Wreathe the Door of Thy Heart
December 26 Saint Stephen the Protomartyr The painting is by Blessed Fra Angelico (1400-1455). Blessed Fra Angelico’s paintings are theological; they are a holy preaching...
The grace of the mystery is not past
Mother Mectilde de Bar (1614-1698) gave this Chapter conference on 17 December 1671. I share it for those who may be looking for a text...
And straight I called unto mind that it was Christmas day
The Burning Babe By Saint Robert Southwell, SJ As I in hoary winter’s night stood shivering in the snow, Surpris’d I was with sudden heat...
One must burn with love
In her conference for the Vigil of Christmas 1694, Mother Mectilde de Bar emphasizes that the Incarnation is God’s gratuitous expression of love for each...
Pax vera descendit
This day is the true peace come down unto us from heaven. * This day throughout the whole world the skies drop down sweetness. V....
For All of Us There Exists a Path to Bethlehem
The homilies of Pope Benedict XVI cannot be consigned to some dark archive. They remain unforgettable. Pope Benedict XVI preached simply and with serenity. His...
The Very Little One
This morning’s Second Reading at Vigils was from the wonderful Christmas Sermons of Blessed Guerric of Igny (+1157), one of the Four Evangelists of the...
With Saint John: into the love of things invisible
Saint John by Sir Ninian Comper, Lady Chapel of Downside Abbey Church. Thanks to the ever gracious Father Lawrence, O.P. for the use of his...
Drink to the Love of Saint John!
Blessing of Wine on the Feast of Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist On the Feast of Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist, at the end of...
The Mystery of Suffering Innocence
The Child in Egypt The name Egypt occurs three times in today’s Gospel. “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt” (Mt...