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Divine Office | The Wisdom of God has mixed wine for us and set up a feast

In today's Office of Readings we encounter a reading from a commentary on Proverbs by Procopius of Gaza (c. 465 - 528). Procopius of Gaza (c. 465 - 528) was a Christian sophist and rhetorician, one of the most important representatives of the famous school of his native place. Here he spent nearly the whole of his life teaching and writing; he took no part in the theological movements of his time. Procopius’s theological works are a series of commentaries on books of the Bible: Kings and Chronicles, Isaiah, the Proverbs, the Song of Songs and Ecclesiastes. The form is that of a catena – that is to say, a chain in which the links are the phrases in the work being discussed, while from each link there hangs a second chain of comments or elucidations by the Fathers or other authorities and ultimately by Procopius himself. For a reflection, "The Wisdom of God has mixed wine for us and set up a feast," please click on the image. Peace be with you!

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Saints Alive! | St. Valentine of Rome

Despite being a widely recognized 3rd-century Roman saint, little is known for sure about Saint Valentine. He was a clergyman – either a priest or a bishop – in the Roman Empire who ministered to persecuted Christians. He was martyred and buried on the Via Flamina to the north of Rome on February 14. Some accounts say that he married Christian couples in secret at a time when the Roman Emperor Claudius II banned marriages and engagements, believing this kept men from serving in the army.

For more about this saint, please click on the image.

Peace be with you!

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The Rosary | The Sorrowful Mysteries

The Rosary is one of the most beautiful prayers in the Catholic tradition. It's also one of the most commonly misunderstood, which is often the case for many of our Protestant brothers and sisters. Yet, it doesn't have to be. Put simply, the Rosary is a prayerful meditation on the life of Jesus Christ through the eyes of his mother. I invite you, whether you are Catholic, Protestant, or other, to watch this beautiful video by our friends at Word on Fire.  Today we pray the Sorrowful Mysteries.  We meditate on five key events in the life of Jesus Christ through the eyes of his mother, the Virgin Mary. For more, please click on the image. Peace be with you!

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Divine Office | Build up your church and gather all into unity

In today's Office of Readings we encounter a reading from an Old Slavonic Life of Constantine. St Cyril was born in Thessalonica and was educated in Constantinople. With his brother St Methodius, Cyril went to Moravia to preach the faith. They translated liturgical texts into the Slavonic language and invented the Glagolithic and possibly also the Cyrillic alphabet. They were called back to Rome, where Cyril died on 14 February 869. They are known as the Apostles to the Slavs. For a reflection, "Build up your church and gather all into unity," please click on the image. Peace be with you!

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Saints Alive! | St. Catherine del Ricci

At the age of twelve she entered the Dominican convent of St Vincent at Prato and took the religious name Catherine. Inspired by the Dominican reformer Girolamo Savonarola she worked constantly to promote the regular life. She was favoured with extraordinary mystical experiences and at the age of twenty began to experience the sacred stigmata and weekly ecstasies of the Passion. St. Catherine di Ricci knew St. Philip Neri and Sr. Mary Magdalene di Pazzi. She counseled many lay people and guided them in their spiritual lives, and was an advisor to three future popes! The Dominican Sisters have approximately 1000 of her letters.

For more about this saint, please click on the image.

Peace be with you!