Sede Sapientiae, ora pro nobis
“The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord” (Isaiah 11:2-3)
Today, the Church contemplates the Incarnation of Divine Wisdom, who is the Word of God. More…
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, Rejoice! Let your forbearance be known to all, for the Lord is near at hand; have no anxiety about anything, but in all things, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God. — Lord, you have blessed your land; you have turned away the captivity of Jacob” — Philippians 4:4–6; Psalm 85:1
The Introit of today’s Mass invites us to Rejoice in the Lord.
Thanks. What’s an introit? More…
There are many profound reasons why the newborn Jesus was laid in a manger, or better said, a feeding trough. It shows that right from the first moment of his life he is the bread of life, giving himself to us as food. Even the name Bethlehem means, “house of bread”. It also shows that Jesus has embraced poverty and so he identifies with all the poor of the world. It also shows that he is not afraid of humbling himself in order to dwell in an imperfect place. More…
Desert Rose, a Sign of Contradiction, expresses the meaning and color of Gaudete Sunday
As I’m going over tomorrow’s readings for Gaudete Sunday, I find myself asking with John the Baptist, am I looking for the right thing?
The first words of the first reading: the desert and the parched land…
Second reading, first words: Be Patient…
In the first line of the Gospel reading we learn: John the Baptist is in prison…. More…
“If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23)
Reflections on the Kingdom for Advent by Fr Martin Connor, LC
Contained in Christ’s invitation to his followers (but often missed) is actually a four-stage process to check your realism in the daily following of the Lord through sacrifice.
We can break this invitation up into four parts: (1) “if anyone wishes, (2) he must deny himself, (3) take up his cross, and (4) follow me.” More…
“May God our Father, enlighten the eyes of our hearts, so that we may see the great hope to which we are called in Christ Jesus”(Ephesians 1:18).
Hope is the first characteristic in constructing this new creation born in Christ through baptism, how could it be otherwise?
From the very beginning of human existence, the battle for the human heart was at stake: More…
If we’ve been living Advent with interest, we’ve probably prepared the nativity scene (minus the Christ child), prepared Advent candles, listened attentively to the readings and beautiful liturgical prayers at Mass, and perhaps taken a little extra time for spiritual reading and retreat, in order to prepare ourselves to celebrate Christ’s birth at Christmas.
Today’s second Advent tip is simply to More…
Reflection for the Second Week of Advent, by Fr Martin Connor
To establish the Kingdom is to teach Christ by giving Christ.
To give Christ is to teach that love is a choice, the choice of making yourself a gift to the other rather than use another as a means for some pleasure or end, which is so very common in our world.
Ultimately, love is a choice for Good over evil. More…
In the Gospel reading for the Second Sunday of Advent, John the Baptist proclaims:
“The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!”
Over the next few days, we will offer some reflections on the Kingdom by Fr Martin Connor to help us to “Prepare the way of the Lord.”
Exhibit A
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…
Biltrix 