In the book The Silmarillion by JRR Tolkien, the creation of Middle Earth is described as cosmic musical composition, a harmonious and melodious work of beauty and order. This is, how I think, St. Cecilia must have perceived the universe. She had an affinity for creating beautiful music which in turn must have led her …
Category: Cloud of Witnesses
Siblings united in love, prayer and the pursuit of holiness: on the feast day of St. Scholastica
My sister claims that she “mooched” off of my conversion experience; she says that she benefited from the graces that I received as if they were her own. This is true: she did gain from my experience and I thank God for it. But at the same time I also believe to have gained from …
St. Charles de Foucauld’s Silent Witness of Surrender
Many years ago, I watched a foreign film about a man who experienced a profound conversion from hedonism to Christ and became a hermit in the Sahara desert where he was eventually martyred. He was living amidst a nomadic North African tribe, serving them, and praying in solitude up until his last moments. The movie …
St. Albert Magnus’ Encounter with Our Lady
St. Albert the Great, the patron of scientists, is known as the Universal Doctor because he studied the natural sciences and commented on a wide range of them. He was one of the most greatest thinkers of the Middle Ages. Being highly interested in the natural sciences, he studied everything that he could, everything observable …
The Passion of Christ and St. Paul of the Cross
“Passion of Christ, strengthen me.” That’s one of the lines from the prayer Anima Christi (Soul of Christ). I have been repeating these words from time to time. The passion of Christ is strength, it is power, it is victory. Christ waged war on the enemy of souls and conquered him – – it was …
Blessed Carlo Acutis and his Witness of Childlike Holiness
There is much that can be learned from the example of those who are younger than us, especially children, if we but have have the humility to learn from them. Lately I have been learning from a 15 year old named Carlo whose life inspires me. He was just a regular kid who played video …
Meeting Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos
I was first introduced to today’s Saint, Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, in 2005. That winter, I was hospitalized for chronic lung failure, a result of Duchenne muscular dystrophy for which I required a tracheostomy and ventilator. It was a rough time for me for sure. Thankfully, my family and good friends came to visit me …
A Visit with Padre Pio
Presently it doesn’t seem very likely that I’ll ever be able to go visit San Giovanni Rotondo, the resting place of St. Padre Pio. My sister and close family members have been there to the Shrine of St. Padre Pio and shared stories about being there. So, when I heard that the relics of St. …
Reflections on Saint Luke and his Gospel
Unknown Icon Painter, Russian (2nd half of 17th century) – Web Gallery of Art: Image Info about artwork, Public Domain, Link We do well to think about St. Luke’s Gospel on his Feast Day. St. Luke, said to have been an artist who painted or wrote the first icon of the Blessed Virgin, paints …