What Is the Holy Triduum?

April 2, 2021 By John Tuttle

Holy Week is referred to as such on account of the three days that cap off the week and their significance in Christian understanding. These three days, which directly follow what is commonly called Spy Wednesday, represent the Paschal Triduum. During this concise season within the Catholic Church’s liturgical calendar, the faithful observe “the most exalted liturgical celebration of the year.” The three days consist of Holy Thursday – on which Christ’s Last Supper is commemorated; Good Friday – on... Read more

Learning from Biblical Saints: What Fellowship with Christ Looks Like

March 29, 2021 By John Tuttle

We’ve reached the last week of Lent, and with it the Church calendar and the Gospels read in the liturgy have emphasized the stories of saints in the New Testament: men and women who may be referred to as friends of Christ. These figures offer exemplary virtues which denote their proximity to Christ. For us, as Christians living nearly two millennia distant from the time in which Jesus walked the Earth, these saints display the expectations that come with sainthood,... Read more

Dragons and the Weather

March 14, 2021 By John Tuttle

J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis were good friends within their academic community at Oxford. Among their conversations, dragons were said to be mentioned as often as the average person might discuss the weather. I think many people have developed a preference for talking about the “dragons” that we can experience nowadays. The weather is just too stormy. Fantasy has become a means of lifting the burden of the social anxiety of the past year – by compartmentalizing it into a... Read more

WandaVision Episode 8: ‘Previously On’ Review

February 27, 2021 By John Tuttle

The latest episode of WandaVision, “Previously On,” begins to pull back the curtain on a number of important dimensions of Wanda’s backstory and mental health. The following article may include spoilers. A full-fledged confrontation between Wanda and Agatha comes to a head along with a procession through history where the two witches revisit moments from Wanda’s past. If we failed to have remorse for Wanda as she struggles with her grief before now, “Previously On” presents a slew of examples... Read more

America, It’s Time to Give It a Rest

February 15, 2021 By John Tuttle

This past week, The Washington Post reported the use of new security footage from the Jan. 6 Capitol riots in Trump’s Senate impeachment trial. The heretofore unseen imagery included scenes of former Vice President Mike Pence and his family being rushed out of harm’s way amidst an angry mob that was reportedly out for blood. The same day, the violent Trump proponents broke down a door to gain access to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s office, where her cornered... Read more

6 Movies with Christopher Plummer You Should Revisit

February 11, 2021 By John Tuttle

Many lovers of classic cinema mourned the loss of the late Christopher Plummer, who passed away in his home on Feb. 5. It was the end of a cold week, and the world witnessed the burning wick of a passionate soul softly doused. Immortalized for The Sound of Music (1965), Plummer has an impressive litany of productions to which his name is attached including Rian Johnson’s popular movie mystery Knives Out (2019). Here’s a list of movies that, if you’re only... Read more

How WandaVision Shows Us the Danger of Self-Deception

February 9, 2021 By John Tuttle

The Disney Plus series WandaVision has been a rollercoaster ride of a show. From the humble and rather slow-moving neighborhood stories at the beginning, it has escalated into an engrossing adventure. At the heart of it all is the unnatural albeit understandable power play exhibited on the part of Wanda Maximoff. Wanda experiences immense emotional pain because of the wanton devastation which Thanos wreaked during Infinity War. Specifically, it was at the hands of Thanos that her lover Vision was... Read more

Cultural Tidbits: An Introduction

February 9, 2021 By John Tuttle

It would be appropriate to initiate this Patheos blog with an introduction – both for the publication and for myself. I’m happy to announce my Patheos column, christened “Cultural Tidbits.” The blog will focus on numerous topics, current and historical. Various topics will be examined either for their implications to Christian beliefs or, alternately, for the opportunity to be seen through the lens of a Catholic perspective. Culture is a broad and fascinating discussion topic, and it can carry with... Read more