A Church Driven by the Breath of God
Homily of Pope Benedict XVI for the Solemnity of Pentecost 2009 Apart from being a magnificent example of mystagogical preaching, the Holy Father’s Pentecost homily...
In Praise of the Octave of Pentecost
Days of Fire and of Light In the traditional Roman liturgical calendar the glorious solemnity of Pentecost has its own Octave: eight days under the...
Domine, tu omnia scis
Goya’s painting of the repentant Apostle Peter fits today’s Gospel. Note the keys resting on a rock directly beneath Saint Peter’s hands. Raised Up by...
Cardinal Mercier’s Secret of Sanctity
Désiré-Joseph Cardinal Mercier (1851-1926) was Archbishop of Malines, Belgium from 1906 until his death. Besides the heroic leadership he demonstrated during World War I, Cardinal...
Seven Mysteries of the Holy Spirit
Drawing upon the traditional mysteries of the rosary — Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious, and the new mysteries of Light proposed by Pope John Paul II...
The Servant of God, Padre Leopoldo Pastori
A Missionary-Monk The Year of the Priest will begin on Friday, June 19th, Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It may well spark a...
Dear Father . . .
I am writing to you to express my utter frustration at not being able to leave comments on Vultus Christi. I try and try again....
I asked in prayer for love of Christ
Sixth Sunday of Paschaltide B John 15:9-17 1 John 4:7-10 Acts 10:25-26. 34-35. Photo of a window in the chapel of All Saints Convent, Oxford,...
Into the Invisible
A faithful friend of mine in the Eternal City, an Apostle of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, sent me this text from a booklet by...
Saint Pachomius, Abbot
The antiphon Ad Benedictus this morning, with its lilting seventh mode melody, is an apt portrayal of the manifestation of the Holy Spirit in the...
Spiritual Fecundity
John 15:9-17 Go and Bear Fruit In the Roman Missal the Mass for the feast of Saint Matthias the Apostle begins, not with an antiphon...
For the Sanctity of Priestly Life
The image is Adé Béthune’s Christ the Priest. The vine and branches of John 15:1-8 surround the wood of the Cross. Christ is depicted in...
The Heart of Jesus and the Gift of the Holy Spirit
Fifth Monday of Paschaltide Acts 14:5-18 John 14:21-26 And I Will Love Him I am grateful to the Apostle Saint Jude for the marvelous dialogue...
The Old Man Who Gives You Flowers
And, for Mother’s Day, another touching excerpt from E. Boyd Barrett’s autobiographical A Shepherd Without Sheep: In spite of his rebellion, his confusion of mind,...
Has No One Condemned You?
In A Shepherd Without Sheep (Bruce Publishing, 1956), E. Boyd Barrett, who left the priesthood in stormy circumstances and, after twenty years, was reconciled, and...
I will cure their wounds
I am reading the Italian translation of Sacerdotes di Cristo, texts of Conchita Cabrera de Armida, selected and presented with a theological introduction by Juan...
Towards the Year of the Priest
In his 1986 Holy Thursday Letter to Priests, Pope John Paul II wrote: The Mass was for John Mary Vianney the great joy and comfort...
The Voice of the Shepherd Christ
Readers familiar with the work of Adé Béthune will recognize here her Good Shepherd. Clean lines, simplicity, and strength characterize Adé’s work. She has had...
The Bride They Hold
The bride they hold ought to be the breviary, and the books of Holy Scripture their children. There they should take their pleasure in sharing...
Into the Secret Harbor
Dear readers, do sail gently into one of the most beautiful places on the internet: Secret Harbor. The last two entries on the Divine Office...