“Jesus asked the twelve, ‘Do you also wish to go away?’ Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life.’” (John 6:67-68) Searching for answers to life’s difficult questions can break one out of the ordinary routine and set one on a spiritual journey. Part of my […]
Read More
I have been thinking about mercy lately. Mercy is something so fundamental to our Christian faith, and yet it seems to be so elusive. It’s not hard to think of a definition for the word, but its application is a continually difficult task: the important message of forgiveness that our Lord proclaimed is not an […]
Read More
At the beginning of this year, over twenty musicians — including Dominican friars from three different provinces — convened at Blessed Sacrament church in Seattle, WA, to record a unique project of liturgical music. Read the entire story here
Read More
They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the LORD. (Is 60:6) This verse is found at the end of our first reading from this past Sunday, the Feast of the Epiphany. It clearly is meant to be read in the context of the Gospel reading: They prostrated themselves and did […]
Read More
When will I die, and how? Will it be at the ripe old age of ninety after I’ve lived a full life? Will it be painless? What if I die tomorrow in a car accident on the freeway? What if this next flight is my last? There are many ways to die and many ways […]
Read More
It’s fitting that we celebrate January 1st as the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. In her essay The Mystery of Christmas, the philosopher and Carmelite nun St. Edith Stein writes that “[t]he kingdom of God on earth began when the Blessed Virgin pronounced ‘fiat,’ and she was its first servant.” Who better to honor […]
Read More
On my first visit to New York City, I had the pleasure of being among the many tourists who flock to Manhattan for the holiday season. New York City is one of the busiest and most picturesque cities as it prepares for the Christmas season. Many attractions huddle within blocks of each other. The holiday […]
Read More
Today, the Church begins to sing the seven, so-called “O Antiphons.” Dating from the early Church, these antiphons are sung at Mass and Evening Prayer during the seven days leading up to Christmas. They constitute a way for the Church in her need to cry out to her coming Lord that He might hasten on […]
Read More
I vaguely remember, as a child, being so proud of the fact that I could tie my shoes. I consciously thought through what my fingers were doing with each action of tying my shoes. Today, I have no idea what my fingers are doing; I simply “tell” my hands to tie the shoes, and then […]
Read More
Advent has begun! We’ve entered into a pregnant pause. The hope of the world—of our lives—is imminent ! The canticles of Zechariah, Simeon, and Mary in the gospel of Luke express the hope of the people Israel. God’s chosen people have been waiting for the fulfillment of His promise: of the coming of the anointed […]
Read More