The French Catholic theologian, Blaise Pascal, once remarked that “man’s greatness lies in his power of thought.” During this global pandemic, it is true that we’ve been required to think on our feet and respond to the...
The scripture readings for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ focus on covenants. In the Book of Exodus (24:3-8), at Mt. Sinai, Moses sprinkled blood upon the Israelites, a symbol of God’s desire to make them part of His “blood”...
St. Paul, in his Letter to the Philippians (4:8), sets out the path of virtue: “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything...
Each Good Friday, we Christians ask ourselves: How would we have behaved? Would we have been among the faithful women remaining as Jesus breathed his last? Or would we, like many of Jesus’ closest friends, have fled the scene? While none of us know...
On Good Friday, we arrive at Calvary. With darkened skies, the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke (the Synoptic Gospels) note those present: the faithful women; chief priests; scribes and elders; and the two thieves who have been crucified (one...
There is a story of General Stonewall Jackson and his sister crossing a treacherous torrent just below the mighty Niagara Falls. It is said that when the violent current began to rock their boat, his sister became terrified, at which point the...
The 18th century Austrian composer, Joseph Haydn, was once asked why his church music was so cheerful and he replied: “When I think upon God, my heart is so full of joy that the notes dance and leap, as it were, from my pen, and since God...
The 20th-century Dutch Catholic priest, Fr. Henri Nouwen, noted that “we should pay attention to the people God puts in our path if we want to discern what God is up to in our lives.” How many of us sit in awe and wonder regarding the...
