I’ve been musing on Joseph and how significant his presence is. It seems as if the whole point of Joseph’s life is just to be present to Jesus and Mary. Miracles, words of wisdom, grand gestures? Nope. Just be present wholeheartedly to God and those around you. That’s enough.
I was recently reflecting on the Presentation and Simeon’s surprising enthusiasm at meeting Jesus. He’d waited so long and patiently for the Messiah, and what did he see?
In school, children are taught that the first Thanksgiving took place when Native Americans brought food to Puritan settlers. No one really thinks about the idea of giving thanks in a Catholic context. Since we celebrate Thanksgiving every year, it is important
Thanksgiving is nearly upon us. Families are planning gatherings all around the country—hopefully, joyful ones. The reality, though, is that many are mentally cladding themselves in iron cloaks and adopting a survivor’s mentality in anticipation of dinner with their family members.
It would be nice if I could hit a “Pause” button on life right now. I’m in such a pleasant situation, and have been for many months. Oh sure, I have my struggles, but they seem small compared to past ones. Meantime…
Depression is a difficult topic to discuss. It afflicts a lot of people, but too often we miss seeing it in someone or we don’t know how to talk about it without causing offense. I have suffered from depression and know others who have as well. Here are my thoughts on it.
As Catholics, we know that each person is called to do God “some definite service”. What’s the role of the elderly and homebound, then? If they cannot actively partake in parish life, what can they do? As it turns out, quite a lot.
Never in the history of the Catholic Church has there been a canonized American-born martyr to the faith. The fact that he has been beatified, and his case for canonization is being examined, is cause for great excitement among American Catholics and demands that his story be told again.
Thomas Becket and King Henry II of England were the closest of friends. Accounts of their friendship describe the two as being like-minded in many of the issues confronting England. Thomas is frequently credited as playing a major role in the political reforms Henry was applauded for instituting.
It’s easy to condemn evil from the comfortable armchair of hindsight. The Nazis were evil. Who in good conscience would have cooperated in their destructive agenda? Surely I wouldn’t have! It’s quite another thing to face the choice either to cooperate with evil, or lose your life.
The French saints Louis and Zélie Martin are perhaps most famous as the parents of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, but their own stories are less well-known.
Imagine that the United States has gone to war with Canada and that the war has raged for more than eight decades. The war has been so brutal that the central government in the United States has vanished.
At age 26, Edmund Campion had the world at his feet. He was an eloquent orator, of sweet and amiable temper, with a large number of followers and a golden future ahead. Yet his doubts and thirst for the truth held him back.
The human body is objectified in the present day in a way that it was not during the time of Michelangelo. This is a subject that generates heated discussion and is a source of contention even among Catholics, so how do we approach this issue in our daily lives?
Let’s go on a short virtual tour of St. Raymond of Peñafort in the Diocese of Arlington, VA. This is a relatively new church (~2006) constructed in a traditional style. It is an ideal example of Catholic architecture for us to explore and draw reflections from.