Any journey towards the Church is primarily a journey towards God. This journey towards God is found through Jesus Christ.
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”Bourbon, Bluegrass, & the Bible”: The Hillbilly Thomists Hit Nashville
Jan 27, 2021 | 01:00 amDominicans are just the coolest. Following their thirteenth-century founder, St. Dominic, today’s Dominicans are “learned, disciplined, and poor”; but I’ve yet to meet one who does not also radiate the joy of the Gospel and simply know how to have[…]
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Domestic Church? Hold On, It’s Just a Family!
Jan 26, 2021 | 01:00 amWhat does the Church mean when she calls the family the domestic church? A brief summary of the Scriptures and the development of how the term has been used will prove helpful. Judaism has always placed significance on the family. Family[…]
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Will the Real J.R.R. Tolkien Please Stand Up?
Jan 25, 2021 | 01:00 amI am delighted to announce, at last, the release of my book Tolkien’s Modern Reading: Middle-earth Beyond the Middle Ages. I’m honored beyond words that it should be the inaugural publication of the new Word on Fire Academic imprint. As[…]
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“It Is Right and Just” Offers Timely Answers and Unaddressed Questions
Jan 22, 2021 | 01:00 amThis week in the United States we begin a new presidential administration and a new congress. As we endure the weirdest year of most of our lives, and after several years of unprecedented partisan turmoil, it is a suitable time[…]
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Solidarity Lessons for a Challenging Era
Jan 21, 2021 | 01:00 amThe beginning of a new presidency in any country ought to be a time of renewed commitment to unity among all her citizens. In the light of recent events in America and ongoing instability around the world, this call to[…]
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A Prophet Greater than Moses
Jan 27, 2021 | 01:00 amMoses is, without a doubt, the greatest figure in the Old Testament. He heard the voice of God from the burning bush; he was given the Ten Commandments; he was permitted to talk to God as to a friend. But[…]
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Accepting Our Mission from God
Jan 20, 2021 | 01:00 amIn today’s first reading, we find the story of Jonah, a narrative about the acceptance (or rejection) of God’s mission. We are all called to difficult things, and so most of us sinners, most of the time, do everything we[…]
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God Raises Up His Prophets
Jan 13, 2021 | 01:00 amWith the whole Church around the world, we return to Ordinary Time. This week, we have a wonderful Old Testament reading from the first book of Samuel having to do with the call of the prophet Samuel, and Eli his[…]
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St. Angela Merici
Jan 27, 2007 | 08:00 amAngela Merici, foundress of the Ursuline Sisters, was born in the small Italian town of Desenzano on the shore of Lake Garda in 1474.As a young girl, Angela lost in succession her sister and both of her parents. She went to live with a wealthy uncle in the town of Salo where, without benefit of formal schooling, Angela grew in poise, wisdom, and grace.The age in which Angela lived and worked (the 16th Century), was a time which saw great suffering on the part of the poor in society. Injustices were carried on in the name of the government and the Church, which left many people both spiritually and materially powerless and hungry. The corruption of moral values left families split and hurting. Wars among nations and the Italian city-states left towns in ruins.In 1516, Angela came to live in the town of Brescia, Italy. Here she became a friend of the wealthy nobles of the day and a servant of the poor and suffering. Angela spent her days in prayer and fasting and service. Her reputation spread and her advice was sought by both young and old, rich and poor, religious and secular, male and female. But still, Angela had not yet brought her vision to fruition.After visiting the Holy Land, where she reportedly lost her sight, Angela returned to Brescia, which had become a haven for refugees from the many wars then wracking Italy. There she gathered around her a group of women who looked toward Angela as an inspirational leader and as a model of apostolic charity. It was these women, many of them daughters of the wealthy, some orphans themselves, who formed the nucleus of Angela's Company of St. Ursula. Angela named her company after St. Ursula because she regarded her as a model of consecrated virginity.Angela and her original company worked out details of the rule of prayer, and promises, and practices by which they were to live. The Ursulines opened orphanages and schools. In 1535, the Institute of St. Ursula was formally recognized by the Pope and Angela was accorded the title of foundress.During the five remaining years of her life, Angela devoted herself to composing a number of Counsels by which her daughters could happily live. She encouraged them to "live in harmony, united together in one heart and one will. Be bound to one another by the bond of charity, treating each other with respect, helping one another, bearing with one another in Christ Jesus; if you really try to live like this, there is no doubt that the Lord our God will be in your midst."In 1580, Charles Borromeo, Bishop of Milan, inspired by the work of the Ursulines in Brescia, encouraged the foundation of Ursuline houses in all the dioceses of Northern Italy. Charles also encouraged the Ursulines to live together in community rather than in their own homes. He also exhorted them to publicly profess vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. These actions formalized Angela's original "company" into a religious[…]