One of the nicest things in life is to meet an open, friendly, hospitable person. You can usually tell from the quality of the handshake if you are dealing with such a person. He or she not only makes you feel welcome, but makes you feel that it is good to be you. Hospitality is the hallmark of a true follower of Christ.
Residing in a neighborhood where “Calçada Portuguesa” is part of the ambience, every day, as I walk through these streets, I notice the patterns—above all, the waves—which gently remind me: “I am a descendant of the sailors, that I can live a life with the same courage as them.” My heart is always moved when I read the early life of Saint Josemaria Escrivá—the way he dealt with all the difficulties, misunderstanding and doubts from others while living the Will of God faithfully through his life and actions.
When you pray, does God “whisper” to you? Do you sense His presence? Has He convicted your heart about Himself and all that He has revealed? Most likely He has, in His own silent way. God rarely speaks to us in visions or by audibly hearing His voice. Though He has done so….
As Jesus went “to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness” (Matthew 9:35), He was moved with deep compassion for the crowds.
Zechariah 12–13 is part of a larger section of the prophet’s book that speaks of God’s action in history. It begins with a reminder that God is Creator and unfolds around the phrase “on that day,” which signals a decisive moment in salvation history. Within this framework, three themes stand out: a) The nations fighting against Jerusalem b) The mourning for the one who is pierced c) The purification of God’s people
A discussion of Carmelite spirituality would be incomplete without St. Teresa of Avila, the Doctor of the Church. She is most notable for her mystical visions and teachings on prayer.
The Solemnity of Corpus Christi places before us a body. Not an idea. Not a memory. A body. Flesh. Blood. Bread. Wine. The evangelist John, in the sixth chapter, does not give us the institution narrative at the Last Supper. Instead, he gives us a long discourse in which Jesus insists: “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.” The crowd is shocked.
Pope Leo XIV recently gifted the Church with the deeply moving encyclical Magnifica Humanitas. At the center of this letter is a breathtaking reminder of our divine origins.
Sister Lúcia dos Santos, the last living witness of the 1917 apparitions at Fátima, died at the age of 97 on February 13, 2005. She passed away quietly in the Carmelite convent in Coimbra, Portugal. The same hidden place where she spent decades praying…
One of the most fiercely debated dogmas of our faith in the early centuries of the Church was on the nature of the Most Holy Trinity. Today’s solemnity did not enter the General Roman Calendar until the fourteenth century, partly because we are called to honor and worship the Most Holy Trinity every day and in every liturgy.
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