Penance Kindly But Severe
Throughout Lent, the monastic office of Lauds gives us a beautiful hymn whose first words are “Jam Christe sol iustitiae”. Its second and third stanzas give us a lot to think about especially with the present worldwide crisis upon us: Thou Who dost give the accepted time, Give too a heart that mourns for crime, […]
I Myself Will Come
Annunciation The Lord spoke thus to the Prophet Ezechiel: Behold I myself will seek my sheep, and will visit them. As the shepherd visiteth his flock in the day when he shall be in the midst of his sheep that were scattered, so will I visit my sheep, and will deliver them out of all […]
Of Contagion And Joy
Laetare Sunday “ Rejoice, you who were sad” How can we rejoice with the news that reaches us every day of more deaths, more infections, cancelled Masses, closed borders, crashing economy, etc? Is it really possible to rejoice in this situation? The Church’s answer is an emphatic and resounding YES! It is also a command. […]
Lessons From St Benedict
St Benedict “ God loves a cheerful giver” On this day on which we celebrate the the passing of our Holy Father St Benedict to eternal life, I propose to ask our glorious Patriarch for three graces linked with three aspects of his life. First of all, St Benedict, from a very young age – […]
Being Importunate With St Joseph
St Joseph “ Fear not – take Mary” When the angel appeared in that dream, it would be impossible to describe the state of anguish the good St Joseph had been through. He had come to the most difficult decision of his life, that to leave Our Blessed Lady. The thought, even for us, is […]
My Eyes Always To The Lord!
Third Sunday in Lent “My eyes are always towards the Lord” The opening words of today’s Mass, taken from Psalm 24, give us the remedy for all our ills. Trials we must have, sufferings we must bear, delays we must put up with, persecutions we must encounter: in the midst of it all, the secret […]
Leave All To Find All
Second Sunday in Lent “Keep us inwardly and outwardly” Today’s oration bears witness to that realism so characteristic of the ancient Roman liturgy: the composite being that is our human nature has need to be kept in both its facets: interiorly, our soul, created in the image and likeness of God because of its three-fold […]
“Sad, But Always Rejoicing”
First Sunday in Lent “Sad, but always rejoicing” Today’s liturgy presents to us the spiritual combat of which Our Blessed Lord Himself gives us the example in His 40 days in the desert. After his long fast, he was tired and weak, and the devil came at that precise moment, thinking to win an easy […]
Not Knowing Where He Would Go
Quinquagesima Sunday “Behold we go up to Jerusalem” As we prepare to enter the threshold of Lent, Holy Mother Church reminds us of the goal: we are heading to Calvary, and through Calvary, to the Resurrection. As we do so, two precious lessons are given to us. The first is presented in the story of […]