When you were a child, how badly did you want to sneak downstairs on Christmas Eve and see what Santa really looked like? You probably imagined him with a big white beard, jolly belly, red cheeks, and fur lined coat. But according to scientific analysis and computer models, Saint Nicholas, the 4th century Bishop of […]
Category: Lives of the Saints
I Saw Santa Punching Arius
I saw Santa punching Arius in the council chambers at Nicaea. He just couldn’t stand to hear the heretic expand his theory how Our Blessed Lord was not much more than just a man. Then I saw Santa grabbing Arius by the beard to pull him off his chair. The other bishops were justified, in […]
Feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God
“We sing your praises, O Most Holy Virgin, Mother of Christ our God, and we glorify your all-glorious patronage.” (Hymn of Praise from the Sixteenth Century) Among the Marian feasts listed in our Liturgical Year, the feast of the Patronage of the Most Holy Mother of God deserves special consideration. The cult of the Mother […]
Jewel of the Martyrs
Few Christians have not heard of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. After living in India for twenty years, teaching in a (middle class) girls high school, she received what she termed “a call within a call” to devote the rest of her life to caring for the sick poor while living among them. At her death […]
“A Divine Treasure Hidden in the Ground”
The principal feasts in our liturgical year commemorate some event in the life of Christ or of the Theotokos. A second category of feasts honors the memory of saints, often on the day of their repose. A third category of feasts recalls significant events in the history of the Church, such as the discovery and […]
Enlighteners of the Ecumene
The Church has used many terms to describe the saints. Some of these are common to all the historic Churches, such as apostles or martyrs. The Eastern Churches also speak of some saints as “Equal to the Apostles,” believers who were responsible for bringing the Gospel to significant groups of people or nations throughout the […]
The New Martyrs of the Ukrainian Greco-Catholic Church
Holiness in Life Pope John Paul II’s solemn proclamation of the new martyrs and faithful servants of God of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church as blessed is another divine manifestation to our people. During more than 1,000 years of salvation history on our land, Ukrainian Christians have rejoiced in various signs of God’s presence. The Word […]
Mustard Seed Faith
The healing of an epileptic described in Matthew 17:14-21 took place late in Christ’s public ministry. One indication is that the very next verses speak of Christ warning His disciples about His coming Passion (vv. 22-23). It was only as the time of His earthly ministry was drawing to a close that He began insisting […]