Photo: the blessing of the water for Baptism at Easter Vigil. By Allison Girone. “This is my body, which is given for you . . . This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood” (Lk 22:19-20). Of ecstasy—that is, standing outside oneself or going out of oneself—Our Lord…
Painting: Maurice Denis, “Le mystère catholique,” (1889) After a number of years experiencing the annual cycle of readings in the traditional Latin Mass, I grew aware of the manner in which it approaches Gospels in general, which is freer and more subtle than we find in the Novus Ordo lectionary. In the latter, it seems…
Now Lord, let Thy servant go in peace, Unto whom Thy promise is made good, Now mine eyes indeed have seen His face, Child promised, Savior of the world. Dim these eyes have grown as years have passed, In toils and labors long in Thine employ, Mortal still I am though I outlast, Mortal kith…
Candlemas, as it’s called, is a twofold feast of the Presentation of Our Lord and the Purification of Our Lady, and it marks the end of the forty days of the Christmas season. It is primarily a Marian feast commemorating the obedience of Our Lady and Our Lord to the law of Moses. The name…
On 6 January we celebrate Epiphany, the day three kings bowed low and presented gifts to the King of kings. Many commemorate the event with different family traditions. However, our familiarity with the story may lead us to overlook important lessons. So, let us look at Epiphany more deeply, for it has much wisdom to…
By Dom Prosper Guéranger 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 his creatures. For several centuries, the Nativity of our Lord was…
One of the two soldiers who had to lead him caused him all possible sufferings. He was forced to make long marches, was exposed to the rays of the sun, to the rains and the cold of the nights. His body, already weakened by several severe illnesses, finally broke down[.] … In the morning Chrysostom…
It takes saints to make saints. The liturgical year of the Church is filled with quite literally a priceless array of treasures that are all oriented to make it easier for us to get to Heaven. The commemorations of the saints, the feasts and fasts, the monuments in the life of Christ and His Church…
On Thursday, 11 November, America honors military men and women who served their country. Veterans Day pays tribute to all veterans – those who have passed away and the 19 million living today. The 11 November date marks the end of World War I in 1918, on the “eleventh hour of the eleventh day of…
A Holy Day of Opportunity November 11th is a great holy day of opportunity. For centuries it has been the traditional Catholic Thanksgiving of Martinmas, which is a great time to feast and make merry with friends, family, and all your children. Since rebuilding Christendom is all about the children, make sure you make lanterns…
“If I forget thee, Jerusalem,” cries the Psalmist, “may my right hand forget its skill!” (Ps 137:5). “Men have forgotten God,” Solzhenitsyn observed of the Soviet regime; “that’s why all this has happened.” In his 1982 article “Ship of Fools,” P.J. O’Rourke described sailing up the River Volga with a group of Western journalists and…
