We have arrived at the final mystery of the Rosary: the Coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth. At last, Our Lady has come to the end of her earthly pilgrimage and received the glorious crown that signifies the fulfillment of her destiny. As she takes her place as Queen-Mother beside the throne…
The mystery the Assumption sets before us the horizon of eternity. Having completed her earthly pilgrimage, Mary was lifted body and soul into the glory of Paradise. She who was conceived without sin could not experience sin’s consequence – the grave’s material corruption. Her risen Son was pleased to glorify her body at once. The…
A Greater Love and Zeal for God Do you burn to evangelize? Before returning to the Father, Jesus instructed the apostles “to wait for the promise of the Father” – the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4). He told them, “you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my…
The parting words of Jesus are known as The Great Commission. Before He returns to the Father, Jesus gives his apostles this directive: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son…
“Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?” (1 Cor 15:55). The Lamb of God defeats death by death, to the eternal confusion of the powers of darkness and the eternal splendor of the children of light. What looked like an abysmal failure is the…
We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. Because, by Your holy Cross, You have redeemed the world. “Carrying the cross” and “being crucified with Jesus” are two overlapping metaphors that apply to the whole of the Christian life. Still, in terms of the intensity of suffering, one could make a distinction between carrying…
Some of the words of Jesus are easier for us to hear than others. “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” is soothing balm for the troubled heart (Matt 11:28). The next verse, however, points to one of the most challenging aspects of the Christian life:…
Last month, in the second sorrowful mystery, we contemplated Jesus’ lacerated body. Now, in the third sorrowful mystery, our focus shifts to His lacerated heart. Our Saviour is clothed in a purple garment and a crown of thorns is cruelly pressed into His head – a mock king for the jeering pleasure of an obnoxious…
The scourging of Jesus at the pillar is a heartrending scene. The most innocent Lamb of God delivers His body over to one of the cruelest and most barbaric of punishments – a Roman scourging – to show us the depth of His love for us in our human weakness. Ever since the Fall of…
Soon after solid spiritual reading became a part of my daily life, I was struck by the emphasis the saints place upon the Passion of Jesus. The saints are unanimous in telling us to meditate on the Passion, if holiness is the desire of our hearts. In view of their wisdom, I was surprised that…