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Quick Hits: Star Wars, Mary in the Wisdom literature, and more

By Thomas V. Mirus ( bio - articles - email ) | Jan 26, 2018 | In Quick Hits

Bishop Barron annoyed many with his claim that Star Wars: The Last Jedi pushes feminism hard: “Every male character in The Last Jedi is either bumbling, incompetent, arrogant, or morally compromised; and every female character is wise, good, prudent, and courageous.” I basically agree with his take, and that this agenda renders much of the plot incoherent. And you know what? I’ll go ahead and say it: Vice Admiral Holdo is worse than Jar-Jar. But the more I think about it the more I realize (to my disappointment as a former fan of writer-director Rian Johnson) that this is far from the only thing wrong with the new Star Wars.


David Warren writes movingly about Church Father Origen’s “Discussion with Heraclides”, rare among ancient dialogues in that it is an actual, play-by-play transcription of what these people actually said to each other.


Hoping to better understand how Mary is prefigured in Wisdom literature, I recently came across an old commentary by Dr. Taylor Marshall on Ecclesiasticus 24:6-10. I was not only educated but moved: Dr. Marshall imbues his theological writing with a piety and filial affection that ought to shame his arid academic contemporaries.


Finally, Ryan Holiday tells us why we should all stop following the news this year.

Thomas V. Mirus is Director of Podcasts for CatholicCulture.org, hosts The Catholic Culture Podcast, and co-hosts Criteria: The Catholic Film Podcast. See full bio.

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