Friday, March 27, 20200155The word “quarantine” as we use it today was first coined in 14th century Venice – the leaders of that most serene watery republic ordered a mandatory period of isolation for people arriving in ships during the Black Death outbreak. A sequence of 40 days — una quarantina in modern Italian — was sufficient, they deemed, to...
Friday, March 6, 2020091By Father Thomas Esposito
Special to The Texas Catholic
January 27 marked the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the most notorious of the Nazi extermination camps. Noting that occasion, Paraclete Press published the translation of a Jewish-Catholic woman’s experience in the death camps. Entitled “The Auschwitz...
Friday, February 7, 20200238If posed to a general audience, the question “What is prudence?” would likely elicit a series of memorable and perhaps depressing answers, ranging from “a name for a cranky granny” and “a cool Beatles song from the White Album” to “excessive hesitation in coming to a decision” and “the Catholic way of saying ‘NO’ to...
Thursday, January 16, 20200350This column is simply an exhortation to you, good reader, to watch and ponder the film “A Hidden Life.” The movie chronicles the true story of Franz Jägerstätter, an Austrian farmer, devoted husband, father of three young girls, and a devout Catholic who refused to swear an oath of loyalty to Hitler, and was consequently condemned...
Wednesday, December 18, 20190188In the book of Exodus, the Lord instructs Moses to build a suitable place for His glorious presence (Exodus 25-40). Described simply as “the dwelling,” the Ark of the Covenant was a gilded wooden tabernacle containing the stone tablets of the commandments and manna, the bread from heaven. More important than these covenant treasures,...
Monday, November 4, 20190315The recent devastation of trees, homes, and stores by a tornado proves once more the utter powerlessness of man before the might of nature. No matter our planning, our insurance policies, and our efforts to avoid the prospect of death and disaster, the immense and unpredictable forces of earth, water and wind are never tamed by mere...
Wednesday, October 9, 20190119The canonization of John Henry Newman, set to take place in Rome on October 13, is cause for great rejoicing among Catholics. Regarding the canonization of another Englishman in the year 1935, G.K. Chesterton remarked that Saint Thomas More “is more important at this moment than at any moment since his death, even perhaps the great...
Friday, September 6, 20190141Is friendship with God possible? The question might appear awkward, ideally reserved for those impractical philosopher types who muse leisurely on the mysteries of the universe. But everyone can and should reflect on such a question, because its answer underlines some fascinating truths about our marvelous yet undeserved access to our...
Wednesday, July 17, 20190230For any flower to blossom fully, its roots must be nourished continuously and grounded in good soil. This simple fact of nature highlights, by analogy, the spiritual necessity of drawing constant inspiration from the first days and heroes of the early Church.
Tuesday, May 28, 20190289In the heart of Rome stands Piazza Venezia, a chaotic traffic circle in front of the gaudy Vittorio Emanuele monument, home to Italy’s tomb of the unknown soldier and dubbed “the wedding cake” by American tourists for its dazzling white marble. To the east of this monument stands a drab brown building, Palazzo San Marco, originally...
