St. Teresa of Avila’s Concept of Meditation
On Why a Crown is Fitting for Our Lady
How the Blessed Will Go Up Into Heaven After the Judgment: (Part II)
Path of Perfection
The Life of St. Benedict: Conquering the Flesh and the Devil
God Wills Our Good
“If, devout soul, it is your will to please God and live a life of serenity in this world, unite yourself always and in all things to the divine will.” -St. Alphonsus Our Lord assured His apostles the reward of following his will, “Your joy no man shall take from you…your joy shall be full”…
The Holy Eucharist and the Parents of St. Thérèse
Zélie was so in love with the Holy Eucharist that, five weeks before her death, weakened by cancer, she still attended Mass. Throughout their lives, Louis and Zélie were ardent devotees of the First Friday Devotions. Only two centuries earlier, Our Lord had communicated to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque His great desire that the First…
How to Advance in Holiness: Lectio Divina
How do we advance in holiness? This not an impractical question. The Church teaches us that we have three necessary means of salvation and, those same, according to degree, attain holiness: sacramental grace, prayer, and virtue. All three pistons have to be running in unison for the motor of the spiritual organism to advance. By…
Teaching Your Children the Devotional Life
It is an understandable though grave mistake to merely think in terms of your child practicing devotion. No! Your child’s life must not merely consist of this and that devotion. Rather, your child must live the devout life. A devotion is a prayer, but St. Paul instructs you to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thes [P1] 5:17)…
The Appeal of Reading the Saints to Children
“Like St. Augustine before her, our Martina, when she was still quite little, said once on All Saints’ Day, ‘As I think of it, mother, if all those people could do it, why not we?’” -Maria von Trapp Saint Thomas Aquinas was once asked what one did to become a saint. He responded, “Will it.”…
Thomas Aquinas: 7 Little-Known Miracles of the Angelic Doctor
St. Thomas Aquinas, honored by the Church with the appellation of the ‘Angelic Doctor’, is amongst the most widely venerated of all Catholic saints. His writings are carefully read by all students of theology, and he is perhaps given more authority than any other single theological writer. Yet despite the fact that he is so…
Why Beauty Matters
“The only really effective apologia for Christianity comes down to two arguments, namely, the saints the Church has produced and the art which has grown in her womb.” —Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger Catholics have long found solace in the contemplation of beauty. In fact, it could be said we mortals are dependent on beauty for life.…
The Sublime Image of Our Lady in Art
“Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.” -Archangel Gabriel (Luke 1:28) The thought and history of the Blessed Mother in art is a magnificent subject that has enraptured Christians for over twenty centuries. Art is inseparable from Mary and reflects the high place she holds in global world…
