Today, the Church celebrates the memorial of St. Andrew Kim Tae-gŏn and his companions, the first Korean priest and the many martyrs who gave their lives for the faith. Their witness reminds us that the Word of God, when received with an open heart, bears fruit even in times of trial. In the first reading […]
Devotion to the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady has its roots in Sacred Scripture and in Christian piety, which always associates the Blessed Mother with her suffering Son. Today’s feast was introduced by the Servites in order to intensify devotion to Our Lady’s Sorrows. In 1817 Pius VII — suffering grievously in exile but finally liberated
Cornelius and Cyprian, the first a pope, the second a bishop, both asserted the freedom to spread the message of Christ and both paid with their lives for their courage. To them, Christ was worth living for and therefore worth dying for. They preferred their inner freedom, for which Christ had paid the price, to
Christ came to call sinners, and of this fact Paul himself is the perfect example. Persecutor as he had been, God in his patience showed mercy to Paul, who had been a persecutor of Christians. Luke makes two main points today. Christians will be recognized for what they are worth by their Christian living. The
Paul pours out his gratitude for what the grace and mercy of God has made him. God’s grace has perhaps not appeared to us in a way as dramatic as in Paul’s life, but, even though we have not been thrown off a horse by God’s lightning irrupting in our lives, we have very much
Paul asks his Colossians to express in deeds the life they have received in baptism. The most precious gift they have received is love. Love binds into one in perfect harmony all the virtues they have received and also binds together all Christians as one people of God: they are now one body. They can
The Power of Mary’s Name: A Sign of Trust and Victory In 1683, at Vienna, King John III Sobieski of Poland led the Christian armies of the Holy Roman Empire and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth to a decisive victory over Ottoman forces. Before marching into battle, he entrusted his troops to the Blessed Virgin Mary, having
Saint Jean Gabriel Perboyre, Martyr in China Jean Gabriel Perboyre was born on January 5, 1802, in Puech, near Montgesty, France, the eldest of eight children in a devout farming family. Guided by the example of his priest-uncle, he grew up with a strong faith and a desire to serve Christ. Recognized early for his
The Christian who has been baptized has received a new life from God and is a new person, re-created in Christ. What we are now we have received. From now on we must live not in our merely human world of thought and action, but in the new world of Christ. This is not easy
St John, monk and bishop of Constantinople, was called “Chrysostom,” that is “mouth of gold,” on account of his extraordinary eloquence. Although often in poor health, he also deserved this name for being outspoken against corruption at the court and for the neglect and exploitation of the poor by the powerful. For this reason, he
