If anyone knew rejection, ridicule, and disappointment, it was today’s saint. But such trials only brought Maria Bertilla Boscardin closer to God and more determined to serve him.
Born in Italy in 1888, the young girl lived in fear of her father, a violent man prone to jealousy and drunkenness. Her...
Though written in simple language, St. Francis’ Peace Prayer provides rich material for spiritual reflection. The following are some of my thoughts on the Peace Prayer inspired by the lines of this prayer and by the example of St. Francis.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace
Like that of...
Perhaps the most popular sculptured image of Francis is that of the ragged little man standing on a birdbath. This figure, which has become so universal, could be discovered as easily in a Methodist’s backyard or a Buddhist prayer garden as at a Franciscan retreat center.
To those who grumble that this...
Did you ever have the experience that you were being watched?
I did recently at better than 10,000 feet, and, in that occurring, got some valuable consumer marketing information.
I was traveling from Cincinnati to Florida, and had as my reading on the plane a manuscript I had just...
Recent news stories about the feast day of Blessed (soon to be Saint) Kateri Tekakwitha started me down a Catholic nostalgia trip. Every time I hear her name, I remember reading her biography when I was in third grade. It was in a series called Vision Books. Through the wonder that is Google, I discovered...
Saint of the Day: Blessed Junipero Serra
In 1776, when the American Revolution was beginning in the east, another part of the future United States was being born in California. That year a gray-robed Franciscan founded Mission San Juan Capistrano, now famous for its annually returning swallows. San Juan was...
