In 1656, King John II Casimir of Poland proclaimed the Virgin Mary Queen of his kingdom. At the Shrine of Our Lady of Częstochowa, located in the Jasna Góra Monastery in Southern Poland, an orb and scepter hang to the left of the iconic image of the Black Madonna. Symbols of royal authority, those who watched the recent funeral of Queen Elizabeth II of England, observed her orb and scepter placed on top of her closed casket. The orb at... Read more
Durante mi primer año de estudios en una universidad secular, había un requisito de tomar ya sea un curso introductorio de la Biblia o un curso general de religión. Opté por la segunda opción. Mi profesor era un católico alemán que se especializaba en el islam. La primera asignación del semestre fue leer el Libro de Génesis para discutir las similitudes entre las historias que contiene y varias historias de origen de las antiguas civilizaciones mesopotámicas. Cuando abrí la Biblia... Read more
During my freshman year in college at a secular university, there was a requirement to take either an introductory class on the Bible or a general religion course. I opted for the second choice. My professor was a German Catholic who specialized in Islam. An assignment early in the semester was to read the Book of Genesis in order to discuss the similarities between the stories within it and various origin stories of ancient Mesopotamian civilizations. As I opened the... Read more
The Passion Play of Oberammergau in Southern Germany was first performed in 1633 after the villagers made a promise to God: if the citizens of the village did not die from the plague that was ravishing the region, they would stage the Passion of Jesus Christ every ten years. For 200 years the Passion Play was staged in the cemetery of the village, and due to the growing number of people who came to see it, an outdoor theater was... Read more
During my class on the sacraments while in seminary, the professor showed us a substantial part of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. He explained to us that it was a big deal that cameras were allowed to record the celebration. Some were scandalized that such a sacred rite would be profaned with the presence of cameras. To appease the opposition, an agreement was reached that the Act of Consecration, the most sacred moment of the rite when... Read more
Hace algunos años mientras estudiaba italiano en la hermosa ciudad de Siena en la Toscana, entré a la pequeña biblioteca de la escuela de idiomas y encontré un libro sobre el arte italiano. Ojeando el libro que estaba bien pesado hallé la obra maestra de Fra Angelico, la Anunciación. Después de haber visto esta pintura en diversos lugares, pensé que sería bueno admirarla en persona. Luego de regresar el libro a su lugar, tomé una guía turística de Florencia y... Read more
Several years ago while studying Italian in the beautiful Tuscan town of Siena, I went into the language school’s small library and found a book about Italian art. As I browsed through the significantly heavy book I came across Fra Angelico’s masterpiece of the Annunciation. Having seen it many times before I thought it would be amazing to see it in person. After placing the book back into its place, I grabbed a sightseeing guide of Florence and opened it... Read more
In the past few weeks, a considerable number of Crisis Pregnancy Centers that assist pregnant women and new mothers have been vandalized throughout the country. This has been done by those who oppose the repeal of the Supreme Court Decision Roe v. Wade. Recently, I read about the vandalism at Bethlehem House in Easthampton, Massachusetts where people of good will assist women and their families facing a crisis pregnancy. The words “Jane’s Revenge” and “If abortion isn’t safe, neither are... Read more
Most recall the well-known words of Jesus, “ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.” Today’s Gospel passage is also about asking, seeking and knocking, but the big difference is that door remains locked. Not only that, but the master inside tells the person knocking to get lost because he does not even know him. “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell... Read more
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Student Debt Forgiveness and Future Priests, Religious
One of the biggest hurdles today for young people to enter formation to the priesthood and religious life involves student loans. As all are aware, it is easy for a student to amass thousands of dollars in loans as the cost of higher education continues to increase exponentially. When I went to college 22 years ago, my private university was considered expensive, and it cost about $25,000. Today, it costs almost $60,000! Religious communities for the most part require that... Read more