Good Friday through the Second Sunday of Easter is the time of mercy, the time when Jesus redeemed us from sin and established new life in his Resurrection. This is why it is the time Jesus asked us to pray Read more…
A few years ago I read to my kids the first few volumes of the The Green Ember series, written by S.D. Smith, and immediately I was struck by one of its central themes: betrayal. It stood out pretty starkly Read more…
I originally wrote this in October of 2019 but am posting this again in relation to the consecration of Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on March 25, 2022. A consecration to the Immaculate Heart Mary entails Read more…
Much commentary has focused on Vladimir’s Putin’s sponsorship of the Russian Orthodox Church, which extends even to the point of making the Church an arm of the State (a constant temptation in Russian history). It is true that a massive Read more…
Lenten penance pertains to more than simply fasting from food and drink. It also entails curtailing the “delight of the eye” and pleasing sounds, which gratify our senses. Mortification means dying to ourselves and devoting more time to prayer and Read more…
I’m continuing with a series of posts that reflect on the relations of East and West in the Church (see the last two on Orthodox saints in the Catholic Church and a fuller timeline of the relations between Latins and Read more…
Lent originated from the intense preparation of catechumens on the days preceding the Easter Vigil, as they prepared to receive Baptism: They who are to be baptized shall fast on Friday, and on Saturday the bishop shall assemble them and Read more…
This is my second post exploring the connection of East and West in the Church (with the first focused on Orthodox saints brought into the Catholic Church through the Eastern rites). When looking at the relationship of the Catholic and Read more…
I just finished reading John Anthony McGuckin’s The Eastern Orthodox Church: A New History. Rather than a traditional chronological history, McGuckin offers reflections on the nature of the Orthodox Church through particular figures and events of history. As a professor Read more…
This post completes a trilogy on the saints. The first two focused on convert-saints from Protestantism and modern Benedictine saints. Advent and Christmas lead us to talk about child saints. We have the patron saint of children, St. Nicholas, on Read more…