Ruminations of an Amateur Monastic
Today is the optional memorial of the dedication of one of my favourite church buildings in the world, the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, also known in English as Saint Mary Major. It is occasionally known by the title of Our Lady of the Snows. When we were in Rome, our apartment was just a few blocks from […]
» Read moreMary’s month of May draws to a close with the Feast of the Visitation. This feast celebrates the visit of Mary, pregnant with Jesus, to her cousin Elizabeth, pregnant with John the Baptist (Gospel of Saint Luke, Chapter 1 verses 39 – 56). So this feast is a celebration of the very first Christian community, consisting of two pregnant mothers […]
» Read moreToday in 1917, the Blessed Virgin began appearing to three shepherd children in Fátima, Portugal. She appeared on the thirteenth day of six consecutive months. In another article, I’ve already talked about the Miracle of the Sun. Regardless of miracles, Catholics are not obliged to believe these “private revelations”. Indeed, the Church is very careful to investigate these sorts of […]
» Read moreIn the cold light of morning, Fr. Z. has a wonderful reflection on the election of Pope Francis. This morning, the new Pope apparently flummoxed his security detail by taking a single car to Santa Maria Maggiore, my favourite church in Rome, and praying and laying flowers at an altar of Our Lady. While at the church, Pope Francis also […]
» Read moreOn this day in 1892, J.R.R. Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa. The Professor is 121 today! All around the world, at 9pm local time, the Tolkien Society and the Professor’s many other devotees will celebrate his birthday with a toast to “the Professor”. I will join in, and I encourage you to do the same. The Professor’s writing, […]
» Read moreWishing both of my readers a very happy new year, and a most blessed Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. Let us celebrate the motherhood of the Virgin Mary, and let us worship Christ the Lord, her Son. (Invitatory antiphon for the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God) Most people who are Christians but not Catholics probably wonder why we […]
» Read moreToday, 12/12/12, is the last “triple digit day” of this century, and likely the last I will ever see. So of course, I’m scheduling this post for 12:12. Numeric lunacy aside, today is also the feast of the patron of the Americas – Our Lady of Guadalupe. If you think that the Spanish conquistadors are the ones who imposed Catholicism […]
» Read moreOn this Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, let us join together with the Communion of Saints of all ages in singing the praises of the Mother of God. Mary’s Immaculate Conception is the sign of the gracious love of the Father, the perfect expression of the redemption accomplished by the Son and the beginning of […]
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Today is the feast of Saint Edward the Confessor, the last Anglo-Saxon King of England. But I’m not going to talk about him today. On this day in 1307 – on the 63rd birthday of their Grand Master Jacques de Molay – hundreds of Knights Templar in France were simultaneously arrested by agents of King Phillip IV. I’m not going […]
» Read moreOn the old calendar, today is the feast of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which was moved in the calendar reform to the Saturday following the Second Sunday after Pentecost. For what reason, I’ve no idea. Since my breviary follows the old calendar, this is what I’m praying today. On the new calendar, today is also a […]
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On the 15th of August 2004, Francine and I walked into Saint Patrick’s Church in Tacoma. This was the Solemnity of the Assumption, and ever since we have counted this as our “Catholic anniversary”. On that day, I discovered in a moment that every doubt I ever had about the truth of Christianity had collapsed. God in His wisdom had […]
» Read moreMary’s month of May draws to a close with the Feast of the Visitation. This feast celebrates the visit of Mary, pregnant with Jesus, to her cousin Elizabeth, pregnant with John the Baptist (Gospel of Saint Luke, Chapter 1 verses 39 – 56). Luke’s account culminates in one of the great New Testament songs, Mary’s Magnificat, which we recite at […]
» Read moreOn April 25, 1467 a mysterious icon of Virgin and Child appeared in a small unfinished and roofless church in the town of Genazzano, near Rome. As the story goes, the entire town had turned out for the annual feast of Saint Mark the Evangelist. At about four o’clock in the afternoon, a multitude of witnesses saw a mysterious cloud […]
» Read moreOur Lenten pilgrimage is nearing its end; this is the last Friday before Good Friday, and we can see Palm Sunday just around the corner. On the old calendar, today is the Commemoration of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In this guise, Mary is known as the Mother of Sorrows (Mater Dolorosa, or just Dolorosa). Though this […]
» Read moreThe mercy of God is a scandal – Christ offers His infinite mercy to every worst kind of sinner, excluding no one. This eternal upwelling of mercy overflows, cascading upon the whole of the human race. It extends to murderers. It extends to rapists. It extends to thieves, and liars, and stalkers, and vandals. It extends to tax collectors and […]
» Read moreFor the last several years, I’ve been attending Ash Wednesday Mass at Saint James Cathedral in Seattle in the morning before work. Today was no exception. Over the years, Mass attendance at the Cathedral has varied pretty wildly. I remember one year where there was nobody sitting in my pew, or in the pews in front of and behind me. […]
» Read moreIt’s the first of January, and I’m clearly looking and feeling my very best after last night’s festivities. We rarely throw parties, but when we do, we invariably overdo it a bit. Last night’s feast had libations aplenty and a table groaning with food for our family and friends old and new. Everybody brought something to share. Combine that with […]
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