Dear brother priests, on the day when the Church ponders her Lord’s pierced Heart, from which gushes forth an inexhaustible fountain of peace and unity for all humanity, I first address to myself and to all of you the words that God spoke to the people of Israel: “Be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy” (Lev 19:2; 1 Pt 1:16).
https://t.co/umh94elYpq
In the era of #ArtificialIntelligence, when human dignity is threatened by new forms of dehumanization, ours is the pressing duty to remain profoundly human. We must lovingly safeguard the grandeur of humanity bestowed upon us and revealed in its fullness in Christ, the splendor of which no machine can ever replace. #MagnificaHumanitas
https://t.co/6i9MWs6LJl
It is not always easy to believe. It was not easy for Thomas, and it is not easy for us either. Faith needs to be nourished and sustained. For this reason, on the “eighth day” — that is, every Sunday — the Church invites us to do as the first disciples did: gather together and celebrate the Eucharist. #GospelOfToday (Jn 20:19–31)
♰ Pray for the Souls in Purgatory ♰
Saint Joseph, Patron of a Happy Death pray for us 🙏
🎥 The Transit of Saint Joseph, work by Cristobal Ramos, Chapel of Saint Joseph, Seville, Spain 🇪🇸
Video elartequeveo
Bishop Varden is posting his Papal Lenten Retreat talks on his website:
https://t.co/hcZWyUPK8V
It's so good to hear such a measured monastic voice.
Bishop Varden has an extraordinary breadth of expertise and vision. There's material here for the whole of Lent.
O Antiphons - Dec 17
O Wisdom of our God Most High,
guiding creation with power and love:
come to teach us the path of knowledge!
#Jesus#Immanuel#Advent
The O Antiphons, also known as the Great Antiphons, constitute a series of seven ancient liturgical texts recited or chanted in the Western Christian tradition during the final seven days of Advent, from December 17 to December 23. These antiphons frame the Magnificat canticle during Evening Prayer (Vespers) in the Liturgy of the Hours.
Originating likely in sixth-century Italy and documented in use by the eighth century, they represent a profound expression of expectant longing for the Messiah, drawing directly from Old Testament prophetic imagery, particularly the Book of Isaiah.
Each antiphon begins with the vocative “O,” invoking Christ by a distinct messianic title rooted in Scripture, elaborating on its significance, and concluding with a petition for His coming (“Veni”). The seven titles and their corresponding dates are as follows:
December 17: O Sapientia (O Wisdom)
December 18: O Adonai (O Lord and Leader of the House of Israel)
December 19: O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse)
December 20: O Clavis David (O Key of David)
December 21: O Oriens (O Radiant Dawn or Dayspring)
December 22: O Rex Gentium (O King of the Nations)
December 23: O Emmanuel (O God-with-us)
These invocations encapsulate humanity’s pre-Incarnation plight—ignorance, bondage, exile, and darkness—and proclaim Christ as the fulfillment of ancient promises: the divine Wisdom ordering creation, the Lawgiver, the liberating sign, the opener of eternal gates, the light dispelling shadows, the cornerstone of unity, and the imminent presence of God among His people.
A notable structural feature is the acrostic formed by the initial letters of the Latin titles when read backward from December 23: Emmanuel, Rex, Oriens, Clavis, Radix, Adonai, Sapientia—yielding “ERO CRAS,” translated as “Tomorrow, I will be [there].” This serves as Christ’s implicit response to the Church’s pleas, heightening the sense of imminent arrival on Christmas Eve.