The Lorica of St. Patrick "The Lorica of St. Patrick" is a well-known prayer. Most people would recognize it as follows: Christ with me,Christ before me,Christ behind me,Christ in me,Christ beneath me,Christ above me,Christ on my right,Christ on my left,Christ when I lie down,Christ when I sit down,Christ when I arise,Christ in the heart of … Continue reading The Lorica of St. Patrick: Christ Shield Me
To Die For Love: St. Valentine and “He Shall Feed His Flock”
To Die for Love Are you prepared to “die for love”? It’s a romantic cliché, of course, but today is the traditional feast of a martyr who did die for love, literally. I discuss the story of 3rd Century Saint and Martyr St. Valentine in greater detail in “St. Valentine, Patron of Agape.” One thing is clear from … Continue reading To Die For Love: St. Valentine and “He Shall Feed His Flock”
The Bigger They Come: The Coversion of St. Paul
“The bigger they come, the harder they fall.” How many times have we seen that the more formidable the opponent, the more dramatic the impact when he comes crashing down?
Let the Children: St. Genevieve and the 10th Day of Christmas
What did not change was the absolute trust she had in Jesus Christ. This held firm from her first vow as a seven year old until her death more than eight decades later.
The Beloved Disciple: St. John the Evangelist (3rd Day of Christmas)
John is the model of the disciple who leans into the heart of Jesus. Like Mary the sister of Martha (see Luke 10:38), he has "chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from" him.
St. Stephen and Good King Wenceslas: 2nd Day of Christmas
Just as our Christmas joy is tempered by the realization that the child lying in the manger must someday hang on the Cross, St. Stephen reminds us, a mere day after the Feast of the Nativity itself, that following the Child of Bethlehem can mean our own Calvary.
Merry Christmas (and Feast of St. Anastasia)!
St. Anastasia shares in the Incarnation by sharing her feast day with the commemoration of Christ's Nativity on the Solemnity of Christmas.
The Christmas Conversion of St. Thérèse
The Lord didn’t need to knock Thérèse down, beat her up, or have her shot in order to get her full attention. All he needed was to allow her to overhear a couple of stray comments from the father she loved so dearly.
God Bless Little Saints: St. Servulus
St. Servulus puts flesh on the words of St. Paul: “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions (Colossians 1:24).”
Only in the Lord: St. Nicasius and Advent
St. Nicasius understood that human righteousness would overawe neither Huns nor Vandals. Instead, he put his trust in the Lord.