At this late hour, restless Jerusalem is finally beginning to quiet herself. One by one, the lamps shining in windows are extinguished as the inhabitants of the Holy City turn in for the night. Yet in one large, villa-like house, the glow from the upstairs window remains undimmed. Within, a most extraordinary conversation is taking place.
Read MoreSt. Augustine is famous for saying, among other things, that the New Testament is concealed in the Old and the Old revealed in the New … Several years ago, I first came upon what was for me a particularly poignant foreshadowing of Christ’s Passion, hidden within the depths of the Book of Leviticus.
Read MoreAs anyone who has followed the Lord for some time can attest, there are certain aspects of our Faith that simply cannot be grasped right away. It takes time, prayer, and spiritual growth to ready our hearts for these more mysterious realities. One of the greatest of these mysteries is the wisdom of the Cross – that is, the intimate connection between suffering and love.
Read More“In the sacred books, the Father Who is in Heaven meets His children with great love and speaks with them; and the force and power in the word of God is so great that it remains the support and energy of the Church, the strength of faith for her sons, the food of the soul, the pure and perennial source of the spiritual life.”
Read MoreWhile the shepherds received a direct and unambiguous revelation from the mouths of angels, the Wise Men were led only by a mysterious star. The shepherds knew exactly where to find Jesus in the cave at Bethlehem; the Magi at first sought the “newborn King of the Jews” in the great city of Jerusalem, where one would expect to find an earthly ruler.
Read MoreHe is coming! This refrain re-echoes in the Church’s liturgy throughout the Advent season, but during this final week before Christmas, the expectant Bride of Christ redoubles her enthusiastic expectation. The readings for this Sunday focused in a special way on the First Coming of Christ – the Incarnation – and how God prepared the way for His Son to enter into human history.
Read MoreHave you ever wondered why religious life is not a Sacrament? The reason is simple: the Sacraments are signs of the Heavenly kingdom, while consecration is the reality of Heavenly life, begun here on earth. As such, while all the Sacraments will ultimately pass away, religious life will endure even in Heaven – because there, every soul is totally consecrated to God!
Read MoreOur Lord’s words to the lone thankful leper (“Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?”) provide a window into the way our ingratitude grieves His Heart. We as Passionists, however, have the great joy of being able to console Him by our vow of gratitude – “to promote devotion to and grateful remembrance of the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ”!
Read MoreWhy, some may ask, is humility so important after all? The answer lies in our creation in the image and likeness of God. "Humble yourself the more, the greater you are," urges our First Reading, and the greatest example of this is God Himself.
Read MorePerhaps we are not struggling with mortal sin, but how closely do we resemble God? Our standard for holiness is not “everybody else,” but the Lord Himself: “Be perfect, even as your Heavenly Father is perfect.”
Read MoreThe Greek word that our translation renders as “burdened” literally means “pulled away”; Martha’s anxiety over her “to-do list” was actually pulling her heart and attention away from Jesus. This is a classic example of how the devil loves to take a thing that is good in itself and make it into an obstacle, by encouraging us to place excessive focus on it.
Read MoreSt. Peter writes in his first epistle that we are “partakers in the divine nature,” and St. Paul repeatedly asserts that all those who are baptized are filled with the very Spirit of God. How would it change our approach to evangelization and catechesis if we fully grasped the implications of this awe-inspiring truth?
Read MoreSt. John could have truthfully written that “The dwelling of God is in the heavens, and He will reign as sovereign forever.” However, what the Lord said to him was rather different: “The dwelling of God is with the human race. He will dwell with them … and God Himself will always be with them as their God.” Of all the features He could have chosen to highlight in His description of the new creation, God focuses on His closeness to humanity.
Read MoreThis Sunday, we began the time traditionally known as “Passiontide” – those days leading up to the great feasts of our Redemption during Holy Week. How fitting, as we turn to a greater focus on Our Lord’s suffering out of love for us, that Mother Church offers us a beautiful Gospel about Christ’s love and mercy towards a particular sinner.
Read MoreJust as we in the USA are deeply concerned when our fellow Americans are in danger in a foreign country, so the Saints and angels take a personal interest in our welfare as members of the Church Militant. What greater support could we ask in our daily battle for the Kingdom of Christ?
Read More“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you …” Such an approach obviously runs counter to our natural instincts, and it takes the grace of Christ to make such a lifestyle even possible. But when that grace is given and received, how amazing the results can be!
Read MoreOur Lord’s first sermon at Nazareth is vehemently rejected and almost leads to His death. Why, a Sister asked, does God send His messengers (and even His Son!) when He knows they will not be accepted? And how could a person with such an apparently “fruitless” mission find strength to persevere?
Read MoreAs always, Holy Mother Church uses the first Sunday of this season to call our attention to the Baptism of Jesus, the beginning of His public ministry which we will be exploring throughout the coming weeks.
Read MoreThe Visitation is the sudden manifestation of the Spirit’s hidden work in the lives of Mary and Elizabeth, and the vibrant joy of this moment echoes down even to our own day.
Read MorePassionists often refer to our unique religious habit as the “garment of mourning and penance,” so what are we to make of Our Lord’s command to “take off the garb of mourning?” Isn’t it He Who called us to wear this garb in the first place? The answer lies in the deeper mystery of what it means to be a Passionist.
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