Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.* Heaven itself cannot contain the One whom you bore in your womb. (Responsory for the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God)
Year: 2024
No Ambition Except to Do Good: Mary, Mother of God and A New Year
January 1st begins the new calendar year and it also brings to an end the celebration of the Christmas Octave with the celebration of the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God, a feast that celebrates the divine maternity of Blessed Virgin Mary. The coherence of these liturgical celebrations directs us to the ideal of[…]
The Mighty Genius of Michelangelo, 1475-1564
The Italian sculptor and painter Michelangelo lived to be nearly ninety years old, fulfilling his own dictum: I am a poor man and of little worth, who is laboring in that art that God has given me in order to extend my life as long as possible. That in his own opinion he was of[…]
The Heroic Witness of the Holy Innocents
December 28th is the Feast of the Holy Innocent Martyrs, who, without knowing, died at the hands of Herod who wanted to kill the Christ child at all costs. St Augustine was really touched by this powerful story, and here we offer some of his profound reflections concerning this feast from a homily he preached[…]
Of Mascots, Saints and Pilgrims
Why do we need a Jubilee mascot? When I think of a mascot, what comes to mind is someone dressed up in an animal suit – no, not a ‘furry’; a mascot is more ridiculous and than troubling and needing therapy, meant to inspire humour and enthusiasm, especially at sporting events. Mascots are fine in[…]
Leonardo da Vinci ~ Unfinished Artist (1452-1519)
Arguably the most popular painting in the Western World is The Last Supper, and virtually every educated person knows that it was painted by Leonardo da Vinci. The precise electrifying moment of the meal is rendered as Jesus tells the Apostles that one of them will betray him, and they all glare at him and[…]
How great a gift of grace is here! To what merits of their own do the children owe this kind of victory? They cannot speak, yet they bear witness to Christ. They cannot use their limbs to engage in battle, yet already they bear off the palm of victory. (St. Quodvultdeus, +450)
St John the Evangelist and His Life-Giving Message
Two days after the Solemnity of Christmas, Mother Church celebrates the beautiful memorial of St John the Evangelist. Pope Benedict XVI, seeing the paramount importance the Fourth Evangelist has, he wisely dedicated to him some three catechesis. It is interesting to note that these three catechesis delineate some particular aspect which is deeply connected with this[…]
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life -the life was made manifest, and we saw it, and testify to it, and proclaim to you the eternal life which was with[…]
If we celebrate with such solemnity the birth of Jesus, it is to bear witness that every human being is somebody unique and unrepeatable…somebody thought of and chosen from eternity, some[one] called and identified by his own name. It is as it was with the first man, Adam. It is as it was with the[…]