Graham Greene seems depressing. Hilaire Belloc is practically forgotten — except for the quote above.

But what they all share is a love of Christ and a unique way to bring his message to the world. They wrote to help us readjust our vision to the correct angle for a deeper truth. If you’ve read these authors’ well-known works, we’ve got treasures off of beaten paths. If you have been intimidated by their reputations, we’ve got the perfect “gateway” work to help you see the world — and the Faith — through their eyes.

10 novels every Catholic should read (or at least try once)

Source

This article, by yours truly, is the feature article in the April 26 issue of Our Sunday Visitor. Luckily it is available online now! Here's the beginning:

Humans are wired to seek the truth. God created us that way. It helps us in finding God who is Truth itself. While science and math give us measurable facts, the place where we reach real, intangible truth is usually in our stories.

Good fiction helps us recognize who we are, who we want to be and how to live a life of courage, honesty, endurance and compassion. There’s a reason that Jesus told so many parables, after all. If you’ve got the choice between a detailed lecture and an exciting story, which one would you pick?

In today’s world we may come across few parables, but we do have an abundance of novels and short stories. Here are 10 good stories for you to try. Some of the authors are Christian, some are not, but all have truth at the heart of their tales — in a very entertaining package.

Read the rest at Our Sunday Visitor where each book has an overview, food for thought, and a look from a Christian point of view for your consideration.