On his feast day I’ll let Augustine of Hippo speak for himself with this section from his Confessions, quoted in today’s Office of Readings: Urged to reflect upon myself, I entered under your guidance into the inmost depth of my soul. I was able to do so because you were my helper. On entering into myself […]
In recent years the month of August has become a significant time of rest and regeneration for me and this year the opportunity has continued. Some of these days are vacation in the true sense of the word, not simply a break from regular work routines, but an opportunity to step back and to look […]
Bishop Robert Barron offers a clear and sound reflection for today’s feast of the Assumption. We approach death in fear and trembling. That’s because we are sinners. What would it be like for one without sin to die?
I landed in Rome early last Monday afternoon and early Tuesday morning arrived at St. Peter’s basilica just before it opened at 7. It’s a great time to visit the basilica, early morning, an hour or two before the tourists overtake the pilgrims who arrive early for the first Masses of the day. After vesting […]
Often we think that the environment has to be just right for our prayer. The problem is that most of us struggle to see our own situations as conducive to prayer. If prayer was about us then this would be a difficulty, but the reality is that our prayer is primarily about what God is […]
I have a few days holiday in Italy before beginning vacation with around 300 frlends this weekend, then the following week at the Annual Rimini meeting. More on these events over the next couple of weeks.. As I travel north from Rome I have a couple of nights in Assisi. This morning I visited a […]
This week-end’s (6 August) feast of the Transfiguration of Jesus has got me thinking again about church building. Let me explain the connection. In recent weeks I have been reading about the importance of beauty. Beauty is one of the three transcendentals, not an opinion in the eye of the beholder, but an objective reality that corresponds to […]
I’m a bit of a fan of Wikipedia. While it’s not gospel it gives an easy and helpful initial pathway into a search. Today in honour of the feast of St. John Vianney I typed his name into a search and was quickly inspired: Jean Vianney was “often referred to as the “Curé d’Ars” (i.e., Parish Priest of […]
