St. Paul famously likens perseverance in the ‘race’ towards heavenly glory to athletes who train their bodies for competitions in his 1st letter to the Church in Corinth. He indicates his own need to persevere when he states, “I chastise my body, and bring it into subjection” (1 Corinthians 9:27). In other words, he practices […]
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The season of Lent is underway! This time of preparation for Easter gives us an opportunity to reexamine and refocus our spiritual lives. We are encouraged to take up individual Lenten observances, usually falling in the traditional categories of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Along with making some kind of sacrifice, hopefully we are also adding […]
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The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit originate from the Latin Vulgate of Isaiah 11:2-3, where the prophet lists the qualities of the “Spirit of the Lord.” The most insightful treatment I have ever read of the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit is by St. Augustine in On Christian Doctrine. Connecting Isaiah 11:2-3 with […]
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“Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, LORD.” (Ps 89:15) You don’t need special training to pray. But prayer is learned. Who can teach us to pray? Among many other examples in the Gospels, Jesus points to children as examples to follow (cf. Mt 18:3). […]
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Tomorrow is the feast of Blessed Jordan of Saxony, the second Master of the Order of Preachers and the successor of our Holy Father St. Dominic. Dominicans today have to thank Bl. Jordan for many things: his writings on the life and person of St. Dominic, his zealous work recruiting men for the Order, his […]
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I recently recovered from a cold. It began gradually. I noticed that my throat hurt a little with every swallow. I thought to myself, “I’ve had sore throats before. I’ll just wait a week, and everything will be fine.” Of course, once I got in the middle of the illness, I lost my patience. The […]
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Our friars and sisters walked together this year in witness to the dignity of every human life, especially those of the most vulnerable in the womb! Pray for the protection and joyful welcoming of every human life! Click to see more photos here
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“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 […]
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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 […]
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