“Here is my secret. It is very simple: one sees well only with the heart. The essential is invisible to the eyes.” In Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s novella The Little Prince, a wise fox whispers this secret into the Prince’s ear. … Continue reading
Author Archives: dbrindle
Hardly Idyllic
The Holy Family had a rough start, don’t you think? To begin with, it almost ended before it started. Mary was found to be with child, in a pregnancy planned by God but unplanned by men. So “Joseph, being a … Continue reading
The Face of an Angel
Yesterday we celebrated the birth of the Son of God. Today we remember the death of a man. Through Advent we watched for the coming of God, before being surprised to see angelic hosts and to hear the cry of … Continue reading
I Spy with My Little Eye
And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger… And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. Lk 2:16, … Continue reading
Dominicana Journal: Winter 2016 print issue is here!
Merry Christmas! The newest issue of the print journal has arrived! Dominicana is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its founding as a print journal. Discontinued in 1968, refounded in 2011, this publication gives you the writings of the student brothers, … Continue reading
Living in the Light
Once, in botany class, I conducted a memorable experiment. After planting a number of beans, I placed half of the young sprouts in a greenhouse and half in a dark cupboard. Each day, I would water the young plants and … Continue reading
Jesus Christ, King of Thieves
O Rex Gentium, et desideratus earum,lapisque angularis, qui facis utraque unum:veni, et salva hominem,quem de limo formasti. O King of the nations, and their desire,the cornerstone making both one:Come and save the human race,which you fashioned from clay. The O … Continue reading
O Emmanuel
Continuing our series on the O Antiphons, we come today to our final one. Widely known for its use (although paraphrased) as the title verse in “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” it is used in the ultimate evening prayer of … Continue reading
Locking Out Jesus
Jesus is the One who holds the keys to Heaven, but there is one door He won’t unlock without permission: the door of our hearts. Christmas is close, and today the Church’s liturgy calls upon Christ as the Key of … Continue reading
Do Not Delay
Why is procrastination so appealing? The temptation to put things off can feel irresistible at times, and it always seems like there are good reasons to justify it. There are always other tasks that can be found to keep the … Continue reading
Cold Comfort
Ebenezer Scrooge, visited already by several Spirits, “was ready for a good broad field of strange appearances…nothing between a baby and rhinoceros would have astonished him very much.” I’ve had the pleasure of thinking about Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol … Continue reading
Advent Conference Audio: Mother Teresa
Dominicana is happy to offer this audio recording of “Jesus Messed Everything Up.” It was given by Br. John Thomas Fisher, O.P. as part of the 2016 Advent Conferences at the Dominican House of Studies. Series flyer with more information … Continue reading
Are You Lonely?
John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt. 3:2). This Advent, John the Baptist invites us to go out into the desert to prepare for the … Continue reading
Don’t Drive Like Me, Brother
Advent is filled with John the Baptist moments. John the Baptist is like the siren at the head of a motorcade, waking us up to the arrival of someone important. What’s he saying? “Prepare the way of the Lord, make … Continue reading
Christmas Shopping
What hath Christ to do with Versace? I remember a Christmas morning interview with Cardinal Dolan, the archbishop of New York, on The Today Show. Asked how he felt living on 5th Avenue, in the heart of a world-renowned shopping … Continue reading
Bethlehem Donkeys
Since I was little, I’ve known that the way to Bethlehem is best traveled “con mi burrito sabanero” (with my little savannah donkey). I first learned this from a Venezuelan Christmas carol (here with English subtitles) that sings: Con mi … Continue reading
The Way of Happiness
No one can fail to wish to be happy or to seek after happiness. But we are reminded on every side that we have not found it yet. We are still yearning and seeking after happiness, or after someone to … Continue reading
Who Am I?
The philosopher wonders, “why am I here?” He considers the natural order, man’s place within it, and the thoughts of others who have sought to understand man’s nature and what fulfills it. The religious person gratefully asks God, “why did … Continue reading
Slouching Toward Bethlehem
Imagine a world where everyone is hunched over. An exaggerated convex curvature of the spine encumbers all. We’re just born this way. We can function, but it’s labored. Everything requires more effort. It feels like everything that’s good is on … Continue reading
Advent Conference Audio: Louis and Zélie Martin
Dominicana is happy to offer this audio recording of “And They Sought Him.” It was given by Br. Josemaría Guzmán-Domínguez, O.P. as part of the 2016 Advent Conferences at the Dominican House of Studies. Series flyer with more info found … Continue reading
The Dissolving and Splitting of Solid Things
Throwback Tuesday He stood alone on the stones, his mess-tin spilled at his feet. Out of the vortex, rifling the air it came – bright, brass-shod, Pandoran; with all-filling screaming the howling crescendo’s up-piling snapt. The universal world, breath held, … Continue reading
Misunderstanding Marathons
I don’t understand running. I mean, if you’re being chased by a bear, sure, by all means, run. Or playing sports? Of course. But going out to run for fun? I don’t get it. That’s an awful lot of energy … Continue reading
A Catechism Around Your Neck
“The Blessed Virgin is waiting for you,” the child whispered. St. Catherine Labouré, a novice in the Daughters of Charity, was gently woken from her sleep by a small, luminous child beckoning her to follow him to the chapel. It … Continue reading
Advent Conference Audio: Elizabeth of the Trinity
Dominicana is happy to offer this audio recording of “The Dark Light of Sister Elizabeth.” It was given by Br. Isaiah Beiter, O.P. as the first installment of the 2016 Advent Conferences at the Dominican House of Studies. Series flyer … Continue reading
Let It Linger
Perhaps it’s due to the oft-decried commercialization of Christmas, but it’s awful easy to just drift toward the big day itself, pushed and pulled by the currents of consumer culture until we wash up on the shore of December 26th, … Continue reading