Liturgical Year
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Friday, April 2nd, 2010The Crucifixion from Korzenna (Wikimedia Commons) “…but when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. He who saw it has borne witness–his testimony is [...]
“The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary…”
Thursday, March 25th, 2010Annunciation by the Master of Flémalle Today is the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord. (Nine months until Christmas!) Readings for the day. Thanks to Jeff Ziegler for pointing me to this piece of artwork in the Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts, Brussels. Click here to read about the painting or to see a larger [...]
This Lent, What Are You Cooking?
Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010One of my colleagues reminded me about Fr. Leo Patalinghug of Grace Before Meals and his liturgically-colored sauces. Here’s his Burgandy Sauce–a meat sauce in the liturgical color of purple–perfect for Lent and Advent. (Not to be eaten on Fridays in Lent, he adds!) Grace Before Meals stresses the importance of family meals–”A family that [...]
The Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Monday, September 14th, 2009Crucifixion by William Willet (from Willet Hauser Architectural Glass. Source.) ”The Exaltation of the Holy Cross . . . should be for all of us the beginning, the content, and the end of the whole year. “What is the Cross? What does it signify for us and for mankind? Let us breathe in these [...]
St. Athanasius, pray for us!
Friday, May 2nd, 2008Today is the feast of St. Athanasius, a fourth-century bishop and doctor of the Church. His titles aptly include “Father of Orthodoxy” and “Pillar of the Church.” He defended the faith of the Church against the Arian heresy, which held that Christ was created and therefore not divine. Our Lord’s divinity was upheld at the [...]
Chants Occurrence
Monday, March 24th, 2008When my daughter Virginia was about a year old, I twice received calls that she was unconscious and being rushed to the hospital. (I hope you fathers out there never receive such a call.) Thanks be to God, on both occasions, by the time I arrived at the emergency room, she was awake and fine. [...]
The Glory of These Forty Days
Wednesday, February 27th, 2008My favorite Lenten hymn is “The Glory of These Forty Days.” What I like so much about it is its simple melody coupled with lyrics attributed to St. Gregory the Great that clearly teach us–or at least remind us–what Lent is all about. The glory of these forty days We celebrate with songs of praise; [...]
The Exquisite Timing of Lourdes
Monday, February 11th, 2008The timing of the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Lourdes beginning on February 11, 1858, was not only providential in the sense of God’s loving kindness to us sinners, but was absolutely exquisite in terms of what was going on in European intellectual circles at that time. The sex scandals involving priests and [...]
Out of Africa
Friday, February 8th, 2008Today we celebrate the feast of St. Josephine Bakhita, an African saint who was canonized just a few years ago by Pope John Paul II. I really didn’t know that much about her, other than the fact that she was from the Sudan, had been kidnapped in youth, and eventually became a religious in Italy. [...]
Give It up!
Tuesday, February 5th, 2008I remember well my first Lent in a religious community in the 1980s. Most of us seminarians, like many people out in the world, gave up sweets for 40 days. The one time that this penance really came into play was during the afternoon coffee break. The nearby Au Bon Pain restaurant donated day-old pastries [...]
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