The Consummation of Advent: Rediscovering Christmas Eve
Deep in the heart of winter near the longest night of the year, as a child my heart was graced annually by one of the great traditions of Christendom. It was ultimately an experience which kept me deeply tied to my Catholic roots even during later years spent in temporary disbelief, and it imbued in…
Happy Feast Day, St. Athanasius!
A true patron saint for our times.
When Silence Speaks Volumes: A St. Joseph’s Day Reflection
When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.— Matthew 1:24 In the Gospel passage for today’s Mass (March 19th), Saint Joseph’s virtues appear in subtle but distinct relief: his humility, his justice or righteousness, his unwavering faith, his reverential fear of the…
The Life of St. Thomas Aquinas and His Greatest Work
The Church has told us countless times to go to St. Thomas for guidance in matters of philosophy and theology. Over the centuries this authoritative counsel has been a source of motivation for countless schools and seminaries, teachers and scholars. But just who was this saint, what were the main lines of his life, and…
Merry Christmas!
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. – Isaiah 9:6 From all of us at OnePeterFive, we wish you a Merry, blessed, and grace-filled Christmas and God’s abundant blessings in the…
Christians, Take Heart! The Christ-Child is With Us
Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ, greetings in the Holy and Undivided Trinity, in He Who is One God and Three Divine and Distinct Persons. May you be forever blessed in He Who Was, and IS and Is to Come. Amen. Our One, Holy and Indefectible Mother Church, the Beloved Virgin Bride of Our Lord…
Let Our Homes Open and Bud Forth the Savior
Advent in the domestic church is a mystery lying somewhere under our wet-boot-stained carpet, the cookie crumbs, and the fir needles. Here, the coming of Christ is hiding somewhere between the packages outside our door, the voice of Bing Crosby crooning away in our kitchen, and our family Nativity scene donkey that only has one…
And Thy Word Broke Their Swords: The Empowering Depth and Dimension of Christmas
There is more to Christmas than just Christ’s birth. It serves as the beginning of an epic, and Advent is the prologue whereby we prepare for the first spellbinding chapter. There’s a thread running through Christmas that ties into so many other Christological elements, including Christ as Divine Lover, in concert with the poetry of…
An Urgently Needed Unforgetting
While teaching a theology class to men in formation for the diaconate, I asked, “When was the last time you heard a homily on Hell?” None of the sixteen could recall. “And Heaven?” Only two. The exchange reminded me of an observation made by Christoph Cardinal Schönborn in his book Loving the Church (Ignatius Press,…
The Assumption: Celebrating the Greatest Woman Who Ever Lived
“And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon was under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.” – Apocalypse 12:1 “How do we know Mary ascended into heaven?” I asked. I was standing in the clergy dining room of my high school, where I had…