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...
Fr. Gaetano Piccolo's Author Page
Fr. Gaetano Piccolo
Fr. Gaetano Piccolo
Are You Hiding From Life? Frozen To Avoid Pain?
“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...
The Symbolic Meaning Of The Apostles’ Fishing Nets| Catholic Bible Study
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...
The Lamb, The Rock, And How To Know What You’re Seeking| Catholic Bible Study
“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...
5 Mosaics That Beautifully Explain What Happens In Baptism
“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....
Parenthood Is The Ultimate Act of Letting Go | Catholic Bible Study
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...
Why Is It So Hard To Believe God’s Greatest Promise|Catholic Bible Study
“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...
Are You Willing To Ask The Uncomfortable Questions Of Life? |Catholic Bible Study
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...
Starting A New Season Of Your Life | Catholic Bible Study
“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...
Are You Willing To Be Wounded? The Paradox Of Mary’s Immaculate Love
“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...
The Meaning Of Life Hangs On A Promise Already Kept | Catholic Bible Study
“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...
What Does Christ’s Kingship Have To Do With Littleness?
“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...
What Does “Burying The Talent” Mean In Rabbinic Law And Why Is It Important For 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...
What Do The Lamp, The Oil, And Sleepiness Symbolize in The Parable Of The 10 Virgins?
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...
The Narcissism of Modern Pharisees | Gospel Reflection
“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...
The 2 Greatest Commandments And The Meaning Of Love | Catholic Bible Study
“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...
Whose Coin, And Whose Soul? How Images Remind Us About God’s Love | Catholic Bible Study
“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...
What Does A Party Symbolize In The Bible?
“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...
#OCCUPY VINEYARD? The Madness of Thinking We Can Possess the Vineyard (Gospel Reflection)
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...
A Priest’s Reflection On Complicated Relationships
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...
What Does The Marketplace Symbolize In The Parable Of The Vineyard?
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...
How Lack Of Forgiveness Causes Community To Break Down
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...
The Dynamics Of Our Friend Groups And Why We Choose Them
Jesus said to his disciples: "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that 'every fact may be...
How To Look Suffering In The Eye
Matthew 16:21-27 Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised. Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him,”God...
Is It Important To Know What Others Think Of You?
One of the best ways to enrich your knowledge of scripture is to pray the to meditate the Gospels. A great way of doing this is using the technique of Lectio Divina, a powerful method which we explain here. The following is the Sunday Gospel reading with a reflection...