“The obedience at the Annunciation comes to full flower at the foot of the Cross.” “Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala” (Jn 19:25). Mary stands at the foot of the cross. Stabat Mater. She stands there as a mother, watching her son undergo the […]
Annunciation
When All Creation Held its Breath
The Annunciation (St. Gabriel and the Blessed Virgin Mary) by Paolo de Matteis [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
The Moment There is a singular moment which defines all history; a moment to which all that came before, all that has come after, and all that is yet to come points as supremely significant—the Incarnation. On March 25th of each Liturgical Year, we remember the event that took place—the moment when the Blessed Virgin Mary gave her fiat to God’s request that […]
God Chose Mary to be His Mother
The teaching that Mary is God’s mother was proclaimed to teach us that Jesus is true man AND true God. Each January 1 (the Octave of Christmas), the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. I receive more comments and questions from non-Catholics, and even some Catholics, about the Church’s Marian practices and teachings than just about any other topic. […]
God Chose Mary to be His Mother
The teaching that Mary is God’s mother was proclaimed to teach us that Jesus is true man AND true God. Each January 1 (the Octave of Christmas), the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. I receive more comments and questions from non-Catholics, and even some Catholics, about the Church’s Marian practices and teachings than just about any other topic. […]
Encountering the Word — John 1:14
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.” (John 1:14) Please share on social media. Print this entry
Encountering the Word — Luke 1:24-33
A Daily Quote from Sacred Scripture “After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she hid herself, saying, ‘Thus the Lord has done to me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.’ In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to […]
Encountering the Word — John 1:14
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.” (John 1:14) Please share on social media. Print this entry
Discovering God’s Magnificent Plan Just for You
When God has a Different Plan I think most of us can remember an occasion when we had something all planned out. It might have been something relatively minor or it might have concerned something of greater significance to our lives. And then, everything changed and the plans we had made had to be set aside for a while or […]
The Mystery of Advent—Annunciation & Incarnation
The biblical term “mystery” refers to a long thread running through history, hidden under ordinary faces and events. It comes to a climax in an Angel’s annunciation to a Virgin that puts together many biblical concepts—king, messiah, emmanuel, son of God—pondered on the fourth Sunday of Advent. Reflection on the Mass readings for the Fourth Sunday of Advent (Year B) […]
Daily Catholic Quote — from St. Bernard of Clairvaux
“And the Archangels—whom we must regard as differing in some degree from those called Angels—experience a delight that is filled with awe as they enter more closely into the counsels of eternal wisdom, and are commissioned to execute them with supreme skill at the proper place and time. Here you have the reason why these in turn love the Lord […]