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
Making Dystopia: The Rise of Ugly Modern Church Architecture
“What we have is given by God and to teach it to others is to return it to Him.” —Gian Lorenzo Bernini In the Catholic tradition, church architecture reflects the classical footprint. This is because classic architecture is unparalleled in its dignity, beauty, harmony, and intelligibility to the common man. It speaks of greatness, order,…
Matrimony as a Sacred Contract and Sacrament
“Love must be real, it must cost, it must hurt, it must empty us of self.” —Mother Theresa of Calcutta From the very beginning of the human race, Matrimony has been a natural contract between husband and wife. For Catholics, it is also something more. A valid marriage is one of the seven sacraments, and…
A Call for Courageous Priests
Saint John the Baptist was a precursor for the many holy priests who are being persecuted for preaching the unadulterated Gospel. As the son of a priest, St. John the Baptist’s preaching led to his beheading. Yes, preaching the fullness of the truth comes at a great price, sometimes costing one’s priestly ministry or even…
The Fair Beginning of a Time: Brave Knights
“Since it is so likely that children will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage. Otherwise you are making their destiny not brighter but darker.” —C. S. Lewis Let us go back to the days of chivalry, of brave knights and their lady loves, of bold adventure…
Preparing Your Child for Death
There is perhaps no more counterintuitive notion for a parent than this: you must prepare your child for death.[1] From the moment you learned of the child in the womb, you have directed all your God-given instincts, your energy, and passion into keeping that child alive. You would move mountains to keep your son healthy;…
Our Lord’s Hidden Wound
While working for the Little Sisters of the Poor at one of their nursing homes, I encountered many devout Catholics, whose joy, perseverance, and piety inspired me. Their strong Catholic Faith had guided them through the trials of raising many children, two World Wars, the sexual revolution, Vatican II, the sex abuse scandal, and ultimately…
God Wills You to Be Happy
He and he alone, whose will is perfectly united to God’s possesses “the peace of God which surpasses all understanding” (Phil. 4:7). Happiness and conformity to the will of God work in tandem and have always been a common theme for Catholic theologians and spiritual writers on the subject of joy. Saint Thomas Aquinas, following…
The Annunciation (Part III)
You did it, O Lord. You actually did it! Your idea of the Incarnation was incarnated. Your Father’s Word was spoken. It was a Word brighter than His word, “Let there be light,” for the abounding darkness of our sinful world was darker than the abyss of nothingness. In the beginning of our universe, You…
