Our Lady of Sorrows (Latin: Beata Maria Virgo Perdolens), the Sorrowful Mother or Mother of Sorrows (Latin: Mater Dolorosa, at times just Dolorosa), and Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows or Our Lady of the Seven Dolours are names by which the Blessed Virgin Mary is referred to in relation to sorrows in her life. […]
In the article “Has the Silence Been Broken? Catholic Theological Ethics and Racial Justice” in Theological Studies Journal (March, 2014), Father Bryan Massingale, Ph.D., of Marquette University discusses what he calls “the theological silence” about racism in America. Fr. Massingale uses phrases like “deafening and appalling silence,” “embarrassed silence” and “shocking theological silence” regarding racism […]
Count the Cost …It’s so easy to guard myself from the essence of sacrifice And play the same mind game and do just enough to get by But that’s not what it is to be great, it’s not what it is to be a saint I don’t want to be dead bones in a box, […]
ST. EULOGIUS was a Syrian by birth, and while young embraced the monastic state in that country. The Eutychian heresy had thrown the Churches of Syria and Egypt into much confusion, and a great part of the monks of Syria had that time become notorious for their loose morals and errors against faith. Eulogius learned […]
The Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary is a feast day celebrated since 1684. In that year Pope Innocent XI added it to the Church calendar to commemorate the military victory of 1683, when the Turkish army was vanquished before the gates of Vienna, and Europe was delivered from the Muslim scourge. After […]
AS a child Guy had two loves, the Church and the poor. The love of prayer growing more and more, he left his poor home at Brussels to seek greater poverty and closer union with God. He arrived at Laeken, near Brussels, and there showed such devotion before Our Lady’s shrine that the priest besought […]
90 Minutes in Heaven is the screen version of a book by the same name that came out several years ago. It is a memoir, a firsthand account of a Christian pastor’s near-death experience. The book is excellent. The film? Far from it. In fact, it fails pretty miserably as a film, and also in […]
Pentecostal preachers shout it. Monks chant it. Most Christians end every prayer with it. But what does “Amen” really mean? Is it just a pious way to “log off” our dialogue with God? Actually, most of us have never heard the origins of this word that we use so glibly. But we need to examine it […]
THE holy confessor Paphnutius was an Egyptian, and after having spent several years in the desert, under the direction of the great St. Antony, was made bishop in Upper Thebais. He was one of those confessors who, under the tyrant Maximin Daia, lost their right eye, and were afterward sent to work in the mines. […]
Meditations and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading Isaiah 50:5-9 2nd Reading: James 2:14-18 Responsorial: Psalm 116:1-6, 8-9 Gospel: Mark 8:27-35 What it Means to Deny Ourselves, Take up Our Cross, and Follow Jesus “Peter … began to rebuke him. (Mark 8:32) Peter has a striking insight and dares to express […]
A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me. Psalm 51 The heart is one of the most essential organs in the human body because it pumps blood to every extremity. When it does not function properly and effectively, negative side effects occur. If we do not eat a […]
By Carlos Polo and Moriah Bruno A recent study published in the British Medical Journal has found that laws that restrict or prevent abortion do not lead to higher maternal mortality rates. In fact, the study, based on recent data from Mexico, showed precisely the opposite: higher maternal mortality rates were seen in Mexican states […]
The Arts remind me there is still sanity and beauty in an insane and ugly age. Despite living in the darkness of a culture of death — where children are sacrificed by abortion on the diabolical altar of sexual licence, and defeated sick and disabled people are eliminated by euthanasia — the Arts speak to […]
BORN in answer to the prayer of a holy mother, and vowed before his birth to the service of God, Nicholas never lost his baptismal innocence. His austerities were conspicuous even in the austere Order — the Hermits of St. Augustine — to which he belonged, and to the remonstrances which were made by his superiors […]
For quite a while, I’ve tried to give up watching the news on TV each night. My radio almost always has been tuned to St. Louis CBS affiliate KMOX, “NewsRadio 1120,” for news, traffic, weather and sports – until about six months ago, when I decided to listen only to St. Louis Cardinals baseball. All […]
There’s a well-known quote that I know firsthand to be true: “The best gift parents can give their children is a happy marriage.” The love and happiness shared by parents bring joy to the whole family. Thus when I came to terms with the fact that my first bond did not reflect a happy and […]
All You Have Given Me I love You, Lord. You embrace me In our communion Of Eucharist. I believe in Your love For the sinner. I am that sinner. You come to me. I am empty and poor, Yet, You make My poverty Your paradise. Here I bring to You All You have given me. […]
PETER CLAVER was a Spanish Jesuit. In Majorca he fell in with the holy lay-brother Alphonsus Rodriguez, who, having already learned by revelation the saintly career of Peter, became his spiritual guide, foretold to him the labors he would undergo in the Indies, and the throne he would gain in heaven. Ordained priest in New […]
By Oliver Maksan JERUSALEM—“Welcome to our new reception room;” Sister Agathe offered her visitor a warm greeting. The nun is in charge of finances for the Carmelite Sisters’ convent on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. Substantial renovations were just completed. Everything is clean and bright. “The renovations help us to receive guests better, while […]
Two abortion survivors, a pro-life expert, and an abortion attorney will testify in Congress’ first hearing September 9 on whether Planned Parenthood’s fetal parts program violates federal law. The hearing, entitled “Planned Parenthood Exposed: Examining the Horrific Abortion Practices at the Nation’s Largest Abortion Provider,” may not be a smooth one, however. While House Judiciary […]
Continuing his catechesis on the importance of the family, Pope Francis’ latest audience is on the role families play in evangelization. Whenever we think about evangelizing, we tend to think of it as something individuals do. We seldom pay attention to the role families have in this critical process. The first and most important role […]
ST. CLOUD is the first and most illustrious Saint among the princes of the royal family of the first race in France. He was son of Chlodomir, King of Orleans, the eldest son of St. Clotilda, and was born in 522. He was scarce three years old when his father was killed in Burgundy; but […]
WONDERFUL simplicity and spirit of compunction were the distinguishing virtues of this holy man. He was chosen abbot of St. Mark’s near Spoleto, Italy (see photo) and favored by God with the gift of miracles. A child who was possessed by the devil, being delivered by being educated in his monastery, the abbot said one […]
“…Now more than ever we Christians must choose Will we ignite the light from the wick in our lives And fight for what’s right? Or let the enemies plight for an everlasting night Wreak fright through our demise…”
