St. John of the Cross is probably best known for his masterpiece on the spiritual life The Dark Night of the Soul. But it is his commentary and exposition on The Dark Night, entitled The Ascent of Mount Carmel, that … Continue reading →

Thomas Aquinas asks a fascinating question: What happened in your soul when it had its first thought? How did you first react when you looked out at life? He answers: With desire. Technically, he says in his own language, “The … Continue reading →

Come, they told me, pa rum pum pum pum… (audio and lyrics) “The Little Drummer Boy” combines two of my favorite things: drums and newborns. I have some experience of them both. To the first, I’ve been a drummer since … Continue reading →

Should Catholic parents homeschool their children? What does the president of the University of Virginia think about political correctness on campus? Is gentrification good, bad, or ugly? How should one minister to those who experience same-sex attraction? The Winter 2015 … Continue reading →

It was not too long ago that I stood in a hospice center praying at the bedside of a friar in his final hours. At one point the social worker on duty came in to offer some surprising advice: leave … Continue reading →

Dominicana is happy to offer this audio recording of “Martin de Porres: A Warm Heart Amid a Cold Winter.” It was given last Thursday by Br. Joseph Hagan, O.P. as the first installment of a three-part series of Advent Conferences, … Continue reading →

Many of us will hear excellent homilies today on the theology of Mary’s Immaculate Conception, but what is the importance of this mystery for our personal spiritual lives?   St. Louis de Montfort tells us that Our Lady is the … Continue reading →

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of one of her great doctors, St. Ambrose of Milan, who offers us a model of public Christian witness.   In 374 A.D, against his own wishes, St. Ambrose became archbishop of Milan, a … Continue reading →

Do you ever skip the introductory pages of a book you are reading? If so, STOP IT! You could miss one of the best parts, the epigraph. You know, that short quotation which the author has carefully selected to summarize, … Continue reading →

[T]hough we cannot experience our life as an endless present, we are eternal in God’s eyes; that is, in our deepest reality.  —C.S. Lewis It’s Advent, so let’s talk about marshmallows.   No, not the seasonally-themed ones. I mean the … Continue reading →

The truth about ourselves can be difficult to handle. We are reluctant to spend time alone in silence with ourselves and often go to great lengths to avoid it. We become busy—sometimes wasting time, other times with worthwhile activities—and we … Continue reading →

When the disciples of Christ asked Him how to pray, he gave them a formulaic prayer that has been recited billions of times since His instruction. Let us now consider praying that prayer with the one who is God’s highest … Continue reading →

Superheroes! Our culture seems obsessed with them.  Witness the many adaptations of DC heroes like Batman and Superman, the 23 Marvel movies scheduled for release, and even the most recent animated Disney movie, Big Hero 6.  Once superheroes were the … Continue reading →

“Ladies and gentlemen: thank you for joining us on Dominicana today for this analogical journey! The train (of thought) on which you have embarked is an express line with nonstop service to Buffalo, NY. Please ensure that this is your … Continue reading →

How to find stability in an ever-changing world? Ought we even to seek stability at all? The Letter to the Hebrews teaches us that we have here no abiding city (Hebrews 13:14), and the Lord Himself said that He had … Continue reading →

There is no need for me to explain temptation to you. It is something that comes to all of us, every day, in ways corresponding to the particular quirks of our own, fallen, individual selves. It seems certain that we … Continue reading →

Editor’s note: This post is dedicated to Fr. Sylvester Willoughby, O.P., a much beloved friar of the Dominican House of Studies. At the time of publication, Fr. Willoughby is gravely ill and close to death. For a while I hoped … Continue reading →

This was not in his job description. For five centuries, the Romans marched from strength to strength under the banner “Senatus Populusque Romanus.” Even under the Emperors, every commission, whether architectural or military, was undertaken in the name of the … Continue reading →

While walking with a few brothers through the neighborhood of Brookland the other day (where the Dominican House of Studies is located), we ran into members of four other religious communities in the space of twenty minutes: a Dominican sister, … Continue reading →

I find space movies very interesting. I am always fascinated by the visual effects and images that captivate the imagination and spark in me a greater sense of wonder at God’s creation. I recently watched Ridley Scott’s The Martian, and … Continue reading →

Editor’s note: This is the second in a five-part series on Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si’, in honor of the Holy Father’s first visit to the United States, occurring next week. “Why is the Pope so concerned about air conditioning?” … Continue reading →

Editor’s note: This is the third in a five-part series on Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si’, in honor of the Holy Father’s first visit to the United States, occurring next week. It’s worth asking, what is it exactly that keeps … Continue reading →

When the people of Israel complained against God during their wandering in the desert, God sent saraph serpents among them.  It was not until Moses, at the Lord’s command, raised a serpent on a pole that all who looked upon … Continue reading →

And meanwhile his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalen, had taken their stand beside the cross of Jesus. And Jesus, seeing his mother there, and the disciple too, whom he loved, standing by, … Continue reading →

Editor’s note: This is the first in a five-part series on Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si’, in honor of the Holy Father’s first visit to the United States, occurring next week. When the news first broke that Pope Francis was … Continue reading →