Inspired by Truth, Enlightening Minds for the Church in Canada and Throughout the World
Inspired by Truth, Enlightening Minds for the Church in Canada and Throughout the World
Sin is complex, with multiple layers and levels. What is offered here will hopefully help discern our own moral state, as well as, to a lesser extent, what sin may signify in others. To begin, sin is a moral act, something done, or not done, in thought, word or deed. This we may call the[…]
As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live. (Pope Saint John Paul II)
(At the suggestion of a faithful reader, this reflection has been slightly expanded for the sake of clarity, not least the role of the middle 40). I’m sort of surprised that First Things published this piece, on the mass psychosis that has gripped the world. John Watson’s analysis, that there is a 30-40-30 split, like[…]
In 1540, on this 27th day of July, Henry VIII married his fifth wife, Catherine Howard. He was 49, and aged well beyond his years, even for that era, grossly overweight, with boils, and likely syphilis. She may have been 18, a frivolous young woman, who did not long survive the marriage, being soon accused[…]
On July 27th the Church celebrates the feast of Blessed Maria Maddalena Martinengo. The Northern Italian Capuchin nun teaches us how to love Christ in humility and total simplicity. Mary was born from a noble family who lived in Brescia on October 4, 1687, at the Martinengo palace in Brescia. Sadly, the ordeal cost the[…]
I was recently interviewed on the fine new Crown and Crozier podcast, hosted by Patrick Owen Brown (who has a piece published recently in these pages). You may find the piece on their webpage: https://www.crownandcrozier.com/ I don’t quite remember what I said, but I may have been just a tad too rosy-hued, especially given developments[…]
“If the angels were capable of envy, they would envy us for two things; one is the receiving of Holy Communion, and the other is suffering.” (Diary 1804) Today, millions of Catholics, religious and lay people, continue to pray for the situation in Ukraine and Russia which does not seem to be improving. These beautiful[…]
July 24th is the traditional commemoration of one of the most remarkable of saint, aptly called Christina Mirabilis, Christina the Astonishing (1150 – 1224), dying the year before the birth of Thomas Aquinas, at the dawn of the apex of the mediaeval era. She was orphaned as a teenager, and spent her life tending sheep.[…]
Niccolò Paganini (1782 – 1840) was one of the most virtuoso of violinists (and also classical guitarists, apparently), whose compositions count amongst the most technically difficult, and awe inspiring. As he put it, ‘I bought the whole violin, I will use the whole violin‘. The rumour is that he sold his soul to play so[…]
Today, Thursday 21 July 2022, the entire Catholic communion together with the Capuchin Order, joyfully commemorates St Lawrence of Brindisi. We can easily apply to this holy erudite Capuchin the words addressed by the Lord to prophet Jeremiah: Behold, I have put my words in your mouth (Jer 1:9). St Lawrence’s life was a living[…]
