The fine arts, but above all sacred art, "of their nature are directed toward expressing in some way the infinite beauty of God in works made by human hands...." Catechism of the Catholic Church (2513). For a Gospel reflection about this painting from my good friend, Patrick van der Vorst, please click on the image. Peace be with you ..read more

Man is ordered to the good, the true, and the beautiful because in such things we encounter God. There are many artist depictions of the remarkable moment the angel Gabriel greets Mary and, to her astonishment, delivers God's message that she will conceive and bear a son.  As a devout Jew familiar with the Messianic prophecies she learns she will be the mother of Emmanuel - God with Us - the child who will one day rule all the nations, who will be the light of the world, and the fulfillment of God's promises to his children of Israel.  It is Mary's "yes" that puts God's plan into mot ..read more

Man is ordered to the good, the true, and the beautiful because in such things we encounter God. As my good friend, Patrick van der Vorst at Christian Art suggests, the Gospel story of Jesus cleansing the temple is a reminder that we are called to examine our spiritual lives. In his first letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul tells us, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?" (1 Cor 6:19-20). Let us invite Jesus into that space and ask him to cleanse the temple of our body; let us invite the Holy Spirit to ..read more

Man is ordered to the good, the true, and the beautiful because in such things we encounter God. As my good friend, Patrick van der Vorst at Christian Art suggests, Ladislav Záborský's painting captures what today's Gospel reading from Luke's twenty-fourth chapter wants to make clear, "that the Risen Lord was not a ghost or a spirit. No, Christ was physically present and real after the Resurrection." For a Gospel reflection about this painting please click on the image. Peace be with you ..read more

Today, we encounter "Doubting Thomas" by Jessie Boston. There are many today who doubt Christ's resurrection from the dead. Not only doubt Christ's Resurrection but doubt Jesus Christ ever lived at all. My answer to this is: Good! Doubt, fully formed, fully matured, brings us to investigate the truth of something. When we doubt, when we really doubt, we are not in some skeptical, immature, and boorish state of ignoring something. On the contrary. Doubt creates pause. Doubt creates examination. Doubt creates reflection. Doubt, in the most mature sense of what it is, causes one to fully immerse ..read more