Once upon a time there was a poor, unremarkable kingdom that had only one claim to fame: its king owned, as a family heirloom, a magnificent diamond of amazing beauty and perfection. He kept this treasure on display in a special room in his castle...
Have you ever been to a funeral, and when it is time for the distribution of Communion, the priest announces that only Catholics may receive the Eucharist if they are in a state of grace or are Catholics in good standing? Now the priest is probably...
It’s always been regarded as certain that St. Thomas the Apostle eventually ended up preaching the Gospel in India, where he was a powerful and successful missionary for many years, before dying as a martyr—but that doesn’t mean he answered his...
At the beginning of Lent, those to be received into the Catholic Church at Easter are elected by the bishop for the Easter sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and Eucharist. These Elect, as they are now called, begin their final period of...
In ancient Greece a famous philosopher visited a certain city and began speaking in the public forum. A wealthy man was entertaining friends, and he and his guests heard the philosopher was in their city. As a joke, the host ordered one of his...
Francesco was spoiled to the core. In his late teen years, his life could be summarized in this terse agenda: wine, women and song. Whenever not busy partying in dissipation, he would hone his skills of archery, wrestling and horsemanship. He was...
Last Sunday, as I stood in line to receive communion, I noticed an elderly couple across from me. Both were stooped and feeble, she more so. She also appeared to be suffering from some form of dementia. Her husband gently guided her to communion and...
The Book of Wisdom (11:22-12:2) describes our God as being an amazingly majestic Creator that no human mind can ever fully know or understand. This text speaks of the awesome, never ending, creative, love of God. And in comparison to such an awesome...
