That blessed man, Saint Martin, bishop of Tours, has entered into his rest. The Angels and Archangels, Thrones, Dominations and Powers have welcomed him. Alleluia! (Taken the Alleluia Verse in the Propers for the Feast of St. Martin of Tours in the 1962 Roman Catholic Missal). Armistice Day & Praying for the Dead Armistice Day…
The first day of the Hallowtide Triduum.
Above: The Visitation by Flemish painter Willem Vrelant (d. 1481). Today, July 2, is the usus antiquior feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This feast was instituted in 1389 by, in a way, two popes—Pope Urban VI as the one who intended to institute it, in hopes of obtaining the end of…
Traditionalists can go deeper each and every year.
St. Philip Neri (+1595) was praying one night, as he often did, in the Catacombs of St. Sebastian. A ball of light came down from above and entered his mouth. He was so overwhelmed by the love of God that he cried out, “Enough, Lord! I cannot take anymore” and passed out. When he awoke,…
Two of the devil’s greatest pleasures are to plunge us into hatred and despair – his own two major emotions.
St. Gregory of Tours tells us of a Font, which existed even then, in a church of Andalusia, in a place called Osen, and whereby God miraculously certified to His people the true day of Easter.
They negated themselves in obedience to God’s law, a point worth emphasising for our own lives, especially in a time in which Christ’s specific commands have come to be considered ‘ideals’ beyond actual obedience.
Above: La Adoracion de los Reyes Magos by Peter Paul Rubens of Spanish Flanders (1577-1640). The Feast of the Epiphany is the continuation of the mystery of Christmas; but it appears on the Calendar of the Church with its own special character. Its very name, which signifies Manifestation, implies that it celebrates the apparition of God to…
Above: the Demidoff Altarpiece, (Carlo Crivell, 1476). St. Stephen appears in the upper right corner next to St. Thomas: The Crib, the Cross and the Crown. These three objects serve different functions in the life of Christ and the reality of our salvation and yet are intertwined in an incredible way. The Church draws our…
As society “progresses” towards more efficiency and technological advances, it also moves away from human connections and relationships. God created us as social beings in His “image and likeness.” It is through connections that we grow both physically and spiritually. Historically, families, towns, regions, and civilizations survived by their social connections. Yet, as we are…
