Having heard a very different speech earlier in the day, my Dominican brothers and I sat down in our chapel a few Fridays ago and heard these words from the Prophet Moses: On your fathers did the Lord set His … Continue reading
Bible
Opening the Book of Revelation (Part I)
Editor’s note: This post, originally published on November 28, 2011, is the first in a series on the Book of Revelation. You can read the whole series here. Fr. Leo Checkai was ordained a priest in May 2014 and now … Continue reading
Fake News Is Great News
I have known many men who wished to deceive, but none who wished to be deceived. –St. Augustine “Fake news” has become big news in recent months. How could the proliferation of deliberately fabricated articles be a good thing? It’s … Continue reading
A Word for Bread
Editor’s note: This is the fourth post in a series commenting on the first words of Christ as presented in the Gospels. It is written,“One does not live by bread alone.” (Lk 4:4) With our modern dietary aversion to gluten … Continue reading
When the Word Speaks
Editor’s note: This is the first post in a series commenting on the first words of Christ as presented in the Gospels. The words of Christ are powerful. In the beginning, God spoke, and through his Word, the heavens and … Continue reading
The Twelve Days of Emmanuel
Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel (which means, God with us) (Mt 1:23) The joy of Christmas is the joy of Emmanuel. Our God is not distant from us: he … 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
A Prayer of Christian Philosophy
Why, O Eternal Wisdom, do the heavens move as they do, the rains fall, and the windows fog? Why does my breath make clouds? Why does the oil hover on the water and the light burn up the darkness? Why, … Continue reading
5 Meditations for Election Week
This election has all the attraction of a highway car crash. It’s gruesome to behold, but we can’t seem to turn away. Much of America is disillusioned about the candidates, yet record numbers watched the presidential debates. And like a … 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
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
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
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