From Season to Season

Make yourself familiar with the angels, and behold them frequently in spirit. Without being seeing, they are present to you. - Saint Francis de Sales   The tradition of honoring the Archangel Michael on the 29th day of September dates back to the early part of the fifth century, when a basilica was dedicated in his honor on the Via Salaria in Rome. Since 1969, this day has been celebrated as a common feast honoring Michael and the Archangels Gabriel and Raphael (who had formerly been celebrated on March 24 and October 24, respectively).   These three Archangels, and indeed all the hosts of heaven, are a "great multitude of very bright living lamps; they are the vast army of heavenly spirits, shining in the blessed light and living in great beauty and adornment, because when they were created by God they did not grasp at proud exaltation but strongly persisted in divine love" ( Saint Hildegard of Bingen , Scivias 1.2.1.). Honoring God with their whole beings, the An...

A few days ago, I read an article about the evolution of America’s celebration of Halloween. In the article, which included statistics and stories spanning more than a century, I learned that in 1965 Americans spent $300 million on Halloween costumes, decorations, and candy. As you might imagine, that number has only increased—exponentially—in the past fifty years. But what surprised me (and, I admit, bothered me), is that of the billions spent on Halloween, Americans today are spending as much on pet costumes as we did on all Halloween items in 1965. Yes, that’s right: $300 million.   Now don’t get me wrong. I’m all for celebrating holidays and I enjoy seeing a family pet dressed as a hot dog as much as the next person. But this bit of trivia says a lot about where we are placing our values as a culture. It also says much about what we view as necessity .   I’ve wondered what it would mean if, instead of buying Fluffy that clown outfit this year, the Smith family do...

Icon of Mary, " Seeker of the Lost " "Mary experienced uncertainty and insecurity when she said yes to the angel. She knew what oppression was when she didn't find a hospitable place to give birth to Jesus. She knew the sufferings of the mothers whose their children being thrown in the air and pierced by bayonets; she lived as a refugee in a strange land with a strange language and strange customs; she knew what it means to have a child who does not follow the regular ways of life but creates turmoil wherever he goes; she felt the loneliness of the widow and the agony of seeing her only son being executed. Indeed, Mary is the woman who stands next to all the poor, oppressed, and lonely women of our time. And when she continues to speak to people it is the simple and the poor to whom she appears: Juan Diego , the simple old Mexican Indian of Guadalupe; Bernadette , the poor sickly girl in Lourdes; Lucia, Jacinta, and Francesco [ sic ], the unspectacular children o...