And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain apart. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his garments became … Continue reading →

Is the soul by itself man? No; but the soul of man. Thus Justin Martyr, the sainted philosopher and apologist commemorated by the Church today, explained the connection between the human spirit and the whole human being. Today many have … Continue reading →

Repetition is a fact of life. But not all repetitions are the same. On the one hand, there’s a repetition that imposes and sustains a natural order. Think about the repetitive cycle of traffic lights or the weather of the … Continue reading →

With such tumult in the public square, it seems almost laughable that silence would be a remedy for it. Robert Cardinal Sarah recently exhorted Americans at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast to be prophetic, to be faithful, and to pray. … Continue reading →

If you had a choice between God and nothing, which would it be? The answer is obvious. But given the option “God or something,” many of us will choose something besides God. This is really a senseless choice, though, because … Continue reading →

When Alexander the Great first went on military campaign, he gave away to his relatives all of his inherited property in Athens. Asked what he would keep for himself, he replied, “Hope.” It’s easy to be hopeful at the beginning. … Continue reading →

“How could a good God permit evil?” This question has plagued the faithful and armed the faithless for as long as there have been sufferings to endure. The topic is vast, but for the purpose of this post, the following … Continue reading →

The aim of the newest technology boom in Silicon Valley: curing death. Over the last few years new research companies and grants have been established to fund this enterprise. One of the main assumptions in this area of inquiry is … Continue reading →

Across the street from the Dominican House of Studies, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, one of the largest Catholic churches in the entire world, dominates the skyline with its tremendous tower and signature blue dome. … Continue reading →

What color are the eyes of the Blessed Virgin Mary? I fancy they may be green, the rarest, which is slightly more likely among Mediterranean peoples than elsewhere in the globe. But perhaps, most likely, they are dark brown—the most … Continue reading →

An interview with Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M Cap., of Philadelphia; comparing and contrasting the Dominicans and ISIS; a new Bonfire of the Vanities; the “Last Dominican”: Dominicana Summer 2016 is here! As we celebrate 800 years of Dominican life … Continue reading →

In this seventh week of Easter we remember the brief time between Christ’s Ascension to the Father and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Nestled between two major feast days, this week often passes without notice. But since … Continue reading →

Today is the feast of Our Lady of Fatima, marking the day when the Blessed Mother first appeared to the three Portuguese children. What makes this particular apparition really stand out from the other times and places at which the … Continue reading →

While some people talk about the end of the academic year as “winding down,” for me it is more like accelerating, as the papers and exams pile up, caffeine intake increases, and sleep is a luxury that I can barely … Continue reading →

Sometimes T.S. Eliot is a grade-A sad apple. “Go, go, go, said the bird: human kind / Cannot bear very much reality.” But that does seem fair: we’re fragile beings, easily broken by the burden of truths we can’t anticipate. … Continue reading →

Saint Therese of Lisieux, upon hearing that her sister Celine would be attending a ball, responded not with sisterly encouragement but something different, and rather surprising: I felt unusually anxious, so much so that, in a torrent of tears, I … Continue reading →

“Where is the good in goodbye?” sings the barbershop quartet standard, a song musical buffs will remember from The Music Man. This wordplay expresses a common experience: goodbyes are often sorrowful, if not downright heartbreaking. Just think of the curbside … Continue reading →

Sometimes the best gifts we receive are the ones we didn’t know we wanted. It’s kind of marvelous when this happens. With such gifts, we enjoy more than the present itself (though that’s quite nice in its own right). We … Continue reading →

“What is hell? I maintain that it is the suffering of being unable to love.” – Fr. Zossima (Brothers Karamazov) People are people, and people have opinions that can be emotive when provoked. Married couples get into occasional tiffs when … Continue reading →

Saint Martin de Porres is often seen in statues, stained glass, and pictures holding a broom and a crucifix, with a Rosary around his neck and animals at his feet. His fellow friars knew of the deep devotion he had … Continue reading →

Editor’s note: This is the second post in a series on the vocation to the cooperator brotherhood on the occasion of the Order’s 800th anniversary. I will honor those who honor me. – 1 Samuel 2:30 What would you do? You’ve been … Continue reading →

Editor’s note: This is the third post in a series on the vocation to the cooperator brotherhood on the occasion of the Order’s 800th anniversary. They shall beat their swords into plowshares,    and their spears into pruning hooks. (Isaiah 2:4) The prophet … Continue reading →

Editor’s note: This is the fourth post in a series on the vocation to the cooperator brotherhood on the occasion of the Order’s 800th anniversary. On April 6, 1252, St. Peter of Verona was assassinated by two men hired by the Cathar … Continue reading →

“There are two ways of getting home; and one of them is to stay there. The other is to walk round the whole world till we come back to the same place; and I tried to trace such a journey…” … Continue reading →