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 command them to kneel in prayer. And laying his hand upon Read more…
Joseph — son of David, husband of Mary, the humble builder, and adoptive father of the Messiah — stands as one of the greatest saints in the life of the Church. Throughout history, we, as members of God’s family, have realized more and more the crucial role that Joseph plays Read more…
Through our baptism, we are born again into the Body of Christ, members of Jesus’s one mystical body. This makes us not only one with Christ and recipients of his own Spirit; it also places us in relation to his Mother, who becomes our spiritual mother, and his adopted father, Read more…
We know the famous prophecy of Isaiah, “a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). Later in Isaiah there is another striking prophecy that complements this more famous one: “Before she was in labor she gave birth; before her pain came upon her she Read more…
Every Sunday we proclaim our belief the Risen Lord in the Creed: “And rose again on the third day, according to the Scriptures.” The phrase “according to the Scriptures” builds directly upon Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians: For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also Read more…
Even if know that Easter is the most important feast of the liturgical year, Christmas still seems like a much bigger deal. Christmas is known for its cheer–singing, treats, presents, fires, and family–but we’re not quite sure how to celebrate Easter. Pascha (the feast’s Latin name) focuses like the original Read more…
Good Friday, a day of devotions such as the veneration of the Cross and the Stations, is also a day for extended silent meditation. I offer two poems for reflection, one tied to devotion to the Cross, and the other more personal in nature. We know St. Thomas Aquinas’ version Read more…
This Triduum we can take a virtual pilgrimage to Notre Dame in Paris to honor the Crown of Thorns on Good Friday and to Turin on Holy Saturday to venerate the Shroud. As we are confined at home for this holiest time of the year, this remote veneration can help Read more…
“Do this in memory of me.” Jesus’ command at the Last Supper forms the basis of the Church’s liturgy, not simply remembrance of Jesus but a mystical union with the actions of Christ through word, ritual, and the movements of all the faithful. There is a drama latent within the Read more…
As Catholics throughout the world face closed doors at church, our Lenten fast has changed. We think of Lent as a time of giving up bad things and engaging in deeper prayer. Abstaining from attending Mass would not seem to fit this bill, but it actually has a deep history Read more…