All three Synoptic Gospels tell us of the Transfiguration of Jesus (Matthew 17:1–8, Mark 9:2–13, Luke 9:28–36). Jesus is on the Mount of Olives with his friends. They witness him start to glow with beams of light. Moses (the giver of the Law)…
We celebrate the feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola on July 31. This soldier-turned-saint has had a profound influence on the Catholic Church since his death in 1556, during the Catholic response to the Reformation, through his founding of the…
“Will you have a Martha or a Mary Christmas?” This was the title of an article I wrote a few years ago about two of the siblings we remember on this day. In the article, I was questioning all the…
We live in a world of information overload. Data flies at us from every direction at an exponential rate. At Christmas dinner, when Uncle You-Know-Who makes a statement, Auntie I-Have-a-Smart-Phone can correct his mistakes with confidence and launch a quick…
“Compare and contrast.…” Recalling essay assignments and exam questions from our student days, we might remember these words. The process of comparing and contrasting two different persons, events or circumstances invited us to think, to reflect and often to draw…
As a convert to Catholicism, I first found the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus off-putting. It felt grisly and even tacky. It took years for this devotion to become beloved. My curiosity led me to explore the origins…
Many years ago, I listened to academic paper on the Trinity. The presenter was clearly brilliant but I’m pretty sure I only grasped about 2% of what he was saying. As he discussed the relation of the Father to the…
St. Joseph is the Swiss army knife of saints. Over the centuries he has accumulated many duties as patron of various people and things: Canada, unborn children, fathers, travellers, immigrants, even real estate agents, and the Universal Church, to name…
St. Catherine of Siena is one of my favourite saints. She was born in 1347, in a world shaken by war, plague and deep division. Yet from this uncertain beginning came a woman whose life still speaks to us in…
St. Patrick, though the patron saint of Ireland, was born in Britain when the Roman rule of the land was coming to an end – around the end of the 4th century. At the age of 16 he was captured…