“Who do you say that I Am?” Source Let’s prepare ourselves for the end of the liturgical year, the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King: God did not intend Israel to have a kingdom . . . The law was to be Israel’s king, and through the law, God himself . . . God yielded to Israel’s obstinacy and so devised a new kidn of kingship for them. The King is Jesus; in him God entered humanity and... Read more
Deacon Greg brings us a look at a secret ordination that took place at Dachau: Leisner was diagnosed with tuberculosis, and in Dachau his condition began to deteriorate. Fearing that the great dream of his life — to be a priest — would never be realized, he and the priests in his cellblock secretly sent a petition to a local cardinal (aided here, and in so many areas, by a heroic nun known as the “Angel of Dachau,” Sister Imma... Read more
The Dominican Sisters of Mary will be featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show on Tuesday, November 23rd. Some may remember that this community–which is a good friend to this blog–made an appearance with Oprah back in February of this year. This will be a brand-new episode that includes interviews with foundresses Mother Assumpta, Sr. Joseph Andrew, Sr. Mary Samuel, Sr. John Dominic and other Sisters, as well as on-site filming of the First and Final Profession Masses and this year’s... Read more
15th-century Madonna Della Strada at Gesu One of our first stops in Rome was to Gesu, which was around the corner from our lodgings. I fell in love with this Madonna and Child. Amid all of the beauty of that church, and it is very grand and gorgeous, this simple image stood out. Our Lady of the Way, or Our Lady of the Road. With the liturgical year ending, the work (thankfully, blessedly) increasing, I realize I need to take... Read more
I want to go to there. Yes. I want to go to there. I want to go to the retreats with the retreating nuns who are preparing for the new liturgical year by taking rather long retreats into silence, prayer and study. I want to go to there. I want to go to there, now. Read more
Inexplicably, a little moist-eyed over here after watching this. Not sure why. But I loved it. Deacon Greg says wouldn’t you like to be greeted like this in heaven? Read more
For American Catholics who pay attention, today’s big news is the surprise election of Archbishop Timothy Dolan as President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Dolan counts himself among the surprised (Photo: CNS/Nancy Wiechec) Personally, I think this is a terrific selection. Dolan is a very pastoral, humble and joyful presence. He is faithful, but for the most part he does not come down like a hammer (his parlays with the NY Times notwithstanding). Our bishops are charged... Read more
I just love this picture of Col. Allen West showing up for his five day congressional orientation: Yup. Got my military helmet bag; always ready for a battle, and I’m taking names and notes. Yup, my tie does sort of match my bag; you like that, right? Yup, I look good standing in this doorway. Yup, yup, yup. Great picture. I do not anticipate Congressman West to sit around becoming part of the wallpaper, hiding out between election years. Read more
My Tuesday column is up: It was not the Marxist ideal in communism that was in error, really. It was that communism was compelled, rather than voluntary. Sometimes a sympathizer with classical Marxist ideology will write to me expounding on the compassionate and generous instincts that he believes are at the heart of Marxism, and reminding me that the Acts of the Apostles describes “wealth distribution” as a social good. All who believed were together and had all things in... Read more
When Deacon Greg Kandra showed me his homily for yesterday, I wrote to him that he had written “the best piece I have yet seen on the slaughter of Iraqi Christians; it rounds out what is missing in the secular coverage.” One of the [Iraqi] parishioners put it so simply, and so beautifully. He said that he returned because the week before he hadn’t finished his prayers. I need to finish them, he said. A woman with a bandage around... Read more
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