Sometime ago we considered the Greek meaning of the name Nicholas, that is "victory of the people." The word nikodemos is similar. It means the same but a different word is used for "people" (demos) that is the same word that is the root of the English word demographics, for example. Nicodemus was leader of the Jews, a religious leader who defended Jesus before the Sanhedrin and provided some of the expensive things that were used to embalm the body of Jesus. He was most likely an acquaintance … [Read more...]
A King’s Dream
Giuseppe Verdi, the celebrated Italian composer wrote the opera Nabucco (Nebuchadnezzar) that opened to great and continued success in the spring of 1842. Verdi's life was changed by that wonderful piece of art. His opus became a symbol of Italian national risorgimento and his very name became an acronym for a political slogan: "Viva Verdi" was the prudent way Italian royalists expressed his sympathies for "Vittorio Emmanuelle Re d'Italia" V.E.R.D.I. for those in the know who did not want to be … [Read more...]
Count The Stars Of Heaven
The ancient city of Ur has been in the news these days. Most Christians have no idea of the importance of Ur of the Chaldeans where the history of Abraham, the son of Terach, begins some 2,000 years before the birth of Christ. Abraham is the 10th descendant of Noah through the line of Shem. According to some traditions, the father of Abraham was an idol maker. Terach named his son Abram (many, multitude, nation) but later on, God changed his name to Abraham (father of nations) by adding the … [Read more...]
A Vision Of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich
I often find myself reading the visions of Bl. Catherine Ann Emmerich. As I was reading the book again some of the phrases sort of jumped to my attention along with some associated thoughts. I will try to recall all of them but first I have to give you some personal impressions about the present state of ecclesial affairs in this year 2021 as I approach the 20th anniversary of my accepting the Catholic teachings of the Apostolic Magisterium. In fact, my social experience could be condensed in … [Read more...]
The Hour of the 8th King
It is hard to recognize the USA by reading the headlines these days but let us not fool ourselves, this has been coming for a long time. Some will say since the Civil War, others since the days of Woodrow Wilson, others offer many other points of reference but it has been a slow process that perhaps is part of the contradictions of Illuminism whose better angels inspired the creation of the American Republic. "A Republic, if you can keep it" said Ben Franklin. Well, looks like we … [Read more...]
