Polish Lancers, The Holy Family, and Obedience
“Obedience does not rob us of our freedom, rather it frees us to employ the full range of our gifts and talents in service to the Master.” French archbishop Francois Fenelon said this about obedience. “It is not the multitude of hard duties, it is not constraint and contention thatContinue Reading
Our Time To Choose
“God has given us all a role to fulfill, it is for us to choose whether or not we do so.” Henry III was the Holy Roman Emperor in the middle of the 11thcentury, ruling parts of western and central Europe. His kingdom included Germany, Burgundy, Bohemia, and northern ItalyContinue Reading
Our Time of Joy
Advent is traditionally a period of fasting and prayer as we prepare ourselves for the great day of our salvation. But we must remember that it is also a time of joy and anticipation. It is a time of testing, preparation, and joy. In traditional Christian imagery there is aContinue Reading
Our Time of Preparation
“We spend our lives in preparation, learning to make of ourselves a work of art worthy of God.” You may not recognize the name, Hokusai, but you have undoubtedly seen his work. Hokusai was a Japanese artist who lived during what is known as the “Edo Period” in Tokyo inContinue Reading
Our Time of Testing
Our part is to “be vigilant at all times and pray.” This is our time of testing. Michelle Malkin is a well known journalist and social commentator. In a recent interview she told of how she temporarily lost sight of the “big picture” and the near tragedy that resulted. MichelleContinue Reading
Artists and the Kingdom of God
“As artists, are we concerned more with the Kingdom of Men, or with the Kingdom of God?” We live in two worlds, the visible and the invisible, and we have a foot in each. The visible world is of earthly kingdoms where truth is relative and fleeting. The invisible worldContinue Reading
To Be At Peace
“Perhaps our greatest desire, often unexpressed, is to be at peace.” There is an old story about a king who had the habit of dressing in a disguise, mounting his horse and riding out late at night to survey his kingdom without all the attention and panoply that usually accompaniedContinue Reading
The Princess Bride and Imperfect Beauty
“Imperfect Beauty allows the perfect Beauty of God to shine more brightly.” I occasionally come across a writer who describes the beauty of a woman as being more perfect because of a small “flaw” such as a mole or scar or birthmark. This is usually in older books because inContinue Reading
The Church and the Sacred Arts – Architecture
The architecture of the church therefore plays an important role in fostering a full, active, and conscious participation in the sacred liturgy. When it comes to the architecture of a church there is very little in Church teaching to guide us. This accounts for the wide variety in church designsContinue Reading
The Church and Sacred Art
“Genuine sacred art draws man to adoration, to prayer, and to the love of God, Creator and Savior, the Holy One and Sanctifier.” In examining the specific directives of the Church when it comes to art, we should remember that art, like the music and architecture, is not just somethingContinue Reading