Fr. Gaetano Piccolo
Children are the future. They are the lives that continue on. Parents often project their aspirations onto their children and would like to see their hopes fulfilled in them. But, much like the future, the life of a child is not within our control. Though we might...
“Though in Your sight I despise myself and reckon myself dust and ashes, there is something I know about You, which I know not about myself.” - Augustine, The Confessions A few days ago I was with some close friends in Subiaco, (where St. Benedict first founded a...
“Then he felt quite ashamed, and hid his head under his wing; for he did not know what to do, he was so happy, and yet not at all proud. He had been persecuted and despised for his ugliness, and now he heard them say he was the most beautiful of all the birds.” - Han...
No matter how hard we try to build walls and barriers, it seems as if we’re never really able to close our front door. An unexpected guest or a mysterious visitor always seems to show up without permission. In the 2007 movie, The Visitor by Tom McCarthy, a professor...
“He sat quite still, benumbed and cold but little Gerda shed burning tears of joy; and they fell on his bosom, penetrating to his heart, where they thawed the ice...” ~ Hans Christian Andersen, The Snow Queen Many times we freeze ourselves so as not to feel what we...
I saw all the snares that the enemy spreads out over the world, and I said groaning, ‘What can get through from such snares?’ Then I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Humility’. ~ St. Anthony Abbot Anyone who enters the Sansevero Chapel in Naples and sees the statue of the...
“Do Thou give strength to seek… My strength and my infirmity are in Thy sight: preserve the one, and heal the other.” ~ St. Augustine If you want to find something, the best way to do so is to start looking! Perhaps you won’t find exactly what you’re looking for, but...
“This fear of death is like a constant winter.” ~ St. Augustine Last week, in order to make the most out of the Christmas break, I went on a trip to Naples with friends from the parish where I assist on the weekends and where my close friend is the parish priest....
Gospel Reflection for the Feast of the Holy Family Every one of us, to greater or lesser degree, feels the need to leave our mark on history. We wish our lives would never end; we fear falling into the oblivion of forgetfulness, of being forgotten. And we often...
“Consider, oh man, what God became for your sake; understand this lesson of surpassing humility presented by a teacher who, as yet, says no word.” - Saint Augustine The word “to promise” means to put in motion. And a promise is the way in which we put our lives in...
Reality is continually asking us questions. It always asks us to choose. And, through our decisions, we show who we truly are. It’s a process we can’t back out of. Once in a while, we may feel a desire to escape from this unavoidable call to manifest who we...
“He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish.” ~ Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea Every path needs a starting point. In order to leave port, a ship must lose its mooring; in order...
“Salve, radix, salve, porta...” - 12th Century Marian Antiphon There are many ways to love. There are ways that cut through the different times in our lives and that often dwell together in our hearts. There are people who love to feel less lonely or to give meaning...
“Man is a rope stretched between the animals and the 'overman'” ~ Nietzsche Anthony De Melo once asked, “What is the difference between a sinner and a saint?” Smiling, he responded, “None! They are both sinners; it’s just that the saint knows it.” We spend a great...
“Man says that time passes. Time says that man passes.” - T. Terzani The most important things are said at the end: at the end, when you say goodbye to someone you love knowing that you might not see them again; at the end of your life, when you have to decide how you...
“Good reason still existed; but it was kept concealed, for fear of the popular reason." - Manzoni Fear of change, of responsibility, of failure, always seeks a justification. Just like Father Abbondio before Cardinal Borromeo in the famous Italian novel, The...
For those who have had the experience of keeping watch over a sick person through the night, especially if it was a very close loved one, you know what it means to fight off sleep. You do everything in your power to stay awake; you use every ounce of strength; you...
“This is the end which befalls evildoers. And in this life scoundrels always receive their just deserts!” - Don Giovanni, Mozart If Don Giovanni had paused for just a moment during his quest for pleasure and realized how empty his life was, he would have had no choice...
“Love is an inclination” - Hannah Arendt A long time ago I heard the story of a rose who realized how beautiful she was. Intoxicated by her own splendor, she decided that she only wanted to be caressed by the gentle touch of a butterfly, and so she did not appreciate...
“For as much as he stirs in vain, man always walks within his image.” - Augustine, Commentary on Psalm 38:7 I have always been fascinated by the work done to restore ancient frescos that brings to light the original images, the faces of the people as they were first...
“Allow me to do the best that I can.” - Babette’s Feast by K. Blixen Organizing a party is a serious matter. It says a lot about us and many times it is a symbol of our lives. There are those that love to take care of every detail themselves and those that leave...
One of the best ways to enrich your experience at Sunday Mass is to pray the Mass Readings personally and to meditate on a Gospel reflection. A great way of doing this is using the technique of Lectio Divina, a powerful method which we explain here. The following is...
Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people: “What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He came to the first and said, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ He said in reply, ‘I will not,’ but afterwards changed his mind and went. The man came to...
One of the best ways to enrich your experience at Sunday Mass is to pray the Mass Readings personally and to meditate on a Gospel reflection. A great way of doing this is using the technique of Lectio Divina, a powerful method which we explain here. The following is...
Peter approached Jesus and asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who...