Category Archives: Art and Culture

Holy Family Sunday: a Snapshot of Chaos and Joy! Reply

by • Art and Culture, Liturgical Logic • Tags: , , , ,

Reflection for the First Sunday of Christmas, Feast of the Holy Family, Year A

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The time for waiting is over! Now it’s time for Joy! Kid’s are here to remind us what Christmas is all about.

If we could sum up the logic of the liturgical calendar in one word, the word would be Christ. It makes sense then that Christmas is the season of Joy, because we celebrate Jesus’ new born presence in the here-and-now of our lives.

It can be a great downer when Christmas comes and we’re not finding that joy, here and now. We may just find the opposite. We might even find chaos, instead of joy. What does the liturgy for the first Sunday of Christmas offer to console us?

Chaos! More…

The Immaculate Heart of Mary, Icon of Virtue 2

by • Art and Culture, New Evangelization • Tags: , ,
Icon of the Immaculate Heart in Byzantine style

Icon of the Immaculate Heart in Byzantine style

On today’s memorial feast of the Immaculate Heart, I want to honor Mary with a reflection on her virtues, which we are all called to imitate, all of which center on the one true thing — love for Christ. I selected 5 icons of the Blessed Virgin to aid me in this reflection, and I hope they will help you reflect and ponder more deeply the mysteries of Mary and Jesus in your life. More…

Our Lady of Light: The Luminous Mysteries 4

by • Art and Culture, New Evangelization • Tags: , , , ,
Our Lady of LIght

Our Lady of Light

Saint John Paul II, the Great — if he weren’t the so humble — could boast more major accomplishments than any world leader of 20th Century, and arguably, more than any person over the past 20 centuries.

Having visited 125 countries during his pontificate, he traveled to more places than all of his predecessors and successors combined. Fluent in 13 languages, he could address the crowds with cheerful candor in their mother tongue. While the media speculated the waning effects of his mass appeal, More…

The Penitent Magdalene and True Conversion of Heart 4

by • Art and Culture, Lent, Spiritual Lights (Fr Jason Smith) • Tags: , , , ,

By Fr Jason Smith

I have found no better representation of conversion and penance in art than The Penitent Magdalene, by George de la Tour. Though simple, it expresses the essential elements behind every conversion, and we can find in it powerful lessons to apply to our own life. Let’s take a closer look.

The Penitent Magdalen, George de la Tour

More…

Mary of Nazareth 1

by • Art and Culture, New Evangelization • Tags: , , , ,

Movie Review

German actress Alissa Jung brilliantly portrays Mary of Nazareth

German actress Alissa Jung brilliantly portrays Mary of Nazareth

I’m glad I had the chance to attend the second sold-out showing of Mary of Nazareth, hosted by St Brendan the Navigator Catholic Church at AMC Theaters in Cumming, Georgia, yesterday. This one definitely had me pondering the life of Mary, and left me saying to myself, I need to see it again. Hopefully, the parish will host a third showing, because I think everyone with devotion to Mary in their heart needs to see it. More…

The Best Thing About Last Night’s Superbowl Was the National Anthem 4

by • Art and Culture • Tags: ,

Best National Anthem Ever!

How original of the NFL to have only one team play in the Super Bowl last night. None of us were expecting that.

The best play of the game was, by far — No, not the Joe Namath fake coin toss — Renée Fleming’s singing the National Anthem. She stole the night! More…

Do You Know the Immaculate Conception? 6

by • Art and Culture, New Evangelization • Tags: , , , , , ,
Exhibit A

Exhibit A

In honor of the Immaculate Conception

For today’s solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, I decided to issue a challenge. Two challenges, actually. The first challenge is…

Can you identify which one of these depictions of the Immaculate Conception was painted by Murillo?  More…

Christ’s Transfiguration: Depending on God in Turbulent Times 9

by • Art and Culture, New Evangelization • Tags: , , , , , ,

Blaise Pascal once wrote:

“In faith there is enough light for those who want to believe and enough shadows to blind those who don’t.”

The picture above, taken from the bottom portion of Rafael’s Transfiguration,could stand on its own as separate painting. As a composition, it appears to be complete. Yet even to the viewing eye,  it certainly lacks something. By itself, its meaning is not clear. More…

The Glorious Mysteries in Color 5

by • Art and Culture, Spiritual Lights (Fr Jason Smith) • Tags: , , , , ,

By Fr Jason Smith

I came across some old statues of the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary in Stony Point, New York, and as both Easter and Biltrix are on my mind, I immediately thought of posting some pictures of them. More…

“Warm Bodies,” a Classic Romantic-Comedy Zombie Sci-Fi Thriller 19

by • Art and Culture • Tags: , , ,

I don’t go to the movies that often, and when I do, I don’t normally make it a zombie movie. But when I saw the trailer for “Warm Bodies,” something told me I’ve got to see this one.

Unexpectedly clean social commentary that makes you laugh at yourself

Unexpectedly clean social commentary that makes you laugh at yourself

Before I get started, the only disclaimer I’d like to make is that I’m not recommending “Warm Bodies” as a “film for the whole family to enjoy.” I’m not even suggesting that you should see it, but if you More…