Terri Aluise
Christ’s love heals the world: Celebrating the Jubilee Year of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini
American Catholics finally have something to be joyful about and celebrate. This year marks the 75th Anniversary of the canonization of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, the first American citizen declared a saint by the Roman Catholic Church. It surprises and saddens me is that many American Catholics today have no idea who she is. Maria Francesca Cabrini was born in 1850 in Sant’Angelo Lodigiano in…
For the Love of St. John
“God is love” 1 John 4:8 Today, we celebrate the feast of St. John the Evangelist. He is the “Beloved Disciple,” the son of Zebedee, brother of James, who was allowed to rest on the breast of Jesus during the Last Supper. St. John is the author of the Fourth Gospel, 3 Letters, and the Book of…
Gain the Freedom to Love God Anywhere, Anytime! 5-Star Book Review: With God in America by Fr. Ciszek
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If we have a living, trusting, acting faith, then we know that God is around every corner of our life, that he does indeed walk with us and talk with us and love us, so deeply, so immensely that our life for him, our dearest friend, is like a tiny flame of a match compared to the burning world. Do we act on this all day long? Don’t we often act as though God is somewhere out there in the vast, impersonal sky, too concerned with the really big things of the world to be thinking of us? Aren’t we often like the apostles in the boat, thinking they have to wake God up so that he will pay attention to us?
The Impact of God – The Evangelical Mission of St. Anthony of Padua
Today is the feast of St. Anthony of Padua! He was a man who was extraordinarily blessed by God and given numerous charisms, all of which he used to build up the Church. He had the gift of preaching, teaching, prophecy, knowledge, faith, healing and mercy. Such was the level of sanctifying grace within his soul that he…
Heart to Heart on the Sacred Heart
I have to admit that my favorite time in the liturgical calendar is the Summer/Fall Ordinary Time. After celebrating the High Holy Season of Easter, we come upon Pentecost. Every year on Pentecost Sunday at the Pantheon in Rome, the Church celebrates the ancient tradition of rose petals descending from the “Holy Ghost” hole (video below) in the…
The God of Wonder & Our Lady of Guadalupe
For those who are paying attention, God can really blow our minds sometimes. Take for example, St. John Paul II. Many know that the young Karol Wojtyla was an actor as a young man. He performed in numerous plays by the Polish Romantic playwright Juliusz Slowacki. The work of Slowacki was popular with budding artists…
Celebrating Advent
The season of Advent marks the beginning of the Church’s liturgical calendar, anticipating the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Of course, the advent of our Lord began with the Annunciation. St. Louis de Montfort says in True Devotion to Mary: “God the Holy Spirit formed Jesus Christ in Mary, but only after having asked…
John Paul II and the Synod: Love and Responsibility
It seems appropriate to me that the Synod on the Family in Rome would fall within the novena of St. John Paul II, whose feast day we celebrate today. Although he is known as the Pope whose influence in geopolitical events brought down an empire, he is also the first Pope in the history of the…
St. Teresa in Ecstasy
As I have mentioned in these pages before, 2015 marks the 500th anniversary of the birth of St. Teresa of Avila. On the occasion of her feast day, I would like to focus on the image that most people associate her with, the great baroque statue by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, St. Teresa in Ecstasy. The church that…
The Overlooked Power of the Maid of Lisieux: St. Therese, Doctor of the Church
A couple of years ago, I was invited to participate in Facebook chat with some highly intelligent, very well educated Catholic men. It remains a mystery to me as to how I included, since I was not even remotely qualified to participate in the discussion. I imagine this is why I cannot recall what the…
