“Oh, Lord, I want to be in that number, when the Saints go marching in!” Like every good New Orleanian, I always interpreted the song “When the Saints Go Marching In” as a prophecy of the impossible regarding the day … Continue reading
Author Archives: dbrindle
Mirrors of Mercy
Dominicana is happy to offer this audio recording of “Mirrors of Mercy,” a reflection given at last night’s Vigil of All Saints by Br. Irenaeus Dunlevy. The vigil focused on readings from four saints: John Chrysostom, Catherine of Siena, John Paul … Continue reading
The Unkempt Man
Brother’s having a really rough day. He wakes up at 7:08 am, throws on his habit, bounds bleary-eyed down two flights of stairs, and makes it to the chapel as the lector finishes the first reading. After Mass, Brother finishes … Continue reading
Light in the Darkness
Light veils monsters to weak eyes. This fact is familiar if you’ve ever been spotted in the dark. A blinding flash fills your doe eyes, abruptly ending your midnight escapades. Frozen, you hold your breath, waiting to see who is … Continue reading
Love’s Hatred
Some Christians have misgivings about the slogan “Love the sinner; hate the sin.” For them, the slogan seems “judgmental” and, therefore, fundamentally unchristian. I can understand a certain amount of suspicion. We don’t want to turn into fault-finders or to … Continue reading
Should We Preach to the Choir?
We don’t know how to agree with people we agree with. We are reminded daily that our country is riven by disagreements and that we have little hope of crossing the many cultural, political, moral, and religious divides. It’s perhaps … Continue reading
The Light of the World
“The Light of the World” Why do you knock like a guest long forgotten?The door remains locked, its heavy frame rotten,While a tangle of vines adorns lintel and post. I come to awaken my slumbering host. Why … Continue reading
Give Us Wisdom to Govern
“Give me, therefore, wisdom and knowledge to govern this people, for otherwise who could rule this vast people of yours?” (2 Chr 1:9–10) Ascending the throne of Israel, Solomon trembled inside. King David, Solomon’s father, had ruled a united Israel … Continue reading
The Visceral Reality of God’s Love
I once heard a preacher tell his congregation that Catholics have a peculiar fascination with the gruesomeness of the crucifixion and that this sick fixation on “gore” was behind the death and darkness now celebrated on Halloween. “They love their … Continue reading
The Waters Have Risen to My Neck
“Do not babble like the pagans doThinking many words louder than few.”But I can merely mumble oneAt the smashing news: I am heard in none. I met a woman this summer, poor and weary, working 60 hours a week as … Continue reading
Fixer Uppers
We all need to be fixed. Of course, we generally try to avoid admitting this to each other, and so it’s often God Who gets to hear the most about our brokenness. “Jesus, I really hurt my brother this morning. … Continue reading
Heaven on Earth
Holiness is not something that we will get to someday. We are called to holiness today by living life for the sake of Heaven day by day. We have a tendency to be hobbits, elves, or dwarfs—and all in the … Continue reading
The Perfection of Prayer
Dominicana > Home / Prayer / The Perfection of Prayer Nobody likes to be bad at things. If we are bad at something, we stay as far away from it as possible so that people don’t realize just how bad … Continue reading
The Shackles of Love
In the 2007 movie Juno, a married man waiting to adopt a child gets cold feet. He not only backs out of the adoption, but he also leaves his wife. While he’s working toward this decision, he laments that his … Continue reading
Godly Speech
It was said of our Holy Father Dominic that he always spoke either with God or about God. Likewise, Blessed Jordan of Saxony tells us that “he dedicated the day to his neighbor, but gave the night to God.” Now, … Continue reading
A Thrown Away Culture
Throughout his pontificate, Pope Francis has spoken out against a modern “throwaway culture.” The Holy Father has perceived this culture in a variety of attitudes present today, from consumerist demands for disposable products, to a lack of care for creation, … Continue reading
It was good for me to be afflicted?
After years of interrogation at the hands of the Soviet secret police, the American Jesuit Walter Ciszek reached a breaking point. He had been falsely accused of spying for the Vatican and was subjected to isolation and near starvation. As … Continue reading
Mary’s Roses: For the Family, for Peace
I learned to pray the Rosary as many Catholic children through the centuries have done, sitting with and listening to the (striving-to-be) holy matriarchs of my family. My mamá and my abuelas taught me about the love of the Holy … Continue reading
Marco Polo
“Marco!” “Polo!” “Marco!” “Polo!” If you’ve spent more than ten minutes at a public pool during summer vacation, there’s a good chance you’ve heard these familiar words being yelled by children enjoying their time off from school. It’s a simple … Continue reading
Angels and Afterparties
What color are an angel’s wings? White, of course. Unless they’re red, or gold, or black, or a rainbow, or any variety of shades. It seems that Christian artists through the centuries have had imaginations much more active than ours. Why bother … Continue reading
Lessons From The Garden
The medievals spoke of the Book of Scripture and the Book of Nature, both offering knowledge of God. Even within Scripture, men read from the Book of Nature: Adam naming the animals, Isaiah describing salvation as a desert in bloom, … Continue reading
Election Day
I don’t envy Trump or Clinton. They sit underneath the public microscope. Critics from either party want whatever dirt they can find. They clamor for financial statements and medical records. Such scrutiny would make any of us squirm. But just … Continue reading
The Love of God?
Dominicana > Home / Bible, Catholicism, Culture, Discipleship, Theological Virtues, Theology, Virtue / The Love of God? Nicholas Kristof’s Reduced Christianity Posted on September 16, 2016 by: Br. Alan Piper, O.P. A couple weeks ago, New York Times columnist Nicholas … Continue reading
Preaching Reality
Dominicana > Home / Dominican Order, Evangelization, Jubilarians of the Province of St. Joseph, Prayer, Preaching / Preaching Reality Posted on September 19, 2016 by: Br. Henry Stephan, O.P. Editor’s note: This is the first post in a series that honors the religious lives … Continue reading
Preacher, Professor, and Author Extraordinaire
Dominicana > Home / Dominican Order, Friendship & Happiness, Jubilarians of the Province of St. Joseph, Virtue & Moral Life / Preacher, Professor, and Author Extraordinaire An interview with Fr. Basil Cole, O.P. Posted on September 20, 2016 by: Br. … Continue reading