February 14 is St. Valentine’s Day. But not this year. This year it’s Ash Wednesday, the annual kickoff of the 40-day season of Lent. So, instead of chocolates and candy hearts, romantic dinners by candlelight, or champagne and caviar, this Wednesday we will be observing a fast, which includes abstaining from meat, and wearing ashesContinue reading “February 14 “
Author Archives: stceceliastgabriel
St. Paul Mikki
In 1596, less than 50 years after St. Francis Xavier brought Christianity to Japan, the emperor Toyotomi ordered all Christian missionaries arrested. He did not like what he saw as the growing European influence in his empire, and worried that western powers would seek to rule Japan as they did the Philippines. Among those arrestedContinue reading “St. Paul Mikki “
Interesting Conversations
Someone recently shared with me a video of an interesting conversation between Bishop Robert Barron and Fr. Joseph Fessio, SJ. Many of you are probably familiar with Bishop Barron, who has become well-known as the founder of Word on Fire Ministries and for his evangelization work on YouTube and other social media platforms. Fr. FessioContinue reading “Interesting Conversations “
Reshaping Culture
The ancient custom of foot binding originated in China about 1000 years ago. Somehow it had become fashionable among elite women of Chinese society to have small, dainty feet. To achieve this aesthetic, the feet of girls four or five years old were broken and then tightly bound. The binding of the feet intentionally preventedContinue reading “Reshaping Culture “
The Temptation of St. Anthony
The temptation of St. Anthony has been the inspiration for some truly bizarre artistic masterpieces by artists of different periods over the centuries. To be clear, the St. Anthony I’m referring to is not the 13th century Franciscan renowned for his preaching and his uncanny ability to help us find our lost car keys andContinue reading “The Temptation of St. Anthony “
Baptism
The most important day of my life was July 18, 1976. That was the day my parents took me to Sacred Heart Church in Suffern, NY to have me baptized. On the drive over to the church, I was my parents’ child, their lifeblood flowing in my veins which made me their son. But withContinue reading “Baptism “
Queen of Peace
We always begin the new year with Mary, the Mother of God. In the ancient world, to those who objected to the title “Mother of God,” the Church responded definitively that she who is the mother of Jesus must also be the Mother of God, since Jesus is God and there is no division inContinue reading “Queen of Peace “
Christmas
Bishop Erik Varden of Trondheim, Norway is a spiritual writer who understands the nature of the spiritual malady that afflicts our age, a sickness that runs so deep within us that most aren’t even aware we have it. He describes it as despair, as a kind of spiritual sadness. We are sad, he argues, becauseContinue reading “Christmas “
No Double-Dipping
George Costanza is not a good role model. There are many reasons why this is true, including his propensity to double-dip. We first learned of the Seinfeld character’s bad habit in Season 4 during the episode when George tries to score points with his new girlfriend by accompanying her to Michigan to attend the funeralContinue reading “No Double-Dipping “
R.I.P. Shane MacGowan
The unusual Christmas song “Fairytale of New York” will be getting extra airplay this year. That’s because the unusual man who wrote it, Shane MacGowan, died this past November 30 at the age of 65. The song made MacGowan and his band The Pogues famous when it was released in 1988, and was the biggestContinue reading “R.I.P. Shane MacGowan “
The Parish of St. Cecilia-St. Gabriel 