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.
St. Maximilian Kolbe: Witness to the Gospel of Love
What Do You Do? Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15.13) Picture yourself in the death camp at Auschwitz. You’re standing in formation with all your fellow prisoners. The Nazis who run the camp offer a harsh disincentive to escape: for every inmate who breaks … Continue reading St. Maximilian Kolbe: Witness to the Gospel of Love
St. Bridget of Sweden: a Successful Failure?
St. Bridget's success, and our “success” as Christians, consists in fidelity to Christ and in nothing else.
Fruit of the Same Tree: St. Valentine and Ash Wednesday
Fruit of the Same Tree St. Valentine's Day and Ash Wednesday, believe it or not, are fruit of the same tree. Granted, that's not apparent to everybody. The last time the two feasts shared the same space on the calendar a priest well known on theh internet posted the following: “This year nothing says happy … Continue reading Fruit of the Same Tree: St. Valentine and Ash Wednesday
St. Catherine of Alexandria, Patroness of Modern Women
St. Catherine of Alexandria has a lot to say to such a world as ours. She puts her trust completely in Jesus Christ, and so she trusts in the gifts he has given her, including her femininity. Therefore, she can be as strong as any man, without surrendering her womanhood.
The Power of Love: St. Julia of Corsica
The governor approached Julia directly, offering to free her if only she would sacrifice to the pagan gods. She answered that she was “as free as she desired to be as long as she was allowed to serve Jesus Christ.”
The Church’s First Decision: St. Matthias
The Church's First Decision The Church's first decision (of consequence, anyway) concerned the first successor to the Apostles. That would be the choice of today's saint, St. Matthias, whom the Apostles designated to take the vacant place of Judas among the twelve. How the Apostles came to their decision gives us an enlightening look at … Continue reading The Church’s First Decision: St. Matthias
Feed My Sheep: Love, Forgiveness, and Grace
God is always the initiator, inviting us to share His Grace. And He’s always willing to move a little closer, if it will bring us closer to Him . . . even to the point of becoming one of us.
What Do you say to a God who permits bone cancer in children? Ask Chiara Badano
This is the transformative power of faithful suffering. If we let him, Christ can transform our suffering into a powerful force for the good of our fellow men and women.
St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Spiritual Warrior
St. Ignatius urges us to “Find God in All Things”, which is one of the major themes of his Spiritual Exercises and Ignatian Spirituality in general. St. Thérèse, it seems to me, takes that a step further and asks us to then serve God in all things.