Richard Infante is a Catholic priest of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, He holds four master’s degrees, including a Master of Fine Arts in fiction writing from the University of Pittsburgh. His work has appeared in journals such as Dappled Things, The Catholic Faith, and Pennsylvania Illustrated. He has been active in the promotion of the arts in the Pittsburgh region. I had the pleasure of asking him a few questions on his collected work Last Priest Standing and other Stories.... Read more
Mary follows Jesus to Calvary Would Jesus have tried to keep his mother from following him to Calvary because of his desire to protect her? St. Alphonsus and others imagine what might have happened. When Margaret, the daughter of St. Thomas More, met her father on the way to his execution as a martyr, she could only exclaim, “Father! Father!” and fall fainting at his feet. But Mary, at the sight of her Son on his way to Cal- vary,... Read more
Mary did not plead with Pilate Mary refrained from appearing before Pilate to plead for Jesus’ life, notes St. Alphonsus; she appeared publicly only to be with Jesus at the Cross. Why was she silent the whole time? Why was Mary silent during the passion of Jesus, when he was unjustly accused? Why did she say nothing to Pontius Pilate, who was somewhat inclined to set him at liberty, knowing, as he did, his innocence? Yet she appeared in pub-... Read more
Mary prepares to see Jesus crucified St. Alphonsus recounts St. Bridget’s vision of the hours during which Mary prepared to watch her Son die. The Blessed Virgin revealed to St. Bridget that when the time of the passion of our Lord was approaching, her eyes were always filled with tears as she thought of her beloved Son, whom she was about to lose on earth. The prospect of that approaching suffering caused her to be seized with fear, so that... Read more
This week Lambing Press sponsors their first CBB giveaway. One lucky winner will receive a copy of Last Priest Standing by Father Richard Infante (you can read about this book here) . I use Rafflecopter to run my giveaways which makes it simple for you and me! Enter below. The contest starts at midnight tonight EST and will end 12AM EST Friday 03/25 with a winner being announced later that day. Good Luck! a Rafflecopter giveaway Read more
The Magnificat of the ages begins Pope St. John Paul illuminates further our Lord’s response to the woman who cried out, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts that you sucked!” (Lk 11:28). Is Jesus thereby distancing himself from his mother according to the flesh? Does he perhaps wish to leave her in the hidden obscurity which she herself has chosen? If this seems to be the case from the tone of those words, one must nevertheless... Read more
Catholic fiction in recent years has been finally seeing the well-deserved light of day. When I first heard that Lambing Press was releasing a collection of short stories, written by a priest no less, I knew I had to get my hands on a copy. I was not disappointed and neither will you be. Father Richard Infante has assembled six stories released in various other venues and an all new seventh novella to form the book The Last Priest Standing.... Read more
“Blessed is the womb that bore you!” Pope St. John Paul II explains what to some is a puzzling remark of our Lord with regard to his mother. The Gospel of Luke records the moment when “a woman in the crowd raised her voice” and said to Jesus: “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts that you sucked!” (Lk 11:27). These words were an expression of praise of Mary as Jesus’ mother according to the flesh. Probably... Read more
Jesus’ reply to Mary at Cana When Jesus replied to Mary’s comment about the wine running out at the wedding feast, was he at first refusing her request? Not at all, says St. Alphon-sus. He explains. From the time that Mary came into the world, her only thought, after seeking the glory of God, was to help those in need. And even then she enjoyed the privilege of obtaining whatever she asked. This we know from what occurred at the... Read more
A lesson from the wedding at Cana St. Alphonsus notes that Mary’s action at the wedding feast at Cana shows how she wants to help us even before we ask for her help. Mary, even when living in this world, showed at the marriage feast of Cana the great compassion that she would afterwards exercise toward us in our necessities. Even now it compels her to have pity on us and assist us, even before we ask her to do... Read more
The Catholic Book Blogger
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In