ST. TERESA OF AVILA
I like to think of Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) as a diamond, many faceted and beautiful. It is said that when she was a young girl, both she and her brother ran away to become martyrs in the conflict with…
GIVING THANKS
A few days ago, I had a very interesting discussion with an elderly man, a hospital patient who was deeply saddened at being bedridden for many weeks. To cheer him up, I asked him what might be some positive things…
HOLY GUARDIAN ANGELS
For this reflection, I could go into the theology of angels and how they fit into Catholic doctrine. Instead, I want to suggest that we reflect on the security and comfort that this heavenly gift gives to each of us. I was…
MARIAN APPROACHES TO SYNODALITY, BY DR. JOSEPHINE LOMBARDI
With so much discussion about the role of women in the Church, especially in today’s synodal considerations, how could Mary be missing? Mary listened to the Holy Spirit and pondered the meaning of her incredibly significant role in that crucial…
A MARATHON OF HOPE – SEPTEMBER 15, 2024
This day is a wonderful opportunity to consider someone who could easily make the “short list” for nomination as a secular saint. He is not canonized by any particular religion. He is held in high esteem. He is recognized world-wide…
PRAYER FOR THE BEGINNING OF THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR
Educators and students are returning to a new school year. During the business of the start-up, let us find a time to pause and consider our own vocations to teach and learn. In Matthew 28:19, we are called to “make…
ALL CREATION CRIES OUT
We pray that each one of us will hear and take to heart the cry of the Earth and of the victims of natural disasters and climactic change, and that all will undertake to personally care for the world in…
HITTING THE BOOKS: NOVALIS BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR
As the days get shorter and cooler, and as our regular routines take shape, we may have more time for diving into a book. Reading is much more than a leisure activity – it’s a way to make sense of…
ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
Immaculate Mary, your praises we sing. You reign now in splendor with Jesus our King. I have spent time this summer pondering who Mary was and is. She was completely human, but with a significant difference from the rest of…
ST. MAXIMILIAN KOLBE
In the Catholic church, St. Maximilian is honoured as a confessor of the faith and a martyr of charity. He is most well known for offering to stand in the place of one of the men sentenced to starve to…