Reflections on life, meaning and purpose

Reflection for the Feast of the Visitation

(Read Rom 12:9-16; Is 12:2-6; Lk 1:39-56) During those days Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah… Let us picture this scene from today’s Gospel: the angel tells Mary that she is the mother of the Messiah, the proof of which is that her aged cousin Elizabeth has […]

The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Soon, we will return liturgically to the relative “quiet” of Ordinary Time, after so many celebrations of great historical events in Jesus’ life.  Today, we pause to look back at the Last Supper.  Why? Gospel (Read Mk 14:12-16, 22-26) Now that we have liturgically re-lived with Jesus the culmination of His earthly ministry and His […]

Art of the Visitation

Meditating on Piero di Cosimo’s Imaginative Masterpiece Piero di Cosimo’s Visitation is perhaps the most elaborately imaginative rendering of Mary and Elizabeth’s meeting. The artist, known for his eccentricities, weaves together an array of symbols and scenes, all of which underscore the momentous nature of this joyful encounter. The painting offers much for us to […]

The Visitation Is a Glorious Feast

Museo Thyssen- Bornemisza Hans and Jakob Strüb, “The Visitation,” ca. 1505, Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Madrid Our Lady flew to the aid of St. Elizabeth as she shall do for us until the end of time.

Friday within the Octave of Corpus Christi

Above: Allegory of the Holy Eucharist by Miguel Cabrera (1750) Editor’s note: to promote the observance of the traditional Corpus Christi Octave as a part of our Crusade of Eucharistic Reparation, we will publish each day the Patristic readings from the Octave, as contained in pre-55 breviaries. The following readings and responsories come from the […]