Posts Tagged ‘Saints’
There is perhaps a tendency for some of us today to feel discouraged over the state of the world, and the Church. It may surprise us, that there have been times in the Church and in Western culture when things were possibly worse. The exact mix of troubles may have been different, but troubles, deep [...] Read the rest of this entry »
Today is the Feast of St. Nicholas. The real St. Nicholas was nothing close to the St. Nick (Santa Claus) of the modern age. He was a thin curmudgeonly man with a zeal for the Lord that caused flairs of anger. Compromise was unknown to him. The slow transformation of him into “Jolly ole’ Saint [...] Read the rest of this entry »
A common Evangelical protest against the Catholic practice of praying and interacting with the saints is that they “can’t hear us.” Those who disbelieve our practice often quote 1 Kings 8:39 which says, for you alone (O Lord) know the hearts of all men. Hence, according to this quote Saints, who are not God, cannot [...] Read the rest of this entry »
That could never be me! While getting ready for Mass one Sunday, one of my fellow parishioners commented that he felt so far from the Kingdom of God sometimes. Specifically, he said that when listening to the stories of the saints, his only thought is, “That could never be me!” His comment was not simply [...] Read the rest of this entry »
In today’s first reading at Mass St Paul writes to the Philippians of the glory that our currently lowly bodies will one day enjoy: He will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified Body by the power that enables him also to bring all things into subjection to himself. (Phil 3:19) I once [...] Read the rest of this entry »
Many fine histories exist on the life of St. Francis and I would not need to replicate them here. But on this Feast of St. Francis it might be significant for us to reflect on a few lessons from his life. 1. On the possibility of radical conversion and the role of affliction and humiliation - St. Francis [...] Read the rest of this entry »
When we think of St. Wenceslaus we usually think of Christmas due to the Christmas Carol about him. But today is his feast day and we ought to reflect a bit on his life. In so doing remember to pray for all kings and rulers that they might be so faithful as was he. Here [...] Read the rest of this entry »
It is too easy to take our faith for granted. We can complain at the slightest requirement. Perhaps the Mass is “too long.” Perhaps the air conditioning or PA system is less than ideal. Perhaps the Church’s moral teaching seems too demanding or “out of touch” with modern thinking. Perhaps some aspect of the Liturgy [...] Read the rest of this entry »
I remember once being amused to hear that a certain Franciscan Theologian from the 19th Century (whose name I cannot remember) wrote a six volume “Life of St. Joseph.” Six volumes?! How could one possibly get enough material? We know so little of Joseph from the Scriptures. He seems to have been the strong, silent type. [...] Read the rest of this entry »
Today is the feast of St. Cyprian the patronal saint of my parish. What follows is an account of his martyrdom. In the year 258 AD severe edicts were issued from Rome indicating that those who persisted in their refusal to worship the pagan gods were to be put to death. Knowing his end was [...] Read the rest of this entry »
Today is the memorial of St. Monica, mother of Saint Augustine. A family who produces two saints must look more like the holy family than your family or my family, but this family may surprise you. Monica married a man who was an alcoholic and as often happens with alcoholism, violent and abusive. She lived in [...] Read the rest of this entry »
Here is a three-part series on the Saints of the Catholic Church. It is visually quite beautiful and generally well done. It answers questions such as who is a saint. How does the Church come to recognize and declare certain men and women to be officially recognized saints? How has this process evolved over the [...] Read the rest of this entry »
