We know that the Blessed Virgin Mary was, without doubt, the perfect disciple of Jesus in the practice of all virtues. Ironically, the most profound and important of all the virtues, the actual bedrock of their very existence, is the virtue of humility. We never really hear of this virtue […]
Did Jesus Appear to His Mom after He Rose from the Dead? The Gospels never mention it.
Easter was two days ago, and on that glorious morning we heard from the Gospel of John. “Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and […]
Joy: Meditations on the Joyful Heritage of Christianity, by Louis Evely
“We can understand Lent…we devote ourselves to penance, compassion and mortification, but how lax we are during the days that follow our sorrow. We do not even know how to rejoice…The day is coming when the Spirit of Truth will breathe upon us, and we do not joyfully await […]
The Nativity of Our Lord
Luke 2: 1-20 The Infancy Narrative In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town. And Joseph too went up […]
I’m Dreaming of a Blue Advent
Many lose sight of Advent amid the Thanksgiving-Black Friday-anticipated Christmas-commercial season. How can Advent hold its ground against this materialistic intrusion? Some regard Advent as “Little Lent.” After all, at least where I live it wears the hand-me-down purples of the penitential weeks between Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. […]
The Chalice: A Novel
Those who enjoyed Nancy Bilyeau’s debut historical novel The Crown will find its sequel The Chalice even more heart-wrenching and suspenseful. Once again we follow the adventures of former Dominican novice Joanna Stafford as she is torn from her peaceful country life and thrust into the maelstrom of Tudor-era intrigue. […]
My Peace I Give You: Healing Sexual Wounds with the Help of the Saints
“Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.” ~Apocalypse 13:10 My Peace I Give You by Dawn Eden is a much-needed spiritual resource for those recovering from any type of physical or emotional suffering brought on by the lust, crassness or cruelty of others. It took a long […]
Marie-Antoinette and the Carmelite Order
The connection between the Carmelite Order and the Royal House of France originated in the Middle Ages, when St. Louis IX encountered the hermits on Mt. Carmel and brought them to France. When the Discalced Reform came to France from Spain in the early seventeenth century, the royal family assisted […]
May and Mary
May is, without a doubt, a crazy month for most of the people I know. Lately, I’ve been reflecting on the fact that maybe May is Mary’s month because the only way we moms will get through it is with her help. Call me a bit cynical. Or overwhelmed. Or […]
It’s Mary’s Fault I Write
May is Mary’s month, and I can’t help but reflect in this space about how it’s Mary’s fault that I write. Yes, I blame her. Writing was a dream of mine years ago, when I was a wee girl living in the country and filling notebooks with terrible tales, but […]