Thanksgiving is over. Hopefully we all had a pleasant time and remembered to keep being thankful for all of the blessings God has placed in our lives. But, if there is any truth at all in the stereotype presented to … Continue reading
Author Archives: dbrindle
Blood Washing Blood
In a famous scene of a famous play, a semi-conscious Lady Macbeth wanders around the stage and feverishly rubs her hands together in an attempt to clean blood from them, blood which only she can see. Out of pride and … Continue reading
Strengthen Me With Raisin Cakes
Some people say that the Bible is like a “love letter” from God. That’s hard to take when you’re sitting in the pew, listening to a lector mumble a reading filled with ancient names and places, and you suddenly realize … Continue reading
The Voice of Thanks
Today is a day to remember your deepest identity—one made in the image and likeness of God. To be made in his image is to be given the command from God in the Garden of Eden: fill the earth (Gen … Continue reading
Friendship is Rooted in Charity
Who is your best friend? How do you define your relationship? Perhaps you know what brings each other joy and you will that for each other. According to the dictionary definition, a friend is someone who is “one attached to … Continue reading
Roots
A tree’s fruit should reveal the quality of its root. What a man says and does should reveal the quality of his heart. The root of a righteous act is a heart converted to God. Rooted like this, one’s heart … Continue reading
The Mind of Fear
Brother Phobos sat forlorn on one of the many rock formations encircling his small hermitage in Egypt’s Scetis Valley. With each gurgle of his stomach, his thoughts became increasingly distraught. He had prayed his psalms, tidied up his small monastic … Continue reading
Cries from the Depths
Cries from the Depths Dominicana is happy to offer this audio recording of “Cries from the Depths,” a reflection given at the Vigil of All Saints by Br. Joseph Martin Hagan, O.P. The vigil focused on readings from four saints: John … Continue reading
The Need to Abide in Love
In today’s liturgy, we read from the Second Letter of St. John. Tomorrow, we will read from his Third. And beginning next Monday, we will work through his Apocalypse (Revelation) until the beginning of Advent. Ending the liturgical year with … Continue reading
A Humble Love
On March 7, 1274, Saint Thomas Aquinas died. His teacher Saint Albert the Great was around 80 years old at the time. Tradition tells us that St. Albert was profoundly affected by St. Thomas’ death, as seems natural for men … Continue reading
Poor Wayfaring Strangers
November is a month of hope for the Christian. In this time, both in the saints and the sinners, we remember those who have gone before us on this earth—those who have now crossed the threshold into eternity. We reflect … Continue reading
Roused by Hope
Pray without ceasing.(1 Thes 5:17) Sometimes we confuse what God wants with what we think God wants or expects from us. Take prayer, for example. It’s disappointing when you try to pray but all you do is doze off. You … Continue reading
Why Faith is Personal
Imagine you’re observing a sunset with a friend. Together you quietly watch the rays of light find their way through the now leafless trees, and you enjoy the brief warmth of the autumn sun. The evening is quiet and peaceful, … Continue reading
Mi Mamá Me Ama
I was taught to write cursive as a child back home in Venezuela. The typical method of instruction involved painstaking copying of letters or short sentences several times. I still remember that to learn how to shape the letter ‘m,’ … Continue reading
Even This Cannot Stop True Love
Love hopes all things, bears all things, endures all things, but is blind to nothing. True love sees the faults and failings of the beloved, yet bears them out of a love that pierces through daily annoyances, faults, and failings … Continue reading
A New Springtime
After the many sufferings of the twentieth century, the new millennium offered so much promise and hope for the Church. Though she no longer held sway over society, the Church, stirred by the person and thought of Pope John Paul … Continue reading
Why Doesn’t God Give Everyone Faith?
Those who do not believe the Christian faith fit into two categories: those who have heard the faith and rejected it and those who have never heard the faith. The former group was offered the gift of faith but did … Continue reading
A Good End
“He who endures to the end will be saved” (Mt 10:22) It is good to start something, but it is better to finish it (see Eccl 7:8). To endure to the end, our ultimate end, means to die well, to … Continue reading
Holy Souls?
Today we pray for the holy souls in purgatory. This idea of the holy souls in purgatory seems an odd notion to contemporary ears. One tends to think of heaven as the place where the holy souls go. Purgatory, one … Continue reading
Portal to Heaven
Editor’s note: This is the ninth post in our newest series, Beholding True Beauty, which consists of prayerful reflections on works of sacred art. The series will run on Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the month of October. Read the whole … Continue reading
Neon Signs and Christ
Neon sign psychics. Reality TV mediums. Palm reading ads stuffed into the nooks and crannies of the subway. Anyone who does such things is an abomination to the Lord, and because of such abominations the Lord, your God, is dispossessing … Continue reading
Sorrowful with God
Editor’s note: This is the eighth post in our newest series, Beholding True Beauty, which consists of prayerful reflections on works of sacred art. The series will run on Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the month of October. Read the whole … Continue reading
The Mirror of the Cross
Today has traditionally been celebrated as the feast of St. Narcissus, a second century bishop of Jerusalem. For a saint and bishop so close in proximity to the apostles, devotion to him has not been as popular as with other … Continue reading
A Christian is Obedient
Several years ago a small board examined me, asking me to reflect on my time in the Boy Scouts of America. This examination was the last requirement necessary for earning the rank of Eagle Scout; and their questions took on … Continue reading
By Grace, Slaying Giants
Editor’s note: This is the seventh post in our newest series, Beholding True Beauty, which consists of prayerful reflections on works of sacred art. The series will run on Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the month of October. Read the whole … Continue reading