Dreams are not always strange, disconnected experiences. Sometimes they are unified to the point of producing extraordinary blessings. In fact, one of the wonders of modern science came through a dream. It’s called the Periodic Table of Elements, the fascinating chart that explains the way the microscopic building blocks of our physical world all [...]
The world contains layers upon layers of beauty. But do we have eyes to see all there is to see? Sight is the physical sense. Seeing is the spiritual sense. The difference became evident to me recently when I looked up from my reading at a pen on my desk and noticed that it [...]
By Maurice Williams and Peter Darcy It is good to be reminded now and then of what an amazing and beautiful world we live in. For example, if you’ve ever seen the Grand Canyon and thought it was impressive, you would be even more amazed at the monster trench deep in the Pacific Ocean [...]
“Mont Saint-Michel has broken the English siege!” cried the messenger as he galloped into the little town of Domrémy at the far eastern edge of France. It was the year 1424 AD, and a twelve-year-old girl of that town named Jehanne received the news with open enthusiasm. “There is hope for the kingdom of [...]
[This article is a sequel to the 9/19/21 email newsletter, "See the Unconquered Fortress of a Mighty Archangel".] Why does the Church venerate an invisible warrior? Because spiritual warfare is the lot of Christians on this earth. Pure and simple. The great Archangel, St. Michael, is known as the Prince of the Heavenly Host [...]
Italian folk songs are often performed using an artistic technique the Italians have perfected. They call it “Bel Canto”, a name that literally means beautiful song or music. The Harvard Dictionary of Music describes the vocal technique as placing “emphasis on beauty of sound and brilliance of performance rather than dramatic expression or romantic [...]
Have you ever found yourself so transfixed by the beauty of something that you become totally absorbed in it, or found yourself listening to a single piece of music over and over because it speaks so deeply to your heart and soul? That is what happens to me each time I listen to the [...]
A few years ago I met a woman named Carolyn who, with her husband, had joined their church’s prison ministry team and were volunteering at a local prison. We were attending the same seminar where, in small group sharing, she told a riveting story. I honestly don’t recall any other details of the seminar [...]
Can a secular dance routine be a sacred window? It’s a fair question, and if I were a lawyer (or a Jesuit) I’d answer with a resounding, “It depends.” The key notion in discerning transcendent values in our world is not so much whether something is religious or secular – although the former has [...]
[This article follows the article of August 8, 2021, “Were These Brothers the Greatest Tap Dancers of All Time?” See also the email newsletter version.] “I think it's pretty safe to assume the Nicholas Brothers were superhuman,” was what one commentator had to say to the Nicholas Brothers’ performance in the 1943 film, Stormy [...]