This is Part II of a two-part series. Click here for Part I. In the first part of this series, I listed the nine levels of prayer and described the first four, which exist along what is called “the Purgative Way.” In this second part, I will explore the second and third ways of prayer — the Illumative and the Unitive — and within them, the final five levels of prayer that are possible as we…

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Eight days ago, we were standing near the cross, on which died the Man of Sorrows, abandoned by His Father, and rejected, by a solemn judgement of the Synagogue, as a false Messias: and lo! this is the sixth time the sun has risen upon our earth since the voice of the Angel was heard proclaiming the Resurrection of this adorable Victim. The Church, His widowed spouse, then lay prostrate before the…

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Above: Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery (He That Is Without Sin?) by Vasily Polenov (1844–1927). One of the best literary commentaries ever written on the Prologue of St. John’s Gospel is undoubtedly Anthony Esolen’s In the Beginning Was the Word: An Annotated Reading of the Prologue of John, which overthrows modern assumptions and delights the inward heart on every page.

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Above: Noli me tangere by Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov (1806-1858). This text is taken from The Liturgical Year, authored by Dom Prosper Gueranger (1841-1875). After having glorified the Lamb of God, and the Passover whereby our Lord destroyed our enemies; after having celebrated our deliverance by water, and our entrance into the Promised Land; let us now fix our respectful gaze upon…

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This is Part I of a two-part series. Years ago I was involved in a Protestant apologetics online forum. Unlike many online forums, this one included many very bright and respectful people who expertly debated theology without rancor. Just about every viewpoint was represented: Calvinist, evangelical, liberal, conservative, even Mormon and Unitarian. I, however, was the only Catholic participant.

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Above: The Miraculous Catch of Fish by Painting by Joachim Beuckelaer, 1563. This text is taken from The Liturgical Year, authored by Dom Prosper Gueranger (1841-1875) The Hebrew word Pasch signifies passage, and we explained yesterday how this great day first became sacred by reason of the Lord’s Passover. But there is another meaning which attaches to the word, as we learn from the…

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Above: Peace be upon you! The Appearance of Christ to the Apostles by A. Mironov Our Pasch is the Lamb, and we meditated upon the mystery yesterday: now let us attentively consider those words of sacred Scripture, where, speaking of the Pasch, it says: It is the Phase, that is, the passage of the Lord. God Himself adds these words: I will pass through the land of Egypt that night…

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Above: Matera, Italy. Three centuries ago, on April 6, 1726, Saint Gerard Majella was born—one of the most beloved and venerated saints of Southern Italy. The son of a humble family, Gerard grew up in an environment marked by material poverty but rich in faith and spiritual sensitivity. From an early age, he exhibited an intense devotion that would lead him to consecrate his life…

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Above: Supper at Emmaus by Caravaggio (1601). So ample and so profound is the mystery of the glorious Pasch, that an entire week may well be spent in its meditation. Yesterday, we limited ourselves to our Redeemer’s rising from the tomb, and showing Himself, in six different apparitions, to them that were dear to Him. We will continue to give Him the adoration, gratitude, and love…

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The Church, in her ancient wisdom, does a striking thing on this greatest of feasts. After the dark austerity of Lent, after the long stripping away of liturgical ornaments and consolations, after the silence and stillness and blackness of the tomb, she sets before us on Easter morning an Epistle that glitters with Paschal theology and at the same time cuts like a scalpel. The Roman Station is at…

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This text is taken from The Liturgical Year, authored by Dom Prosper Gueranger (1841-1875) The night between Saturday and Sunday has well nigh run its course, and the day-dawn is appearing. The Mother of sorrows is waiting, in courageous hope and patience, for the blissful moment of her Jesus’ return. Magdalene and the other holy women have spent the night in watching…

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