THE FEAST OF ALL SAINTS November 1 Download version Introduction The Saints have enjoyed tremendous popularity in the past: the churches were full of their statues, and recourse to them was perhaps more than to God. There was a saint for truck drivers, students, lost items, eye diseases, and even sore throat. They were considered […]
FEAST OF THE ARCHANGELS MICHAEL, GABRIEL, AND RAPHAEL ANGEL: ANYONE WHO IS A MEDIATOR OF GOD’S TENDERNESS Download version The angel has a well-defined character in the collective imagination, and those who paint him must adhere to certain pre-established canons. An angel with hippy traits, tail, tattoo on his arm and jeans would have little
THE TRIUMPH OF THE CROSS A SYMBOL OFTEN MISUNDERSTOOD Download version The cross is the symbol of which Christians show their faith. Yet, for three centuries, they intentionally did not use the cross as a symbol of their faith. They were recognized in other symbols—the anchor, the fish, the loaves, the dove, the shepherd—but they
ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY THE LORD OF LIFE HAS DONE GREAT THINGS FOR US Download version Mary is remembered for the last time in the New Testament at the beginning of the book of Acts: in prayer, surrounded by the apostles and the first Christian community (Acts 1:14). Then this sweet and reserved
TRANSFIGURATION OF THE LORD TO CONTEMPLATE HIS TRANSFIGURED FACE:AN EXPERIENCE THAT EVERY DISCIPLE MUST DO Download version Immediately after the story of the Transfiguration, the three Synoptic Gospels tell the story of the healing of an epileptic boy. Jesus comes down from the mountain with Peter, James, and John. They see a man break away
SAINTS PETER AND PAUL THROUGH DIFFERENT ROUTES, THEY ARRIVED AT THE SAME DESTINATION Download version With a phrase well known to us—“They were of one heart and soul”—Luke summarizes the full agreement existing in the primitive community (Acts 4:32). Yet, in the Church’s history, tensions and contrasts as strong as those in the early decades
BIRTH OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST A COURAGEOUS WITNESS OF THE LIGHT Download version The cult of the Virgin Mary began to rise and develop in Jerusalem in the V century. A century earlier, in the IV century, the cult of John the Baptist was so widespread as to be considered universal. The people paid
SAINT ANTHONY PREACHER OF GOD’S WORD AND FRIEND OF THE POOR For some, being devoted to a saint means invoking him in preference to others when they need some grace. From this point of view, St. Anthony is unrivaled. A brother composed a famous hymn a year after the saint’s death. It is still recited
ANNUNCIATION OF THE LORD GOD HAD GIVEN MANY PROOFS OF LOVE,BUT HE HELD IN RESERVE THE MOST UNHEARD-OF WONDERS Download version This ancient festival is connected with the spring equinox. It was celebrated in Palestine possibly as early as the fourth century and introduced in the West in the seventh century. Initially, it was not
SAINT JOSEPH He discovered and realized the dreams of God Dreams, more or less tranquil, accompany our sleep. They allow us to free up our subconscious from negative experiences or to satisfy hidden desires. Frames of our past occur in them. We also dream with open eyes, and then we project ourselves into the future:
