A society is in decay, final or transitional, when common sense really becomes uncommon – G.K. Chesterton
Month: March 2022
Lent with the Fathers of the Church and Some Spiritual Writers
Lent is a privileged time in the liturgical year, preparing us for the celebration of Easter. However, our whole life should be a journey of transformation until the time that we enter into the Heavenly Kingdom for our Eternal Easter. Both the Fathers of the Church and eminent spiritual writers certainly give us a rich[…]
What One Consecrated Soul Can Do
The unknown life of Magdalene of Austria (+1590), in this recounting by Eduoard Hapsburg, one of her distant relatives, shows what one soul can do, when given completely to God, to change the course of history. Our world could use a few more good women like her, and her near-contemporary, Frances of Rome.
Let us not be afraid that God will ask too much of us, but let us be guided by His Word in every daily action, even when we feel poor, inadequate sinners – Pope Benedict XVI
Saint Kieran and His Contrary
March 5th is the traditional feast of Saint Kieran, an early Irish monk and bishop, one of the ‘Twelve Apostles’ of Ireland, disciples of Saint Finian, who, with the great Saint Patrick, established the Faith in the Emerald Isle of Erin. Sadly, that Faith is retreating like a low tide, and I will not belabor[…]
Clarificatio
It seems there has been something of a tempest in reaction to my two posts about Russia and Ukraine, which were admittedly hastily written, unclear and, as one person described it, ‘sloppy’. Mea culpa, and, again, my apologies, especially after all my own exhortations to clarity and precision. And, in particular, I apologize for posting[…]
A Meditation for Lent
Jewish rabbis have a useful word to describe the attitude of a believer to Sacred Scripture. The word is mashal, and it is used of a short, witty statement, often a proverb, such as: A fool despises his father’s instruction, but he who heeds admonition is prudent.[1] The characteristic of a mashal is that it[…]