How Dostoevsky Changed the World
In 1849, Fyodor Dostoevsky stood before a firing squad, fully prepared for death, only to hear his execution sentence revoked at the final instant....
Bach’s Christmas and Epiphany Oratorio
Between 1734 and 1735, J.S. Bach composed six Oratorios - or six parts of one long Oratorio - for the Christmas season, which the...
Epiphany: Kneeling Humbly Before our God
On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then opening their treasure...
Pope Benedict and Saint Basil the Great
BENEDICT XVI
GENERAL AUDIENCE
Paul VI Audience Hall
Wednesday, 4 July 2007
Saint Basil (1)
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Let us remember today one of the great Fathers of the...
Pope Benedict and Saint Gregory Nazianzus: Kindred Spirits
BENEDICT XVI
GENERAL AUDIENCE
Paul VI Audience Hall
Wednesday, 8 August 2007
Saint Gregory Nazianzus (1)
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Last Wednesday, I talked about St Basil, a Father of...
Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman…so that we might receive adoption as sons (Gal.4:4).⧾
On this...
The Te Deum: Giving Thanks and Praise to God
There is an eschatological note to this final day of the calendar year, as there was a month ago in the end of the...
The Miraculous Figures of the Infant Jesus: History and Devotion
Among the many devotional images scattered across Central Europe, in a world shattered by regional conflicts, ideological disputes, and economic upheavals, two small figures—the...
The Hope of the Holy Innocents
The feast of the Holy Innocents, which we celebrate appropriately enough within the octave of Christmas, might seem a troubling commemoration at first glance....
Feast of the Holy Family
BENEDICT XVI
ANGELUS
St Peter's Square
Sunday, 31 December 2006
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
On this last Sunday of the year we are celebrating the Feast of the Holy Family...






















