At age 17, Francisco de Borja, son of the wealthy Duke of Gandía, was called to the court of Charles V, King of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor – the most powerful man in the world. His father had obtained for him the prestigious post of chamberlain to Charles’s beloved Queen, Isabel. After twelve […]

“The temple of God, which you are, is holy.”           The normal Ordinary Time Sundays are interrupted once again today. Last Sunday, it was by the austere commemoration of All Souls. Today, it is a joyful interruption, although one with which we are less familiar. The anniversary of the dedication of the Major Papal, Patriarchal […]

            A woman had just died of cancer at age 41. Her son, daughter, and sister were there. I did my best to console them, to bring the light of God’s mercy and love into their sorrow. I had been there before, in the same hospital, perhaps in the same room in the oncology wing, […]

“I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me.” Peter Kreeft is a well-known Catholic apologist who has taught philosophy at Boston College for sixty years. He regularly asks his students to reflect on: “Why would God let you into heaven?” […]

“Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them?”           Our Lord urges us today to persistence and perseverance in prayer. We probably have all experienced times when this kind of faithfulness is difficult, when God does not […]

“Please let me, your servant, have two mule-loads of earth, for I will no longer offer holocaust or sacrifice to any other god except to the LORD.”           Faith begins in wonder, because faith is nurtured by perseverance, perseverance is nurtured by gratitude, and gratitude begins in wonder. That’s where we ended last Sunday. Today, […]

“If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”           It is easy to get discouraged hearing these words. Just when we think our faith is small and insignificant, and when the Apostles go the […]

“Oh no, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.”           It is easy to think that a miracle will solve all your problems. If only God would offer an incontrovertible proof of His existence, or His goodness, then all the faithless or non-practicing members of my family would […]

Dominica XXV per annum, C 21 September, A.D. MMXXV           “I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone … that in every place [you] should pray … without anger or argument.”           St. Paul gives us a challenging task today. How do we pray for those who inspire “anger and argument” […]