When Francis of Assisi lay dying on October 3rd, 1226, his final act of faith was focused on an act of humility. He commanded his friars to strip him naked and lay him on the bare earth so that he might return to God as he came into the world. In effect, this was the […]
St. Vincent de Paul
This feast day of St. Vincent de Paul offers us a perfect opportunity to consider the topic of poverty and our role in bringing comfort and hope to those who suffer. St. Vincent de Paul lived in eighteenth century France and saw all about him the needs of the poor and marginalized. His desire was […]
Feast of Saints Peter and Paul
This Saturday is the feast day of the martyrdom of Saints Peter and Paul. God couldn’t have chosen a more diametrically opposed pair than these two men to lead his Church – Peter the rugged fisherman and Paul the learned scholar. Come to think of it, Jesus’ disciples seemed like a motley crew in general. […]
Answering the call
As the American Catholic Church celebrates the feast of St. Katharine Drexel today, I am reminded of the words of the prophet Isaiah, “if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday” […]
Hail, Christ our King!
Where are the borders of Christ’s kingdom? Are they racial? National? Planetary? Galactic? It seems absurd to try to place any limit on Christ’s reign. When we say his kingdom is “not of this world” (John 18:36), we’re not putting God in a box – we’re putting this world in a box and confessing that […]
