I believe we are very blessed to have a Pope like Benedict XVI. Here, a group a Portuguese speakers interrupt him and he begins to sing along. As far as stage presence, he is no John Paul II, his gestures are more simple, less noticeable. Still, this short clip cracks open the door and let us have a little peek inside a heart of simplicity and fraternal care.
“To sing is to pray twice.” — Saint Augustine of Hippo As a child, I sought ways to draw closer to God beyond verbal prayer. I often tagged along with my parents who were active in our choir. I would sit near my mother, asking for extra song sheets to read and follow...
Jesus proposed another parable to the crowds, saying:"The kingdom of heaven may be likenedto a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep his enemy cameand sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. When the crop grew and bore...
Recently I was asked by our regional Catholic Board of Education to present a talk to Religious Education teachers on the life of Abbot Franz Pfanner, the founder of the Monastery of Mariannhill near Durban on the eastern coast of South Africa. Although I knew a fair...
As we approach the feast day of Saint Benedict on July 11, I am reminded of another chapter in my life where I spent one night in Nursia. I had the immense blessing of praying in the Abbey at the center of the city, built over the birthplace of Saint Benedict and...
When I was 15, I experienced my first “chastity” talk one night at youth group. A local organization called the Theology of the Body Evangelization Team came to our parish and gave a series of talks about the subject. It was the first time in my life I had ever heard...
On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea.Such large crowds gathered around himthat he got into a boat and sat down,and the whole crowd stood along the shore. And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying:"A sower went out to...
My grandmother is 94 years old and still the most elegant woman I know. In the 45 years we have known each other, we have had innumerable, memorable conversations, some of which I have documented and hope to share with my own grandchildren someday. A few years ago, I...
"It was not his business to judge whether they were deserving." Then the King will say to those at his right hand, `Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was...
The people of Rakunai, Papua New Guinea, in 1942 would not have believed that their local catechist would be one of the great Catholic figures of the 20th century and eventually a saint. Yet that is exactly what happened. Peter To Rot was a layman, a husband, a...
At that time Jesus exclaimed:"I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,for although you have hidden these thingsfrom the wise and the learnedyou have revealed them to little ones.Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.All things have been handed...
Born in Texas, I spent 12 years living and working in Peru and Italy. A philosopher and a theologian, I have a passion for the power of stories in our lives.
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