For one pain endured with joy, we shall love the good God more forever. (Saint Therese Lisieux, +1897)
Month: February 2024
Where Conservatives and Liberals Disagree
Any definition of conservatism includes the desire to hold on to and save whatever is good and valuable. Since religion concerns itself above all with not only valuing God, but also others and ourselves as children of God (especially those who are closest to us, our families) religion naturally tends to be conservative. It is[…]
The Incorrupt Life of Saint Catherine de Ricci
Saint Catherine de Ricci (1522 – 1590) – born Alessandra Lucrezia Romola de’ Ricci – was from the same city, Florence, as her contemporary Saint Philip Neri, to whom she appeared by bilocation, one of the very few miracles in his own life to which Philip attested. As he put it, secretum meum mihi –[…]
Prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes
Hail Mary, poor and humble Woman, Blessed by the Most High! Virgin of hope, dawn of a new era, We join in your song of praise, to celebrate the Lord’ s mercy, to proclaim the coming of the Kingdom and the full liberation of humanity. Hail Mary, lowly handmaid of the Lord, Glorious Mother of[…]
The Mission from Saint Paul’s Shipwreck on Malta’s feast
On February 10th in Malta and Gozo we celebrate the feast when St Paul, our father in faith, has been shipwrecked. This dramatic event was surely a visible sign of God’s grace since the Maltese Islands received the gift of faith. Much has happened in Malta during these two millennia since St Paul came to[…]
It is not surprising that she was more effective than he, since as John says, God is love, it was absolutely right that she could do more, as she loved more. (Saint Gregory the Great, speaking of sibling saints, Scholastica and Benedict)
Seeing the sun, the moon and the stars, I said to myself, ‘Who could be the Master of these beautiful things?’ I felt a great desire to see him, to know him and to pay him homage. (Saint Josephine Bakhita, +1947)
I have my room, some books and a nearby chapel. That is complete happiness. – St. Miguel of Ecuador
Why We Need Norman Rockwell
If there’s one thing the seemingly ever-lingering ‘pandemic’ has inflicted, it’s a strain on ordinary human interaction. In November of 2021, when many long-closed museums were opening back up, I had the welcome opportunity to spend a day at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, MA. All museum-goers were of course still wearing masks and[…]
More on the Nagasaki Martyrs
For further details on the trials and travails and the glory of the Martyrs of Japan, including the motivation of the unhinged tyrant, see this reflection by Luke O’Hara, posted this morning.