Praying with the liturgical calendar can bear much fruit. Taking the time to ponder the purposes and mysteries behind the historical events of the Nativity and all that followed gives us a chance to consider anew how our own lives are … [Read more...]
Prayer as the Gateway to Mystery
August 30, 2021 by Carolyn Humphreys, OCDS
For a Christian, mystery is reverenced as that hidden dimension in things, people, situations and life which is beyond time, place or physical description. We may understand aspects of this esoteric reality beyond us and we can appreciate … [Read more...]
Book Reviews – July 2021
July 15, 2021 by Book Reviews
Real Philosophy for Real People: Tools for Truthful Living. By Fr. Robert McTeigue. Reviewed by T.S. Barbarossa. (skip to review) Catholic Parishes of the 21st Century. By Charles E. Zech, Mary L. Gautier, Mark M. Gray, Jonathon L. … [Read more...]
Am I Called To Be a Contemplative?
The Dignity and Destiny of Every Man According to St. Teresa of Avila
June 3, 2021 by Br. John Paul Puschautz
In a world of distraction and dispersion, modern man is distraught, thirsting for peace in a troubled world. The dream of humanity sufficing in itself by its enlightened thought and conscientious humanitarian charity has met the sad reality … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – May 2021
May 7, 2021 by Fr. Brian Mullady, OP
Question: Why do priests hear confessions during Mass? Doesn’t this detract from the spiritual involvement in all the aspects of the sacrifice? Answer: The questioner seems very upset that two sacraments are going on at the same time and … [Read more...]
Sanctuary
March 26, 2021 by Carolyn Humphreys, OCDS
Sanctuary is like a singularly beautiful flower in a vast garden of words. It comes in varieties ranging from a place where we are safe from harm to an interior region of the heart where God dwells. “Sanctuary” originates from the Latin roo … [Read more...]
Book Reviews – March 2021
March 12, 2021 by Book Reviews
Mary and Bioethics: An Exploration. By Francis Etheredge. Reviewed by Fr. Aidan Nichols. (skip to review) A Year with the Mystics. By Kathryn Lopez. Reviewed by Lawrence Montz. (skip to review) Wisdom from the Psalms. By … [Read more...]
Recollection: The Beating Heart of Prayer
December 11, 2020 by Dr. Timothy Herrman
“We must serve GOD in a holy freedom; we must do our business faithfully, without trouble or disquiet; recalling our mind to GOD mildly and with tranquility, as often as we find it wandering from Him.” — Br. Lawrence of the Resur … [Read more...]
Boredom, Ordinary Time, and God’s Gift of Himself
December 28, 2019 by Deacon James Keating
It is routine to hear people good-heartedly mock the reasonableness of the Church’s liturgical calendar “celebrating” “Ordinary Time.” To celebrate ordinariness is a true curiosity within Western culture, because its members routinely seek e … [Read more...]
Priesthood and Spiritual Childhood
September 11, 2019 by Fr. Tim McCauley
Spiritual pride is an occupational hazard of the priesthood, and a potentially deadly disease. Because of our current ecclesiastical environment, I think it is important to mention clergy abuse cases. Quite apart from the personal emotional … [Read more...]
Taking a Quiet Time with God
The Necessity of Spiritual Retreat for Spiritual Leaders
December 20, 2016 by Mark C. McCann
One thing that can be said for certain about a life of pastoral ministry is that it is a busy one. It seems nowadays that those of us in ministry—particularly pastors—are facing greater demands for our time. There is more and more to do, and … [Read more...]
Contemplation, Action, and the Good Life
February 22, 2014 by Dr. Richard Becka, PhD
Everyone is seeking knowledge, but is the knowledge they are seeking really worth the trade-off in terms of the life’s cost? Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas Everyone familiar with the Aristotelian-Thomistic tradition will recognize … [Read more...]
The Eternal Presence of the House of Nazareth
December 13, 2012 by Kathleen Curran Sweeney
The family life of Jesus, Mary and Joseph in Nazareth is an ever-present revelation of God’s purposes and work in the world, inviting to holiness families of the 21st century. Does the household of Jesus, Mary and Joseph in the small vi … [Read more...]
Recent Comments