The Word Was Made Flesh: An Advent Reflection on the Incarnation

by | Dec 20, 2021 | a current event, Accompaniment, Ad maiorem Dei gloriam and the salvation of souls!, Advent, Faith, Films

DECEMBER 20, 2021 from Catholic Exchange FR. JOHN S. HOGAN Editor’s note: The following is a homily from the Fourth Week in Advent, 2008. It was given at St. Peter’s Church, National Shrine of St. Oliver Plunkett, in Drogheda, Ireland. You can find it and other homilies in the book Advent Reflections, which is edited by Brandon McGinley and published through Sophia Institute Press. Loreto is a small medieval city, perched atop a small moun­tain overlooking the Adriatic Sea on the east coast of Italy. If you look up from the plains below, you see a great wall reminiscent of a fortress, a forbidding citadel; in reality, it is a spiritual doorway, a place of meeting. Within the walls is a great basilica and, beneath the dome of the basilica, a marble chapel within which is an ancient house, simple in its construction but resonant with history. This is the house of Nazareth where the Annunciation took place, where it is believed the Holy Family lived and St. Joseph died — the Holy House that was and is a witness to the mystery of the Incarnation. Loreto is a place where it is easy to pray. The ancient stones of the Holy House seem to...

George Bailey Still Teaches Us: ‘Our Father in Heaven Is There to Help the Hopeless’

by | Dec 20, 2021 | a current event, Ad maiorem Dei gloriam and the salvation of souls!, Christmas, Faith, Films, God's Mercy

From The National Catholic Register ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ turns 75 but the story remains timeless. Henry Travers as guardian angel Clarence Odbody, after rescuing George Bailey played by James Stewart. (photo: Public domain) Joseph Pronechen FeaturesDecember 19, 2021 Before Jimmy Stewart portrayed George Bailey, his guardian angel surely watched over him as he was flying harrowing combat missions in World War II. When Stewart was leaving for Air Force duty as a B-24 bomber pilot, his father slipped a copy of Psalm 91 into his uniform pocket, telling his son to pray it often — assuring him it would help him get through the war safely. This simple incident made its way into Stewart biographies along with the poignant prayer:  “You shall not fear the terror of the night nor the arrow that flies by day. … Though a thousand fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, near you it shall not come. … For God commands the angels to guard you in all your ways. … With their hands they shall support you, lest you strike your foot against a stone. … Whoever clings to me I will deliver; whoever knows my name I will set...

Why Purgatory?

by | Oct 26, 2021 | Catechesis, Eternal Salvation, Faith

Coming just after Hell and just before Heaven, the second of the three books that make up Dante’s Divine Comedy is the Purgatorio—Purgatory. In its ninth canto, Dante places these words in the mouth of the angelic guardian of Purgatory’s gate who, displaying his keys, tells his listeners: I hold them from St. Peter—who bade […] Source: Why...