Blog Template Theology of the Body: American Catholic Bill Buckley Dies at 82

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

American Catholic Bill Buckley Dies at 82



William F. Buckley died today in the arms and graces of the Church.

I love this American family. Bill's writings, and my acquaintance with his brother Reid were a great encouragement to me while I was considering entering the Catholic Church. When I was stranded in Nairobi for a few days in a recent summer, I kept company with Bill Buckley's spiritual autobiography, Nearer My God, which is beautiful. The book, like its author, is an unapologetic apology for a full, traditional, loving life in Christ's Church, and it struck me about the time when I was grappling with such silly questions, like whether entering the Church would mean becoming culturally stranded from everyone who drank gin and engaged in witty repartee about the glory days spent at Yale and on safari while wearing seersucker on lawns, etc. (The Buckley brothers did away with this inane hesitation in about ten seconds)

I'm grateful for Bill Buckley's life... for his good taste and his brilliance, and for his love for our Lord.

requiescat in pace