Meditations for the spiritual edification of our readers
Hymns That Remind Us the Christian Life is a Battle to Be Won By Anthony Esolen All Saints’ Day is upon us, and that means that Catholics in English-speaking countries may well be singing the mighty “For All the Saints,” the only hymn most of us have all year long that refers to the Christian [...]
Jesus knows the evil in every heart, yet He will defend each of us By Anthony Esolen The Crucifixion painted by Andrea Mantegna for the altar of San Zeno in Verona (Italy). The Resurrection painted by Andrea Mantegna. It is a panel now in the Musee des Beaux-Arts in [...]
By Father El Meskeen Orthodox Prayer, Part 4. Excerpts From Chapter 2 of the book Orthodox Prayer, by Matta El-Meskeen, Coptic monastic reformer and spiritual father of the Monastery of St. Macarius. Man’s modern tendency to make prayer self-referential flies in the face of true prayer... “Holy, Holy Holy” (Is 6:3) is the transcendent essence of [...]
By Robert Wiesner One of the most puzzling verses in Scripture is from St. Matthew’s Gospel: “...the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” (Matthew 11:12) There are a great many interpretations available to the curious Christian; disagreements even among the Fathers are distressingly easy to find! First, clearly sheep, sheepfolds [...]
“You Persecute Me...Enough of It Now! Enter Into the True Fold, God’s Kingdom on Earth.” By ITV Staff Grotto of the Three Fountains in Rome Bruno Cornacchiola and his family Across the road from Rome’s San Paolo alle Tre Fontane (“St. Paul at the Three Fountains”) abbey and church, there is the [...]
Madonna of the Host, painted by Jean-Auguste Ingres, now in the Museum d'Orsay, Paris Contemplative Riches of the Mass, Part IV From the Book Mother of Our Savior and the Interior Life, By Rev. Reginald Garrigou-lagrange, O.P. By a Hermitess It is most becoming to insist here a little on what Holy Mass and Holy [...]
Look to the small, the unconsidered trifle, for the great and hidden things of God. By Prof. Anthony Esolen "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself" (Genesis 1:11) “The kingdom of heaven,” says the Lord, “is like [...]
“Its Effect is to Hold the World Together” By Father El Meskeen Orthodox Prayer, Part 3. Continuing Our Prayerful Examination of the Book Orthodox Prayer, by Matta El-meskeen, Coptic Monastic Reformer and Spiritual Father of the Monastery of St. Macarius, We Take a Look Now at the Conclusion of Chapter One, With Some Selected Inspiring Sayings [...]
Conon the Gardener By Robert Wiesner Sometimes Christians are a little bit prone to concentrate on the flashier aspects of our Faith. We take great delight in startling miracles or spectacular apparitions, much to the detriment of finding nuggets of wisdom hidden in apparently more mundane matters. Here, perhaps, the life and career of Conon, a [...]
This Year Marks an Important Spiritual Moment for England: the Country is Being “Re-consecrated” to Mary as Her Dowry... By ITV Staff Pope Francis blesses the new Mary's Dowry painting by Amanda de Pulford on February 15 in Rome as Cardinal Nichols looks on In a historic act that harkens back to the year [...]
