First let a little love find entrance into their hearts, and the rest will follow. (Saint Philip Neri, +1595)
Year: 2025
Saint Philip Neri’s Joyful Heart
We celebrate today one of the most joyful and idiosyncratic – the two are not unrelated – of saints, Philip Neri, (+1595), the founder of the Congregation of the Oratory named after him. Born and raised in the great city of Florence, which has produced a whole host of luminaries from Dante to da Vinci[…]
Friedrich Ernst Fesca’s Hidden Treasure
For today’s Sunday musical offering, here is the string quartet in C-minor by Friedrich Ernst Fesca (1789 – 1826), who deserves to be much, much better known. I only discovered him recently driving back from Mass with my Dad as I was visiting. As one commentator put it, It is a matter for investigation how[…]
Sixth Sunday of Easter: Friends of Christ, and Friends of Each Other
‘You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father’ (Jn. 15:14-15). We are[…]
Saints Bede, Gregory VII, and Mary Magdalene de’Pazzi
There are many saints in the Church’s history – there are, by one estimate, about 6000 at least quasi-officially canonized – too many ever to be celebrated liturgically in the 365 days of the year. There were the saints of the ‘old’ calendar, the usus antiquior, which was in turn revised – reformed, if you[…]
The Hidden Power of Patience
According to Saint Paul, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22) And there is this from St. Augustine, “Patience is the companion of wisdom.” Patience might be defined as the encountering of the small before the large.[…]
Upcoming Talk: Artificial Intelligence: Master or Servant?
For those in the Pembroke area, I will be offering a presentation and discussion this May 28 at 7 p.m. at St-Jean Baptiste Parish Hall, 500 Isabella Street, Pembroke. The topic is Artificial Intelligence, which Pope Leo XIV has mentioned as one of most significant issues – one might say threats – of our time. If you’re[…]
Euthanasia in Britain, Canada Style
It’s disconcerting when a former colony – Canada – deforms her mother country – Britain, like a son corrupting his father. As England debates legalizing state-sanctioned murder-suicide – euphemistically known as euthanasia, or ‘MAiD’ here – she should take stock of what has happened here in her Dominion: The official count is over 60,000 killed.[…]
What we commemorate before Easter is what we experience in this life; what we celebrate after Easter points to something we do not yet possess. This is why we keep the first season with fasting and prayer; but now the fast is over and we devote the present season to praise. Such is the meaning[…]
Our Lady Help of Christians and of Sheshan
On the 24th of May 2024 the Church celebrates the feast of Mary, the Help of Christians. Its latin name is Sancta Maria Auxilium Christianorum. It was St John Chrysostom who made use of this title, way back to the year 345. Other historical connotations which are intimately connected with this feast can be found[…]