When Pat was a teen, he was kidnapped, taken to an island and forced to serve a warlord. Six grueling years later, a voice whispered to him in his sleep, “Your hungers are rewarded. You are going home. Look, your ship is ready!” Pat soon escaped to a ship and made it off the island.
Happy St. Stephen’s Day!
If you’re like me, you probably never paid much attention to the lyrics of Good King Wenceslas. Oddly enough, the classic Christmas carol says nothing about Christmas. It does, however, mention the “feast of Stephen,” which falls on December 26.
Our Lady of Guadalupe
Tomorrow we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. It was more than 500 years ago that the Mother of our Lord appeared to Juan Diego on his way to attend a Mass outside Mexico City. Standing in a radiant cloud, she looked like a beautiful Aztec princess; and in his own language she implored Juan to ask his bishop to build a chapel where she stood.
St. Teresa of Avila
Today is the feast day of St. Teresa of Avila, known for reforming the Carmelite order and writing a number of mystical works. Among her writings is her spiritual autobiography, The Interior Castle, in which she humbly describes her lifelong struggles with sin and temptation, even during her religious life in a convent.
Kiss of Peace
As we celebrate the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi, I’m reminded of a scholarship program in the Philippines. Let me explain…