Ideas affect us. Bad ideas affect us for the worse. Like smoke in the air, they make it hard to see things as they really are, and breathing them in makes us sick. We’re bombarded with smoke from every direction … Continue reading
Tag Archives: Dominicana Journal
The Peace of Fatima
When the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Lucia and her cousins Saints Francisco and Jacinta in Fatima on May 13, 1917, she asked them to “say the Rosary every day, to bring peace to the world.” What makes for peace? … Continue reading
The Comforter
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. (Matt 5:4) This has always struck me as the most outstanding and counterintuitive of the beatitudes. The beatitude itself is a promise, not for the present sorrow, whatever it might … Continue reading
On Your First Holy Communion
I cannot believe that today is the day of your First Holy Communion! How special! How beautiful! How joyful! Alas, I cannot be with you; I have other things that preclude me from being near you on this day. Know, … Continue reading
Thankless Charity
Growing up, most of us were probably taught that when someone does something nice for us, we should say thank you. As a result, we have come to expect gratitude when we do something kind for another. Yet, sometimes—perhaps even … Continue reading
How Low You Reach
Easter reveals to us how far God will reach to save us and bring us to eternal life in him. This divine desire has astonished the faithful for centuries and has taken those who ponder it up to the great … Continue reading
In That Order!
In high school, I had an excellent American Literature teacher. Let’s call him Mr. Mario Monti. Mr. Monti showed us he cared. He prepared his lessons. He encouraged questions. He cracked jokes. He also corrected us. Mr. Monti kept things … Continue reading
Under the Altar
People realize that something strange is going on with Catholic altars when they visit a church that has the full body of a saint in a glass case beneath the stone slab. Saint John Neumann’s shrine in Philadelphia (pictured above) … Continue reading
I Write This to You
The first letter of John, over and over, tells the reader what the letter is for. Again and again, we find “I write to you because” or “I write to you so that.” It’s helpful for us who are often … Continue reading
The Joy of A Faithful Community
Perhaps a lesser known fact about St. Catherine of Siena was that she lived with a small “spiritual family” around her in Rome toward the end of her life. Throughout her travels many people flocked to her because they saw St. … Continue reading
This Death will be the Life of me!
Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? —1 Cor 15:55 Christ has conquered death and put it to death. So why do we still die? No fear makes the heart quail quite like the fear … Continue reading
Maternal Mystery
The Blessed Virgin Mary is a mystery. Although she is human like we are, it can be easy to consider her an enigma, perhaps far too lofty to be relatable. Conceived immaculately, never stained by original or personal sin, her … Continue reading
His Holiness
For many generations, especially throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance, several popes had negative reputations on account of their sinful lifestyles or corrupt governance. While still possessing the authority of the Vicar of Christ on earth, these popes were not … Continue reading
May the Bell’s Ring Be Heard
To this day, I remain struck by the ending of Chris Van Allsburg’s children’s classic, The Polar Express, when Sarah, the narrator’s sister, finds one last gift under the tree and—lo and behold—it is the lost bell from Santa’s sleigh! … Continue reading
Good Deeds
In today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we learn of the aftermath of Peter and John’s healing of the cripple in the Temple. Presumably for years, the cripple had been begging in the Temple, and finally Peter … Continue reading
The Sleep of the Saved
Recounting his own reaction to the United States joining the United Kingdom in the Second World War in December 1941—an act Winston Churchill perceived as a sure sign of eventual victory—the British prime minister wrote, “Being saturated and satiated with … Continue reading
Awake, O Sleeper, and Arise from the Dead
Alleluia!! Christ is risen! Indeed he is risen! Hopefully you had a joyful celebration of our Lord’s Resurrection yesterday with solemn worship and appropriate feasting after our season of fasting. But don’t forget—Easter is not over! In a certain sense … Continue reading
The River of a City
“There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God.” (Ps 46:4) Last Friday, a river gushed forth through the city of God. The steel point of the lance, bound to a wooden rod with simple cord, pierced … Continue reading
Trust in the Resurrection
We cannot always understand when, why, or how God does what he does. He remains a mystery. If we understood completely every action or event that happens in our life, then our fallen nature might lead us to think that … Continue reading
The Legend of the Dogwood
Legend has it that the dogwood tree once grew tall and straight with a thick trunk, and was capable of being made into anything, much like an oak tree. This all changed 2,000 years ago, when a dogwood tree was … Continue reading
Later, you will follow
“Where I am going, you cannot follow me now, though you will follow later.” Peter said to him, “Master, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” (John 13:36-37) You have to feel for … Continue reading
The Filthy Feet of Jesus
Feet are filthy, smelly things. Makes sense; they take a beating. We walk on them all day, sweating in sneakers, bashing them on soccer balls, or stubbing them on stones or stairs. Blisters, bunions, and black toenails frequently bedeck our … Continue reading
The Weight of Betrayal
Depending on the friar’s piety, the habit rosary is a little less than a pound, give or take a few saint medals. The weight of this devotional to Our Lady roughly equals that of 30 Tyrian shekels, the preferred currency … Continue reading
Peter’s Promise
At the Last Supper, as is written in today’s Gospel, St. Peter confidently proclaimed to Jesus, “I will lay down my life for you” (Jn 13:37). He surely meant it, but martyrdom is easier intended than done. The possibility of … Continue reading
St. Thérèse and the Passion Flower
Bygone devotions and prayers to the saints, as well as the piety that characterized their once-prolific cults, often focused on the external, observable manifestations of mysticism. Consider, for example, the medieval fascination with the stigmata of St. Francis and its … Continue reading