“Who would know?” Early on in the 1966 film, A Man for All Seasons, a young man by the name of Richard Rich is hanging around the household of Thomas More. Thomas More is a judge and Rich hopes that More’s influence can lead the young man to aContinue Reading
“Suffering and pain is a reality of existence. “ The psalmist tells us that the lifespan of man is seventy years, or eighty for those who are strong, and most of these are emptiness and pain. Our Lord promised us that following Him would not bring us comfort and easeContinue Reading
“The ‘Little Way’ of St. Therese is a way of consecrating our most mundane and ordinary tasks to God, whether it is washing clothes or opening a door for another or saving a starfish” Saving Starfish One night a violent storm blew in from the sea and stranded thousands ofContinue Reading
“St. James illustrates for us two paths of spirituality that we must keep in balance.” Two Monks Two monks were traveling through a forest on foot, making their way back to their monastery. Recent rains had made the rivers and streams swollen with fast moving currents. As they approached oneContinue Reading
“The Truth behind the legend of Saint George and the Dragon is that Good will triumph over Evil.” The Man, Saint, and Martyr The early gothic art form of the 12th-14th centuries, from which I draw much of my inspiration, borrowed many elements from the iconographic form that preceded it.Continue Reading
“Go to Joseph” There is a story that explains why Saint Joseph is often depicted with a flowering staff. According to tradition, The Virgin Mary was consecrated to the Temple. She lived within the Temple complex and was by the men and women who also lived there, filling their variousContinue Reading
“One life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it. But to sacrifice what you are and to live without belief, that is a fate more terrible than dying.” -St. Joan of Arc Joan of Arc, the Maid of Orleans. I wanted to depictContinue Reading
“And since the three persons of the Holy Trinity all share the same nature, where one is, the other two are also present.” Saint Brigid of Kildare, along with Saint Patrick and Saint Columba, is one of Ireland’s great patrons. As would be expected, there are many stories of wondersContinue Reading
“The task is daunting, to go out and preach the Word of God to a hostile world.” -St. Augustine Augustine “I was weeping in the most bitter contrition of my heart, when I heard the voice of children from a neighboring house chanting, ‘take up and read; take up andContinue Reading
What does it mean to have the heart of a servant? It can be fascinating to dig into the history of a word. Nowadays we tend to equate the word “servant” with “slave,” and that is indeed a popular meaning. But the word is very old and has had manyContinue Reading