We may go farther, and say, not only does holy Mass not hinder our work: it does more, it furthers it, as experience has often proved. It is related of St. Isidore, a Spanish saint of comparatively humble birth, that he was engaged by a wealthy nobleman of Madrid to cultivate his lands for a fixed annual salary. He fulfilled his duty with exemplary industry, but without discontinuing Continue reading
Category: Spiritual Life
Three Meditations on Jesus as Master
You call me Master, and Lord; and you say well, for so I am (John 13:13). 1. Jesus Christ is my King and Master. His Kingship demands order — order in society (Let every soul be subject to higher powers: … Continue reading
What Is It, Then, To Be a Priest? – Some Examples From The Culture of Catholic Literature and Their Effects
This essay is dedicated to Father Michael Jarecki, who loves the Blessed Mother very much, and is himself very beloved — and, he has for many, many years now, remained so deeply faithful to Christ, knowing both the tears of … Continue reading
Mental Prayer and Man’s Spiritual Edifice
We recently uploaded to our site two PDF files with valuable charts: Mental Prayer Methods and The Natural and Supernatural Edifice of Man. These were originally made as handouts to go with Brother André Marie’s audio course on mental prayer. … Continue reading
Reflections on Contemplation
(Going through Brother Francis’ papers, I came upon a binder containing notes for classes, and other materials. Brother had many such notebooks. As I flipped through it, I found this article, or rather, this collection of “reflections.” Brother did not … Continue reading
Reflections on the Carthusian Life on Mount Equinox in Vermont
Phil Lawler of Catholic Culture website recounts his visit last year to the Carthusian hermits on the 900th anniversary of the death of Saint Bruno the founder of their Order. “If you’ve ever spent autumn in New England, you know … Continue reading
Catholic Self-Talk: Using Catholic Language To Combat Worldly Thinking
The importance of words must not be under-rated. Father Leonard Feeney in his book, The Word Was Made Flesh, stated the following: “We are told in the beginning of the holy Gospel, according to Saint John that, ‘The Word was … Continue reading
The Passion of Saint Joseph
It has always been believed that Saint Joseph died some time before Our Lord’s Passion. The Virgin-Father of Our Lord breathed forth his last surrounded by Jesus and Mary, and thus became the patron of a holy death. Whereas the … Continue reading
The Fourth Sunday After Pentecost
If there is one common theme in today’s Mass it is confidence: confidence in God, in the promise of the Holy Ghost which we received at Pentecost, confidence in the Church, and confidence that present difficulties can and will come … Continue reading
Delivering What We Have Received
We are still in what used to be the Octave of Corpus Christi. Even though this octave was done away with in the 1962 rubrics, its ghost still lurks about the liturgy. We will, this Friday, have the feast of … Continue reading
On the Feast of the Holy Trinity
The British author and translator of Dante’s Divine Comedy, Dorothy Sayers, once wrote a spoof catechism based upon what most people really know of their Faith. When she came to the doctrine of the Trinity she has this question and … Continue reading
Dear Infant Jesus of Prague
You came down amongst us as a Light shining in the darkness, as a sign for men of good will, that they might become part of Your Flock, guided by Your Vicar on earth, and as a contradiction to those … Continue reading
The Women, The Apostles, and the Tomb: Easter in Review
On Easter Sunday, during its Octave, and on the first Sunday after Easter, the Roman Missal presents us with a different Gospel reading every day. All of these relate what happened on the day of Our Lord’s triumphant Resurrection. The … Continue reading