A caress from GodSt Josemaría...
The Blog of a
Country Priest
Fr John Corrigan, Diocese of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia
The evil eye: the devil’s most powerful weapon, and a sure way to hell
Envy The evil eye. A deadly sin. Envy is an especially sinister evil, which preys on every one of us. St Basil calls it the devil’s most powerful weapon. “As rust wears away iron, so envy corrodes the soul.” It’s helpful to distinguish between envy and...
Soothe the teething toddler: Now is not the time for difficult conversations
The Lord gives us very clear instructions on difficult conversations. He makes clear that we can't keep the peace at the expense of truth. He expects us to speak the truth, even at the cost of peace. “If your brother does something wrong, go and have it out with him...
St Anna: an exemplar of prayer and fasting and inner peace
Today is the feast of St Anna the Prophetess. Everything we know about Anna derives from a few verses in Sacred Scripture (Luke 2:36-38): Anna was a prophetess. Her name means “grace.” She was the daughter of Phanuel. This name derives from מְּנוּאֵל, meaning “the...
St Augustine: epochal giant, and yet also relatable
Today is the feast of St Augustine of Hippo, one of the most important figures in western thought. His influence rivals that of Moses, Plato and Aristotle, St Paul and St Thomas Aquinas. The second chapter of Thomas Cahill’s How the Irish Saved Civilization (highly...
St Monica: patron saint of conversions
Today is the Feast of St Monica, an ancient who captivates the modern imagination, thanks in large part to the colourful and candid writings of her son, St Augustine, who basically invented the autobiography. In her youth, Monica learned the value of self-knowledge...
The Church is personal
I came across a cartoon on Facebook this week, which works on so many levels: It speaks for itself. But it also speaks to the sort of Church Jesus founded. Consider one of the most momentous moments in the history of the Church: ‘But you,’ [Jesus] said ‘who do you say...
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