Christ has broken our chains, but here's the catch: we need to be willing to shake them off, get up, and follow him. "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." (Matthew 16:24) . . .
The Crisis of Fatherhood and the Litany of St. Joseph
The Church has always taught us that human fatherhood is merely a reflection: as Jesus himself puts it, "call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven." (Matthew 23:9) Human fathers are merely stewards, and our authority is not our own, nor do we exercise if for our own sake.
St. Patrick, Julius Caesar, and Slavery to Sin
St. Patrick is, of course, the Patron Saint of Ireland, but he wasn’t originally Irish. He was Romano-British, probably born in what is now southern Scotland, or possibly Wales. His first introduction to the Emerald Isle was as a slave, after he had been kidnapped as a youth by Irish raiders . . .
Anti-Hypocrite and Martyr: St. Philemon the Actor
In the ancient world actors such as Philemon used to wear masks . . . but the Lord can see through any act: there are no masks before the throne of God.
St. Agnes of Bohemia: Bride of The King
One of the things that the lives of the saints show us is how important each one of us is to God, however insignificant we may seem in the eyes of the world: there are no insignificant saints. In fact, the lives of the saints often show us in various ways that "the wisdom of this world is folly with God." (1 Corinthians 3:19) One of today's saints, St. Agnes of Bohemia (also known as St. Agnes of Prague) provides a good example of just how foolish the "wisdom" of the world can be.
Not a Distant Memory: St. Josephine Bakhita
In spite of the cruelty and suffering she had encountered, she was a bright light to her fellow sisters, "known for her gentle voice and smile." She was completely free of resentment and bitterness.
Sin is Sin: St. Thomas Aquinas and Conscience
Sin is Sin Sin is sin, and truth is truth. “What is truth?” - I seem to remember someone raising the question somewhere. For the ideologue, “truth” is whatever promotes the ideology, and if it happens to correspond with reality that’s fine. If it doesn’t, no problem, we’ll make something up. Followers of Him who is “The … Continue reading Sin is Sin: St. Thomas Aquinas and Conscience
Bread of Angels: St. Thomas Aquinas’ “Panis Angelicus”
Bread of Angels May the Bread of AngelsBecome bread for mankind . . . St. Thomas Aquinas was a Dominican, one of the greatest of all philosophers, and arguably the greatest of Catholic theologians. His feast day comes this week, on January 28th. We tend to think of him as a pretty cerebral fellow. And so … Continue reading Bread of Angels: St. Thomas Aquinas’ “Panis Angelicus”
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?
God’s Ways are not Our Ways: 9th Day of Christmas
Ours is a God indeed whose thoughts are not our thoughts, whose ways are not our ways: he constantly confounds our expectations. This is not the Grand Entrance any of us would have devised for God Made Manifest.