August 6 is the feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ. On this day, the first church on Mount Tabor was dedicated. Tradition has it that Mount Tabor was the “high mountain” described in the Gospel as the site of the Transfiguration. In 1457, Pope Callistus III ordered this feast … Read more
An era has ended. Queen Elizabeth II is dead, and the world mourns. We can say that the twentieth century officially ended as the last pillar of the postwar order fell. The Queen had her defects. In remembering her, some decry many of her political decisions. Others point to the deplorable things … Read more
I highly recommend the Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is a wonderful prayer for our times. Thus, I will comment on some of its invocations and the lessons they can teach us. Heart of Jesus Formed by the Holy Spirit in the Womb of the Virgin Mother The first … Read more
Approach the crib of the Child God with me. Let us imagine the arrival of the Magi Kings at the manger, after having followed the Star of Bethlehem with their caravans and treasure-laden animals. These sovereigns—King Balthazar, King Melchior and King Gaspar—offer the Child Jesus gold, frankincense and myrrh, in adoration. Looking … Read more
It is Christmas time, and the world stops for a brief moment. It does not stop long because there are too many important things to be done to waste on festive and unproductive folly. It can only be a short pause on Christmas day before the world must almost immediately return to … Read more
The regularity with which the various cycles of the liturgical year succeed one another in the Church’s calendar is truly an affirmation of the celestial majesty of the Church. She remains undisturbed no matter how much the events of human history change around her and despite the ups and downs of politics … Read more
This is a photo of the great Saint John Bosco, founder of the Salesian Congregation. Note his eminently priestly expression, but that of a man of the people. No one would imagine that he was born from a high social class. He is a peasant who became a priest, and that was … Read more
How do you analyze a photograph? By looking at it and drawing a first impression; then, by trying to see what sentiment it causes and then analyzing the reason for this feeling. Observing this photo of the Almansa Castle in Spain, we must make a distinction between two wonderfully harmonic but clearly … Read more
Calmness is the rarest quality in human life. It is the poise of a great nature, in harmony with itself and its ideals. It is the moral atmosphere of a life self-reliant and self-controlled. Calmness is singleness of purpose, absolute confidence, and conscious power — ready to be focused in an instant … Read more
The following text is taken from an informal lecture Professor Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira gave on July 20, 1968. It has been translated and adapted for publication without his revision. – Ed. July 21 is the feast of the Prophet Daniel. The last words that the angel said to him were: “But … Read more