In Holy Week our eyes are upon the Cross of Jesus. Today we conclude our reflections on the origins and spirituality of the best known Catholic painted crucifix, the San Damiano cross, which today hangs in the Basilica di Santa Chiara in Assisi. In Part 1 we saw the role of exiled Syrian...
In Holy Week, our eyes are upon the Cross of Jesus and this is an opportune time to reflect on the origins and spirituality of the best-known painted cross. The 13th-century chronicler Jacques de Vitry called the followers of Brother Francis “the order of the true poor men of the Crucified” [1] and...
Francis’s papacy has sparked a fierce debate about the ability of the Magisterium to authoritatively interpret Tradition. Sadly, arguments about this matter typically end in a deadlock with the papal critics. Those of us who support Pope Francis often quote from the Catechism which teaches that “the task of interpreting the Word of...
A reflection on the Sunday readings for March 28, 2021 — Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion It is an interesting thing to be asked to offer my first reflection for this website on Palm Sunday, the one Sunday of the year when priests are asked to give minimal reflection, asked to offer...
On March 27, 2020, the world focused its attention on Rome. A lone man dressed in white punctuated the eerily empty St. Peter’s Square, normally bustling with tourists and pilgrims. One year ago today we joined Pope Francis for a “moment of prayer” during the early, difficult days of the coronavirus pandemic. Images...
I was reminiscing recently with a friend of mine, a consecrated layperson living the vocation of virginity, about Pope Francis’s visit to New York City in September 2015. Although I got within a mere city block of the Holy Father, I did not get to see his face except through a jumbotron. Nevertheless,...
“Dear young people, do not lose your flavour as Christians, the flavour of the Gospel! Keep it alive by meditating constantly on the Easter Mystery: may the Cross be your school of wisdom. Boast of nothing else save this sublime throne of truth and love. (…) I hope that each one of you will share in this joy,...
“I ask the Lord to renew in each one of you the gift of faith, that your spirit may be for us ever the light of God, the light of love, which gives meaning to your life, illuminates it, gives us hope, and makes us good and available to our brothers.” —Message of...
On March 23, the American public television network PBS aired the premiere of Flannery, a 90-minute documentary movie about the American Catholic novelist, short story writer, and essayist Flannery O’Connor. Flannery was part of the American Masters series of biographical documentaries about important figures in American arts and letters. I enjoy American Masters...
When we moved to California and bought our first home, I enthusiastically set out to decorate it. I knew that I wanted a picture of the Annunciation to hang at the bottom of our stairs so that every morning it might inspire me to make my own little fiat as I walked downstairs...
[Editor’s note: What follows is an English translation of Cardinal Schönborn’s response to the recent CDF statement on blessings for same-sex couples in the Catholic Church. It was generously provided by a reader and patron from Austria. These remarks were made in the context of an interview. This translation is provided for informational...
Happy Solemnity of the Annunciation! Our regularly-scheduled livestream will be happening TONIGHT at 8pm EDT / 5pm PDT. We will be talking EWTN, Catholic grievance and counter-culture, and how they’ve blocked US Catholic reception of Amoris Laetitia. You can watch right here or catch us on YouTube or on our Facebook page. Also–We see...
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