What does it mean to be hidden, to carry a burden no one can see or touch or understand, no one but God alone? There is a particular crucifixion of the heart—what St. Padre Pio defined as the transverberation of the heart—because a heart that
This piece on St. Matthew first appeared in the Autumn 2020 Scripture issue of Evangelization & Culture, the quarterly journal of the Word on Fire Institute. Learn more and become a member today to read more pieces like this. As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man
“Poland, the nation of Mary, the land of saints and blesseds!” Thus Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, concluded his homily at the beatification Mass in Warsaw of Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński and Mother Elżbieta Róża Czacka. The Marian dimension was a
It’s happening again—you find yourself sinking into hopelessness as you scroll or flip or turn page after page of devastating world news. Your own life is heavier now, too, especially after the confusion and uncertainty surrounding the global pandemic. Your heart vacillates in that enigmatic
In the early 1980s, Our Lady of Kibeho appeared to three schoolgirls in Rwanda and gave one of the girls, Marie Claire, a special mission: to revive and spread the Seven Sorrows Rosary. “With the recitation of the Seven Sorrows Rosary, the hardest of hearts shall change,
This video originally appeared at Real Life Catholic and is used with permission. Sign up for Chris Stefanick’s email list here. You know, we should always watch our mouths because God is always listening. But have you ever let a curse fly out of your mouth in front
The Church celebrates the Feast of St. John Chrysostom on September 13th. It was transferred to this date in order to celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross on the 14th. St. John of Antioch was born in 349 A.D. and was nicknamed
With police brutality in focus around the world, one priest says it is important to remember a policeman who might one day be declared a saint: Vice-Sergeant Salvo D’Acquisto, an Italian policeman who gave his life for those he had sworn to protect. During the
The boats would pull into the dock like any other day in Cartagena. As the vessels would unload, onlookers would have seen the living cargo present in the deepest levels of the ship. Many of these people were sold into the slave trade, and it’s
The Bible is silent about the birth of the Virgin Mary, but the Church celebrates it annually on September 8. This day is universally celebrated in both the East and the West, originally found in the calendars of Eastern Christians. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, “The
