Jul
31
St. Ignatius of Loyola
July 31, 2008 | Leave a Comment
I think many of us wonder whether we’ve just blown it. Whether God has just given up on us and declared us a lost cause. Yes, he may grant us mercy and redemption, but he has nevertheless decided that we have screwed up his plan for us so badly that he has us just playing out [...]
Jul
29
St. Martha
July 29, 2008 | 1 Comment
Today is the feast day of St. Martha. To me, she is always one of the most confusing stories of the Bible.
Here she is working her butt off and Mary is getting all of the attention. I’d be a little upset too. How many times have I been the one working my butt off and yet someone else gets [...]
Jun
29
The Pauline Jubilee
June 29, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Today begins the Pauline Year - a year-long jubilee dedicated to St. Paul, apostle to the Gentiles; apostle to us.
I’m hoping to get a great deal out of this celebration over the coming year. St. Paul has so much to teach us.
These are some sites to get us started -
Vatican
Catholic Culture
Tarsus Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Jun
24
St. John the Baptist
June 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Today is the Solemnity of the Birth of St. John the Baptist. The fact that we celebrate this feast as a a solemnity (which is ranked higher than all other feast days) and the fact that we celebrate the birth of St. John the Baptist (usually a feast day occurs on the anniversary of the [...]
Jun
22
St. Thomas More
June 22, 2008 | Leave a Comment
In the Common of Holy Men in the Liturgy of the Hours, there are two parts that always get me fired up.
One is a hymn that goes something like -
“Rise up, O men of God! Have done with lesser things, Give heart, and soul, and mind, and strength to serve the King of kings.
Rise up, O men [...]
Jun
21
St. Aloysius Gonzaga
June 21, 2008 | Leave a Comment
We have much to learn from St. Aloysius Gonzaga (Italy, 1568-1591). He was a child of one of the most powerful families in Italy. He could have indulged in the luxuries of the time but chose instead to follow Christ.
He joined the Jesuits as a teenager and at times was almost too zealous in his [...]
Jun
13
St. Anthony of Padua
June 13, 2008 | Leave a Comment
St. Anthony of Padua (Portugal/Italy, 1195-1231) must have been THE celebrity of his age, even as a Franciscan friar. He was a well-known preacher who traveled throughout northern Italy and parts of western Europe. He was appointed as a professor of theology by St. Francis of Assisi. He was admired by Pope Gregory IX. When he died, the entire [...]
Jun
11
St. Barnabas
June 11, 2008 | Leave a Comment
He is the man who helped bring St. Paul to fulfill his life mission - St. Barnabas. It’s interesting that he is numbered as one of the apostles, even though he wasn’t one of the original twelve and wasn’t added officially to the ranks to take one’s place, like St. Matthias. But, St. Barnabas and [...]
Jun
3
Psalm 90
June 3, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Usually, when I’m reading the liturgical readings for the day, I’m gloss over the Responsorial Psalm in trying to get from the first reading to the gospel. But sometimes, the Psalm catches me and makes me pause. Today’s did just that.
This passage is from Psalm 90 -
Seventy is the sum of our years,
or eighty, if [...]
May
31
The Visitation
May 31, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Today is the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The story is told in Luke 1 and gives us two great prayers.
The first great prayer is the second part of the Hail Mary. The first part of Ave Maria is taken from the Annunciation when St. Gabriel cries out -
Hail Mary, full of [...]
