Some thoughts on chapter 21 in the Gospel of Luke. Some say that the Gospel of Luke should be called the Gospel of Mary because Luke wrote his account from the point of view of the Blessed Mother. The chapter begins with the story of the widow’s mite. By the time this lesson takes place, Mary is a widow. She has contributed her only offspring, Our Lord Jesus, to the service of God. The widow remains in the Gospel forever as an example of faith and generosity. Her kind little gift is enough to … [Read more...]

The Mass readings for today truly paint a beautiful picture of the world renewed by the Holy Spirit, infused forever with the love of God and free from sin. Through all the readings there is a common thread: the extolling of smallness. That is a very fitting reflection in this first week of Advent. Soon we will be celebrating Christmas, the glorious occasion when the God the Son became a little baby and was born in a humble manger from poor parents led there by a powerful mandate of Augustus … [Read more...]

“I saw also the relationship between the two popes [ ... ] I saw how baleful would be the consequences of this false church. I saw it increase in size; heretics of every kind came into the city. The local clergy grew lukewarm, and I saw a great darkness…” “Then the vision seemed to extend on every side. Whole Catholic communities were being oppressed, harassed, confined, and deprived of their freedom. I saw many churches closed down, great miseries everywhere, wars and bloodshed. A wild and ig … [Read more...]

A few minutes ago I was looking out the window on a humid overcast morning in Buenos Aires. I got up early and it was still dark, the clouds did not let me see the sun rise over the wide river. Then I thought of the Lord’s words before the Sanhedrin: “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Mark 14:62. At this point I am convinced that we are living in apocalyptic times. The world media continues to cover up the signs. No … [Read more...]

Santiago del Nuevo Extremo was named by the Spanish conquistadors after Santiago de Compostela, the city in Spain where the mortal remains of St. James rest under the altar of the local Cathedral. The word "Santiago" is the modern form of Sant Yago, where "Yago" is the old Spanish form of Jacob or James. Early chronicles suggested that after his death, Saint James’ remains were transported from Jerusalem to the northern coast of Spain where they were buried contra mare Britannicum, “close to the … [Read more...]