Author: Jeff Cassman

In the Shadow of the Mushroom Cloud; Catholic Moral Reflections on World War II

Posted on by Jeff Cassman

I was on Eric Gajewski’s show today to continue our conversation about Just War, particularly as it applies to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  Part one is here.  What follows is an abbreviated transcript put together by ChatGPT.  If you would like to listen to the full interview, go to TradCatKnight.org

Eric: Jeff, thank you for joining us again. We had a fruitful discussion last month, and it would be great to pick up from there. Let’s quickly recap our previous conversation before delving into today’s topics.

Jeff: Last month, we extensively reviewed the Church’s teaching on the just war doctrine. This isn’t merely an opinion but a foundational doctrine that we, as believers, are committed to uphold. While St. Thomas Aquinas is often cited as an authority on this, the doctrine transcends his views and is integral to the Church’s teachings.

The doctrine outlines key elements, including ‘jus ad bellum,’ which refers to the legitimate reasons to engage in war. It encompasses necessary conditions like just cause, right intention, and the probability of success. Another crucial aspect is ‘jus in bello,’ governing the ethical conduct within the warfare, ensuring actions are proportionate and discriminate.

We discussed the importance of distinguishing between civilians and combatants, ensuring proportionality in conduct, and abstaining from evil means. The fair treatment of prisoners is also paramount. These principles provided a foundation for our examination of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki through a Catholic lens.

We initially intended to address this … Read the rest

Stop Whining, Start Winning: The No-BS Guide to Turning Your Epic Fails into Gold

Posted on by Jeff Cassman

From David McLean:

How do you learn from setbacks? How do we make facing setbacks less threatening to the ego? Research offers a few suggestions:

1️⃣ Observe other people’s failures
In their paper, Eskreis-Winkler and Fishbach propose removing the ego from failure as much as possible by looking at other people’s failures first, before you take on a task yourself.

2️⃣ Get some distance
If negative emotions are getting in the way of your understanding, they also suggest trying self-distancing techniques.

3️⃣ Share your own failure story
People tend to hide their own failures, out of a sense of shame, but there are ways to turn failure into success by transforming it into a story of growth.

4️⃣Recognize your successes
There are other ways to shore up your own ego. Studies consistently find that experts are better able to tolerate failure in their fields, in part because they have a past history of accomplishment and future predicated on commitment.

5️⃣ Feel the disappointment
If all else fails, try just feeling sad over your mistakes and defeats. There is a great deal of research suggesting that sadness evolved as a response to failure and loss, and that it exists in order to encourage us to reflect on our experiences.

6️⃣ Focus on the long-term goal
Often, we need to ask ourselves: Will my failures lead to rewards down the line?

7️⃣ Practice mindfulness
There is yet another reason failure often contains superior information: failure violates expectations,” Eskreis-Winkler and Fishbach write. Because … Read the rest

Ethics in Arms – A Catholic Perspective

Posted on by Jeff Cassman

This is a transcript of a conversation I had with Eric Gajewski about the morality of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  ChatGPT summarized and edited the original transcript for clarity.  You can listen to the full conversation at TradCatKnight.org

Eric: I wanted to discuss a sensitive topic today, particularly relevant last month due to the anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. There’s a lot of conflict and tension surrounding this, even within traditional circles.

Jeff: Absolutely, it’s a crucial topic to revisit. With recent events like the testing of an ICBM nuclear missile on the West Coast and ongoing global tensions, it’s timely. So, let’s dive into the basics of Catholic teaching on this matter.

This topic extends beyond the concept of war, touching on the principles that underpin the doctrine. It explores the interaction between civilians and governments and the consequences of a society embracing total war or principles contrary to the just war doctrine. Such a shift can lead to issues like abortion and euthanasia.

To understand this, we need to define our terms. We’re discussing the just war doctrine, articulated by Thomas Aquinas. It outlines the conditions under which war is justifiable, including the presence of a real and certain danger, right intention, probability of success, exhaustion of peaceful alternatives, and proportionality of the anticipated benefits of war.

Yes, I’m here. To address your earlier point, the situation in the 80s under Bush, with the alleged weapons of mass destruction, is a prime example … Read the rest

When fortune ceased to smile

Posted on by Jeff Cassman

In a chamber, dark and drear, sat a man with woeful leer,
Pondering his life’s demise, sorrow mirrored in his eyes.
Once a merchant full of cheer, known and praised from far and near,
Now a bankrupt shell of woe, fettered by misfortune’s blow.

For his wife, fair Elise, in days rich with lavish ease,
Swooned and sighed, her love professed, in his arms she found her rest.
Yet when fortune ceased to smile, when their wealth reduced to bile,
Elise, with her beauty rare, vanished in the misty air.

Gone the love that once did bind, gone the warmth, he’s left behind,
In this crypt of lost ambition, solitude his sole condition.
Candles flicker in the gloom, prophesying pending doom,
Elise’s portrait on the wall seems to mock his tragic fall.

From his heart, a vengeful groan, love transmuted into stone,
“What foul curse does love contain, turning bliss to endless pain?
O Elise, my darling dear, is it gold you so revere?
Is my love of so low worth, banished for mere trinkets’ dearth?”

Yet no answer could he find, silence heavy on his mind,
Abyss called him from below, whispering release from woe.
Though his spirit near was broke, from his lips there softly spoke,
A prayer for his Elise, “Find your peace, and be at ease.”

He gazed long upon her face, framed in gold but void of grace,
Then he quenched the candles’ glow, joining darkness he did know.
In this tale of love’s demise, … Read the rest

The Siren’s Song

Posted on by Jeff Cassman

From @BldgCatholicMen on Twitter:

A few tips for men struggling with Pornography.

I am no expert and these are not necessarily exhaustive or systematic.

That said, this is a road i’ve traveled and a battle i’ve fought, and here are some ideas for moving forward:

1. Pause & Receive the Peace of Christ — If you are struggling with Pornography, pause right now, just for a moment and ask Christ for peace and strength.

Listen: The devil, first and foremost, wants you to despair. That is the ultimate end-game of all temptation.

If he can’t get you to despair because of your sin, he’ll try to get you to double-down on passionate, anxious, and ultimately prideful effort at self-mastery — to lean more heavily than ever on your own wit and strength, rather than on God.

In either case — despair or reactive pride — you are becoming more a man controlled by your passions.

Step one is to set aside your passions for a moment. In humility, acknowledge some simple truths:

God is the Lord.
He created and loves me.
I am weak and broken-hearted.
He is merciful and will be my strength in this fight.

2. Focus & Take Courage — In the case of pornography or other such addictions, it is easy for all of your attention to be on the negative — i.e. not doing x.

But this leaves the focus on x.

It’s like trying to tell someone to not think of a bird. … Read the rest