Cantare amantis est, and Gregorian chant
Cantare amantis est. (The lover sings.) He who sings prays twice. Saint Augustine of Hippo When Pope Saint Pius X set out…
all saints and sacred liturgy
Three first partakers of the way of the cross
The devotion of the fourteen stations of the “way of the cross“ is a small pilgrimage to the Via Dolorosa that Jesus…
Saint Michael the Archangel, and the nine choirs of angels
“O God, who hast constituted the services of Angels and of men in a wonderful order, mercifully grant, that they who ever…
When Jacob was renamed Israel
“God renews his promise to Jacob, the ancestor of the twelve tribes of Israel. Before confronting his elder brother Esau, Jacob wrestles…
Only songs of praise on a holy day
In the Jewish tradition one of the rules for sanctifying the holy Sabbath day properly and avoiding its profanation is this: “Your…
The five apparitions of the risen Jesus on Paschal Sunday
During the traditional liturgy of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass the priest faces the people five times by turning around towards…
The Sabbath day, and Christ‘s descent into Sheol
“But God will ransom my soul from the grasp of Sheol; indeed, he will receive me.“ Psalm 49: 16 “He was put…
Mordecai, and Saint Joseph
When the moon was full two weeks ago, it was Purim. On the weekend before Purim I read the book of Esther…
The lance of Saint Longinus, and the power of the blood of Christ
“Longinus was the centurion who with other soldiers stood by the Lord‘s cross, and who by Pilate‘s order pierced Christ‘s side with…
The Magi according to the Golden Legend
As the Octave of the feast of Epiphany is still unfolding, it is not at all too late to take a look…