From Season to Season

All that is known for certain about Thomas comes from the New Testament. He is mentioned as one of the twelve apostles in all four Gospels and is nicknamed Didymus, “the twin,” in John’s Gospel. It was a “doubting” Thomas who refused to believe that Jesus had risen from the dead until he had seen him with his own eyes and put his finger into his wounds; this prompted Jesus’ response, “Doubt no longer but believe,” to which Thomas replied, “My Lord and my God” ( John 20:24-29 ). Reflecting on this moment, Saint Gregory the Great wrote, “The disbelief of Thomas has done more for our faith than the faith of the other disciples. As he touches Christ and is won over to belief, every doubt is cast aside and our faith is strengthened. So the disciple who doubted, then felt Christ’s wounds, becomes a witness to the reality of the resurrection.” Tradition states that Saint Thomas preached the Gospel to the Parthians, Medes, and Persians, eventually making his way to India where he ...

“Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” —Matthew 10:29-31 In 1618, a young Jesuit from Diest, Belgium, traveled on foot to Rome to study at the famous Roman College. John Berchmans was, in many ways, an unremarkable young religious. The son of a shoemaker, his life was like that of other children of the working classes, but John’s natural intelligence helped him stand out from his peers and he was given an opportunity to study, which ultimately led him to religious life and to preparations for the priesthood. After distinguishing himself in philosophical studies, John was chosen by his superiors to take part in a public debate, but became ill before it had ended. As the young seminarian lay on his deathbed, he clasped his crucifix, his rosary, and the Jesuit Rule and said: “These are my three t...

Although I've been neglecting my blog for the last several months (as I've been navigating several other writing commitments), I'm happy to be blogging again and I want to share with you this piece that was recently published by my friends at Aleteia.org about my newest book (published by Ignatius Press ):  Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, S.J.: With an Undivided Heart. The memorial of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga is celebrated on June 21. To order a copy of the book, click here . To read the profile by Aleteia.org, click here .

Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. —John 6:57 In 1928, Myles Connolly published a small novel entitled Mr. Blue , which tells the story of a young man who decides to live out the Christian Faith in a serious, transforming way. The book was intended to serve as a Christian response to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic work, The Great Gatsby . Blue lives a life of extremes, we might even say of excess, but it is a far cry from the extravagance of the “Roaring ‘20s.” Mr. Blue has much to say to us about how faith in Christ can shape a life, transforming a person’s very existence into an act of eucharistia  — an act of thanksgiving  — that by its very nature draws others into communion. In the novel, Blue tells the story about the kingdom of the Antichrist: the days of the “the ecstatic, passionate, beauty-loving, liberty-seeking people had, as was early predicted, come t...