We cannot make the Church
The Church is not an apparatus, nor a social institution, nor one social institution among many others. It is a person. It is a woman....
At Fatima: with a heart vigilant in prayer
Come to Fatima to Pray Dearly beloved brothers and sisters, I too have come as a pilgrim to Fatima, to this “home” from which Mary...
Obedience to Christ and to his Word
“The Pope is not an absolute monarch whose thoughts and desires are law. On the contrary: the Pope’s ministry is a guarantee of obedience to...
Prayer is not time lost
On August 29, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI delivered the following instruction at his weekly general audience. Titles in boldface and comments in italics are my...
St Bonaventure & the Wholly Flaming Fire
Today we keep the feast of Saint Bonaventure, Doctor of the Church. The Seraphic Doctor counsels us wisely: Question grace, not instruction; desire, not intellect;...
Pope Benedict XVI on Saint Benedict
On 9 April 2008, in his General Audience, Pope Benedict XVI presented the patron of his pontificate, our own father, Saint Benedict. Re–reading Pope Benedict’s...
Love, Sorrow, and the Encounter with the Divine
On Monday last, 6 July 2015, at Castel Gandolfo, Pope Benedict XVI was honoured with a Doctorate Honoris Causa from the John Paul II Pontifical University of Krakow...
Benedict XVI on Pope Saint Gregory the Great
On Wednesday, May 28, 2008 Pope Benedict XVI dedicated his weekly audience to Pope Saint Gregory the Great. In honour of the saint’s feast, here...
Abide in My Love
Deus Caritas Est and the Treatise on the Love of God Nine years ago, on January 23, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI addressed the participants of...
Pope on Patriarch
Hail, O rich and shady Mountain of God, whereon pastured the True Lamb, Who hath taken away our sins and infirmities, Hab. iii. 3; Isa....
Pontifex Futurorum Bonorum
The Crucifix of San Gimignano (Benedetto da Maiano,1442-1497) And although I am about to withdraw, I remain close to all of you in prayer, and...
Saint Francis and the Liturgy
Franciscans and the Liturgy: A Benedictine Point of View Here and there in the family of the Seraphic Saint Francis of Assisi one finds communities...
750th Anniversary of the Institution of the Feast of Corpus Domini
In preparation for the festival of Corpus Christi, it is fitting to re–read Pope Benedict’s discourse on Saint Juliana and the origins of the feast....
Holiness never goes out of fashion
Today is the feast of Pope Saint Peter Celestine, monk, Supreme Pontiff, and hermit. On 4 July 2010, in the context of the Year of...
Ex abundantia enim cordis os loquitur
Today’s feast of the Holy Abbots of Cluny compelled me to return to Pope Benedict’s exposition of the contribution of Cluny to the life...
The Joy that Flows from God’s Goodness
The treasured Wednesday catecheses of Pope Benedict XVI constitute a precious heritage for the Church in every place and time. One will want to return...
Faciem tuam, Domine, requiram
In 2011, my dear friend Richard Chonak performed a spiritual work of mercy for the readers of Vultus Christi by translating this magnificent text of...
The School of Mary
On October 4, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI went on pilgrimage to the Holy House of Loreto in anticipation of the Year of Faith and in...
Lumen Fidei
How extraordinary! An encyclical largely written by one Pope and signed and promulgated by another. I have already begun to study it. The following section...
Pope Consecrates Vatican City to Saint Michael and Saint Joseph
Spiritual Cleansing Something truly extraordinary happened in the gardens of Vatican City State this morning. Pope Francis, in the presence of Pope Benedict XVI, consecrated...